The Behemoth

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:

 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

“Would you discredit my justice?
    Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
Do you have an arm like God’s,
    and can your voice thunder like his?
 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
    look at all who are proud and bring them low,
 look at all who are proud and humble them,
    crush the wicked where they stand.
 Bury them all in the dust together;
    shroud their faces in the grave.
 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.

“Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
 What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
 It ranks first among the works of God,
    yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
The hills bring it their produce,
    and all the wild animals play nearby.

-The Book of Job, 40:1-20, NIV translation

Visitors to the Underworld

The Great Pharoah Ramses had a son named Setna.  Setna himself had a son named Se-Osiris.  Se-Osiris was strong in the learned arts of magic. 

One day, Se-Osiris and Setna were standing in the palace, looking out the great windows.  They saw two funerals that day as they watched.  The first funeral was for that of a wealthy nobleman.  His body was carried in a wooden sarcophagus overlaid with gold.  Dozens of mourners and priests accompanied the coffin, singing hymns and carrying gifts for him to use on his journey through the Underworld.  The second funeral was for a poor worker.  His two sons carried the unadorned coffin for him, while his widowed wife and two daughters-in-law followed behind.

Setna remarked, "I hope that my funeral will be like that of the nobleman"

Se-Osiris shook his head.  "No, Father, may your fate be like that of the poor man."

Setna was disturbed and hurt by this, so he asked his son, "Why would you say such a thing?"

Se-Osiris turned and said, "Come, and we will go to the Underworld together, so that you can see what is taking place for both men."

So the two of them went to the temple of Osiris, and the child began to draw magic circles on the ground.  On the altar to Osiris, he lit a fire of cedar wood, which blazed up towards the ceiling.  He threw a powder onto the fire, and Setna was surprised to see a ball of fire rise out of the flames and float away, as if it were a grain of sand carried by the wind.  Then Se-Osiris spoke some words of power, and as he finished, the flames blazed and were then suddenly extinguished, the entire place being plunged into inky darkness.

Soon Setna became aware of a light, however, and turned to see what caused it.  He nearly cried out in horror at the sight:  his son's body lay on one side of the altar, and his own body lay on the other side.  Floating above them were tongues of flame - their spirits.

Se-Osiris, in a soft whisper, said, "We must hurry.  If we are not back before morning, we will never see the sun rise again."  Setna looked at Se-Osiris, whose soul was like that of a great bird.

"Lead me," Setna answered, and followed his son on his own soul's golden wings.

They flew through the temple roof, and made straightway Underworld, West of the land of Egypt, just as the sun was setting.  They reached the Gap of The Destroyer, passing over the boat in which Ra crosses into the Underworld at the end of each day.  It was a wonderful boat to behold, colored as the great amethysts and emeralds of the kingdom. It also had adornings of turqoise, gold, and jade.  

The two souls of Setna and Se-Osiris settled into the boat, in order that they may ride across the River with the other souls of those who have departed this life.  The boat, pulled along by a troop of gods, approached the great doors of the first region of the Underworld, doors which were guarded on either side by six serpents.

The boat moved along the river, until it came to the doors of the second region.  Here the river flowed between tall walls, the tops of which were decorated with the points of spears, so that none could climb over.  The great doorway at the entrance was guarded by fire-breathing serpents, who coiled at the base of the great wooden doors.  The doors to the second region of the Underworld turned on pivots, and each of the souls in the boat whispered words of power as the doors swung open and the serpents regarded them with greedy eyes.

The second region, which they had now entered, was the Kingdom of Ra, with whom dwelt all the heroes and gods of old.  It was a place of peace and happiness, yet no one could set foot here until they had first passed into the third region:  The Judgment Hall of Osiris.

The boat came to the next doorway, and its passengers spoke the words of power.  The boat continued on, until the dead that were in it disembarked onto the shore, outside of the The Judgment Hall of Osiris.  The boat continued on through the other nine regions, carrying Ra out of the mouth of the Eastern Dragon as daylight once more dawned.  But Setna and Se-Osiris did not stay in the boat.  Instead, their souls flew over the others, who waited in line to be admitted by the Door-Keeper.  

This is what Se-Osiris showed his father:

The Door-Keeper would not allow a soul to enter into The Judgment Hall unless it could announce his name.  The soul who was prepared would answer, "Understander of Hearts is your name, and you are the Searcher of Bodies.

"To whom should I announce you?" the Door-Keeper would then inquire.

"Tell of my coming to the Interpreter of Two Lands!" was the response.

"And what is his name?"

"Thoth."

So the souls would then pass through the doorway, where Thoth would meet them.  "What is your purpose here?"

The soul would answer Thoth:  "I have come to be judged."

"And what is your condition?"

"I am pure of sin."

"Shall I then announce you to he whose ceiling is flame and whose walls are living serpents?  He whose ground is paved with water?"

"Yes."

So Thoth would lead the souls to Osiris, who sat upon his throne.  In his hands were the scourge and crook, upon his head was the serpent crown, and his body was wrapped in the linen of the dead.  In front of his great throne was a large balance, its two scales even, one empty, the other holding The Feather of Truth.  Anubis stood before the throne.  He took each soul from Thoth and led it into the presence of Osiris.

As the soul approached, he would speak in his defense, saying, "I am pure!"

Then the judgement would come.  Anubis would take the heart from each soul and place it on the scale.  If the heart was heavier than the Feather of Truth, then it was full of evil and would sink down.  If it sank far enough down, Ammit, the Devourer of Hearts, would catch the heart in its jaws and carry it off.  The sinner would then be driven out into the Underworld, where it would live for eternity in the Pits of Fire, ruled over by Apep the Terrible.

But if a soul was good, and the heart rose, Thoth would cry to Osiris, "True is this soul's proclamation!  He has not sinned against the gods or man!   He shall not go down to Apep, but shall find a place in the Fields of Peace!"

Then Horus would take the soul and lead it to Osiris.  He would declare the soul worthy before Osiris, saying, "May he be like those who follow Horus!"

Then Osiris would grant that the soul could pass on into the Fields of Peace.  The Fields of Peace offered all the joys of life:  land, food, wine, leisure.  There, the souls who passed the scales would dwell until Osiris returns to earth, bringing them back. 

Se-Osiris showed Setna all of these things.  He turned to his father and asked, "Do you understand why I wished your fate to be like that of the worker, and not the nobleman?  For the nobleman is being tormented forever, while the poor worker is dressed in ornate robes, surrounded by wealth and pleasure."

 Then the souls of father and son flew back to Thebes, where they entered their bodies.  They returned to their home as the sun rose, turning the cliffs to pink and purple, the golden sun casting its light over the kingdom of Egypt.

-From Egypt

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep.  So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”

Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble.  But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided:  If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”

The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.  What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”

This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.  So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.  He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel.  At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.  He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.  During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
  He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
  He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
  I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”

The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:

“As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen.  As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

“Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.  The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,  its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.  While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.  Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

“This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.  Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

“After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.  Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.  Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay.  As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.  And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.  This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.  The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.

^{-Daniel 2:1-48}

The Light Stealer

Giant sat in the heavens, looking down upon the world.  There was not much going on, so The Trickster decided to have a bit of fun.  He put on a raven skin and dove to earth.  As he flew over the water, he dropped a stone, which turned into an island.  He landed on the island, and took some seeds from his pocket.  Then he flew over the land and dropped seeds, and all kinds of fruit trees sprang up.  Then he flew over the waters again and dropped fish eggs, which became trout and other fish.

Giant was still feeling mischievous, so he spotted the home of one of the goddesses.  In her home was the maa.  So he turned himself into a baby and hid inside of her.  He was soon born, and a remarkable baby he was!  He could sit up and speak before he was a month old, and his parents marveled at him.  One day, as he sat on the floor, cooing and laughing, he began to speak.  "Maa!  Maa!"  His father - or, rather, the man who thought he was the father - said, "I believe he wants the maa."  So they took it down form the hearth and gave it to him.  He rolled it along the floor, and soon they ignored him.

So giant, seeing the opportunity, grabbed the maa, shed his baby form, and took off running.  The gods were angry, and ran after him.  "Giant is taking the maa!" they cried.

Giant stood on the bank of a river, where people were fishing.  "Give me some fish!" he cried.

"No!  You are Giant!  You are a liar!"

"I will break the maa if you do not give me fish!" 

But the people refused.  So Giant broke the maa upon the ground, and the earth had daylight.  Then Giant put on the raven skin again, and flew off into the sky.

-From the Tsimshian peoples of Alaska, found in Giants: Legends and Lore of Goliaths


This week's myth is a classic example of Telephone Mythology at work.  The parallels between this Alaskan myth and the Greek myth of Prometheus are astonishing, and, unless we believe that Telephone Mythology is possible, difficult to dismiss.

If you are unfamiliar with the story of Prometheus, here's a quick explanation:

Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus, both Titans, were charged with creating the world and everything in it.  They split up the job, with Epimetheus creating the animals and people.  However, since he was rather liberal with his materials, when it came time to create man, he didn't have anything "special" left.  So Prometheus ascended into heaven, stole fire from the sun, and gave it to the newly-created humans.  This action earned him the nickname of "Trickster," but it also enraged the gods, who eventually punished him for his deeds.

Now consider:

In the Greek myth:                                          In the Alaskan myth:
1) A giant partially creates the world             1) A giant partially creates the world
2) Prometheus is known as a "trickster."        2) Giant is known as a "liar"
3) Prometheus brings fire from the sun to      3) Giant brings the light of the sun to the world
     earth.
4) The gods are angry with Prometheus         4) The gods are angry with Giant.


Coincidence?  Possibly, but if we're honest and realistic the parallels are far too similar to truly dismiss as independently invented.  It would, in fact, take far more blind faith to believe that these two myths were invented independently of each other than to believe that the story was passed down from generation to generation and culture to culture until it evolved into the story we see in the Native Americans of Alaska.

Telephone Mythology, which requires a singular event in the history of mankind that we commonly call The Tower of Babel, is not a popular theory.  And, while this week's myth certainly does not prove anything - after all, none of us were there - it does suggest that much of ancient literature may be more than just symbolism and superstition.  So now, readers, I leave it in your hands:  what do you think of Telephone Mythology?  Possible, plausible, or preposterous? 

The Spread of Austronesian Culture

This article from World Archaeology offers some real gems of insight into the spread of cultures - in this case, in Australia and Indonesia - throughout time.  There are two pieces of information that really stood out to me:

1) Australia and parts of Indonesia were populated and settled remarkably early in human history - around 40,000 B.C., according to archaeological dating methods.

2) The Austronesian languages are spoken from Easter Island in the Pacific, all the way to Madagascar off the coast of Africa.  It has over 500 variations, and is "one of the world's largest language groups."

This brings up some interesting observations.  I want to make it clear that these observations fly in the face of modern archaeology and geology, and, as I am neither an archaeologist nor a geologist, I do not claim my observations to be 100% accurate.  However, the spread of ancient cultures over such a large area does create a mystery:  how did these cultures spread so far - and so early - with only outrigger canoes (as the going theory states)?  Outriggers are remarkably stable - in mild thunder storms.  Crossing vast amounts of ocean and being subject to severe thunder storms and hurricanes does leave even an outrigger canoe vulnerable to capsizing.

So this leaves us with two possibilities.  The first possibility is that Pangaea, which geologists tell us broke up some 200 million years ago, was actually a much more recent event.  Afte rall, the continents don't come with dates and labels informing us as to when they broke apart.  In fact, the breaking of fault lines, the collision of plates, the volcanic upheaval that would be caused by a massive movement, and the subduction of the mantel would all lead to a catastrophic event similar to the Deluge.  As I mentioned, however, I am not a geologist, so I cannot rightly argue against the geology.  Nonetheless, based on the actual spread of cultures, language, and literature, I feel the need to leave this open as a possibility.

The second is that ocean travel was far more sophisticated than we believe. We know that architecture was remarkably advanced at an early stage, and there are several ancient cultures that speak of various types of flying machines. Though it seems impossible to our modern way of thinking - which asserts that mankind has developed from primitive to technologically advanced - perhaps history is cyclical: technological advancement, followed by a "forgetting" of sorts, which is then followed by a rediscovery. Perhaps, as King Solomon of Israel put it, "There is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Though I don't quite feel the push to believe in ancient astronauts coming from distant planets, the repeated discovery of new technology, coupled with the discoveries of earlier and earlier civilizations, all point to one solid conclusion:  man has been far more advanced at far earlier in his history than previously thought.  And now, with the more recent discoveries of underwater cities around the globe, the date for civilization is being pushed back even further. 

Many religions and mythologies have been asserting that mankind started out advanced and lost technology as he developed.  Perhaps science needs to catch up with the literature.

The Flood According to the Orinoco

Sigu was the son of Makunaima.  Sigu was in charge of all of the animals and the birds that were on earth after Makunaima created them.  This is true.  Now the Agouti knew of a secret tree that was created by Makunaima, and this tree was the first tree created, and so it grew all of the plants and food that we have today.  The tree was a secret because it was special, and so not even Sigu knew of it.  But the Agouti knew of it, and one day he was followed by Rat.  Once Rat saw the tree, he told everyone, even Sigu.  So Sigu decided to cut the tree down, and then take all of the branches from the tree and plant them in the ground, so that each branch would grow its own food, and there would be food everywhere.

Sigu asked Iwarrika the monkey to help, and sent him to bring water from the stream.  While Iwarriak was gone, Sigu cut down the tree, leaving the stump.  The stump was hollow, you see, and so it was filled with water, and in the water were all kinds of fish.  There were big fish and little fish, and they all swam around and around in the tree stump.  But the water, which was kept inside by the tree, was now overflowing, and the land was going to be flooded.  So Sigu took a basket and covered the stump to keep the water in, and then he left so he could begin to plant the tree branches.  While he was gone, Iwarrika came back, swa the basket, and believed that there was fruit under it.  He lifted the basket, but instead of fruit, there was water!  Let me tell you, there was water!  It flooded everything!  It covered the ground, and the trees, and would have killed all of the animals if Sigu had not acted quickly.

Here is what he did:  he took all of the birds and climbing animals, and put them in the tallest trees.  Then he took the other animals and put them in a cave.  He sealed the cave with wax, and told them that he would come get them when the water was gone.  Meanwhile, he sat in the tree with the birds, and waited for the water to go away.  It was very dark, and the storms were fierce, but eventually the water went away.  Sigu knew this because he dropped a seed, and he heard it hit the ground instead of splashing in the water.

When the sky grew light again, Sigu and the animals climbed down from the tree.  Then Sigu let out the animals that were in the cave.  So this is how it happened that the world was flooded.  This is also how it happened that monkeys are afraid of water.

-From the Orinoco Peoples of Middle America    

It's the End of the World As We Know It: The Trumpet Judgments, Part 3

Hail.  Fire.  Blood.  Demons.  These are the fun things in store for those on earth during the first Six Trumpets.  And while I believe (not claiming certainty, here!) that the blast of the Seventh Trumpets follows the Rapture, what we know for certain about this Trumpet is still pretty intense.  Let's back up and put this in context:

The second woe is passed; the third woe is coming soon.

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

"The kingdom of the world has
     become the kingdom of our
     Lord and of His Christ,
and He will reign for ever and
     ever."

And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:

"We give thanks to you, Lord God
     Almighty,
   the One Who is and Who was,
because you have taken Your great
     power
   and have begun to reign.
The nations were angry;
   and Your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
   and for rewarding Your servants the
     prophets
and Your saints and those who
     reverence Your Name,
   both small and great - 
and for destroying those who destroy the earth."

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within His temple was seen the ark of His covenant.  And there came peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm (11:14-19).

The two witnesses have ascended, the "second woe" has finished, and the last trumpet sounds.  This doesn't seem particularly bad, however, because, aside from (yet another) earthquake and hailstorm, all that appears to happen is that the elders and angels in heaven break out in song, right?  What is so "woeful" about that?

Notice their song:  "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ."  Wait, that doesn't sound so bad either, right?  Isn't that what we are all waiting for?  Believers, yes, but for the world - for those who have taken the Mark of the Beast, who have set up their hopes and security in this world and it's god - the coming of Jesus is a terrible thing.

Let's take a moment and reflect on this term, "woe."  It isn't one we use much in our culture today, but what it signals is a deep, relentless anguish of the soul.  When Job lost his family, his wealth, his health, and his friends and wife all turned against him and tried to persuade him to disavow God, Job became woeful.  He lost everything, and those he trusted tried to take God from him, too.  When the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of Christ, the world will experience woe.

It's humiliating enough to be confronted with being wrong, but to be confronted by Jesus Himself, in the flesh, when you have totally rejected Him?  It's the worst kind of "I Told You So" imaginable.  But I think that what adds insult to injury is that it also heralds the series of events that lead up to Jesus' return and establishment of His Kingdom:  the Seven Bowls of God's Wrath.  Each of these bowls is specifically meant to remove power and authority from the kingdom of the Beast and bring an end to his rule.  And, just like pruning a bush means cutting out part of a living organism, pruning a person and a kingdom can be very, very painful, even if that person and that kingdom deserve to fall.  And of course, as we mentioned just a moment ago, it all leads to that the final moment when the heavens are torn open and Jesus Himself appears and says (much more eloquently, of course), "I told you so."  But all of that - every single moment of it - begins with the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet.

The last and final Trumpet of Revelation heralds the pouring out of God's Wrath on the earth.  The preceding judgments?  Just the warm-up, so to speak. The global move to Satanism, the downward spiral we see beginning even today, all of these things are shaken up and interrupted by God's Seals and Trumpets, but they are utterly destroyed - and many of the people involved with them - by a sequence of events heralded by the Seventh Trumpet.  So while it's "only" an earthquake, but mostly a song, don't pass over this Trumpet so quickly.  Let it sink in that this is the beginning of the Day of the Lord.  For those who are in Christ, it truly is an awesome, praiseworthy thing, but for the rest of mankind, it's a horrifying, terrible thing.  It is, in fact, woeful.