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Catastrophism: God's Judgments
Getting Ready for Eternity
Part 4
Garments of Enoch
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Catastrophism is clothed in a garment possibly because we can comprehend raiment while the cosmos and the inner workings or God and evil are perplexing to us. As I was preparing for the Seven Thunders series God showed some revelation causing me to struggle for it was very strange and cryptic being outside of my understanding. There were images of creation, cosmos, and mythological gods and goddesses. I understand that you have a family, job, ministry, bills to pay, and if God blesses a little time left over to enjoy life. Wrapping your mind around God's grand scheme tends to produce the deer in the headlights look. Think about it for a moment, just a moment in time. You were fashioned and created by God for this time. The prophets and disciples looked forward to this period when the fall of man will be restored. We are honored to be living these days, enjoy every moment.
We will examine the clothing imagery of the apocalyptic literature of 1 & 2 Enoch. Our primary focus will be 1 Enoch or the Ethiopic Enoch some reference to 2 Enoch, the Slavonic Enoch as we transition from the garments of God and man to darker realms.
1 Enoch is the only apocryphal book cited in the New Testament in Jude 14. 1 Enoch has been found in Qumran fragments suggesting that the book was originally written in Aramaic with some chapters written in Hebrew. Hebrew and Aramaic are cousin languages that are very similar. It was probably written in the period stretching from second century B.C. to the first century A.D.s just before Christianity began.
1 Enoch can be divided into five basic books:
- Book of the Watchers, which describes Enoch's journey (chapters 1-36),
- Similitude's (chapters 37-71),
- Astronomical section (chapters 72-82),
- Dreams and visions (chapters 83-90),
- Admonitions of Enoch (chapters 91-105).
- Chapters 106-108 are an addendum taken from a Book of Noah, Jubilees 10:13; 21:10).
2 Enoch is also called The Book of the Secrets of Enoch, preserved only in two Slavonic versions and is a bit more controversial. It is more a midrashic amplification [a common linguistic tool if Hebrew learning] of Genesis 5:21-32.
It is also divided into five sections:
- Enoch's notification about his imminent ascension (chapters 1-2),
- His ascent to the Lord through the seven heavens (chapters 3-21),
- His meeting with the Lord and his recording his revelation (chapters 22-38),
- His return to the earth (chapters 39-66),
- His rapture into the highest heaven (chapter 67; the long version adds chapter 68). The second part, chapters 69-73, briefly speak of the life of Enoch's successors.
Linguistically speaking, it appears as though the language was mainly Greek, but certain portions based on Hebrew
From these two books we can glean understand some of the grander workings of God and His creation.
Faith Lesson: Holy Spirit, I request that you speak to me the words that are applicable to this season of my life and hide in my heart the things which I am not yet ready to understand. Knowing that I may need these concepts to better know You better please keep them in my memory for a time in the future.
The Garment of God
1 Enoch 14:8-25 recounts Enoch's experience of ascending to heaven in a vision. In heaven he sees the throne of God. God is dressed in a splendid garment, which is described in verses 18-21:
18 And I observed and saw inside it a lofty throne -its appearance was like crystal and its wheels like the shining sun; and (I heard?) the voice of the cherubim; 19 and from beneath the throne were issuing streams of flaming fire. It was difficult to look at it. 20 And the Great Glory [God] was sitting upon it -as for his gown, which was shining more brightly than the sun, it was whiter than any snow. 21 None of the angels was able to come in and see the face of the Excellent and the Glorious One; and no one of the flesh can see him.
The Excellent [One] and the Glorious One are its equivalents. These descriptors can equally be applied to Jesus Christ, God's Son, especially when the word Lord is present in the texts. God's characteristics are directly used as his titles and an explanation of God's identity as the Great Glory. He is so glorious that neither angels nor human beings can see him face to face. God's being Glory can be described in terms of the preeminent radiance and whiteness [white being the color that encompasses all colors] of his raiment. God as described by His Glory runs throughout Holy Scripture and is prevalent among the major and minor prophets of the Bible. His glory is so supreme that neither human nor angelic beings can directly face him.
Imagine these marvelous verses:
Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
Ezekiel 10:4
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train [robe] filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:1-3
Some ancient texts that are not biblical God as glorified with embroideries of songs and speak of God's garment as "And it is every part engraved from within and from without."
We see in Exodus 34:29-35 that God's glory was revealed in Moses' face after his having been in the presence of God at the top of Mt. Sinai. It was so radiant that the Israelites could not tolerate the sight of Moses, resulting in his putting a veil on his own face. In a sense, the veil can be thought of as God's covering which hides his sublime glory. On the splendor of God's throne, Psalms 104:1-2; on the whiteness of God's raiment, in Daniel 7:9. and also in the Gizeh Papyrus.
God's Glory is relayed to us in imagery of God's being dressed in a sunlight-like gown, to symbolize God's gloriousness by this clothing imagery that we can understand. There is in fact a relationship between a garment and its wearer which is why we must follow Scriptural guidelines for our attire. The raiment and its wearer always go together, acting as one so that the raiment almost becomes part of its wearer. Our raiment defines and dominates our appearance since it wraps your whole body. Its physical color, design, and quality bespeak your individual character and even your status. That said raiment cannot be equated with its wearer, even though the one is closely linked with the other. Whatever God's garment is like, He never fails to remain a being that transcends it. The splendid glory of God's garment is always there with Him, determining his appearance and disclosing his character but not being equal with Him.
What is meant by the notion of God's garment's being radiant and white? When God dons His garment of glory it is a description of his glorious appearance, often with light. The concept of whiteness seems to be influenced by the whiteness of the high priest's linen garments, which he wore when he entered the most holy place once a year. In the Book of the Watchers includes a view of heaven is pictured as a temple with the heavenly temple a model or template for the earthly temple. God's throne is thought of as the heavenly holy of holies; angels, as heavenly priests; and Enoch, as the heavenly high priest. The whole picture of heaven as a temple might remind us of the white linen garments of the high priest and further encourage us to apply the whiteness to God's gown, as God's throne was considered the most holy place of the heavenly temple. As the high priest's white linen garments are called sacred garments, it is probable that the whiteness of God's garment stands for His holiness! In the New Testament we discover that clothing-with-a-person passages in Romans 13:14; Colossians 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:22-24 that highlight it is the believer's right conduct to attainment of a glorious state like that of the prefall Adam and envisage ourselves as being identified with God's glory and holiness.
Sadly, there is the usurper Lucifer, whose attired with twelve garments being sun-like, as described a Gnostic mystical text.
Faith Lesson: Does my life reflect the glory and whiteness of God's raiment? When people look at me do they see the radiance of Jesus Christ? What steps am I going to take in my life to become more of Him and less of me?
Garments of the Righteous
In 1 Enoch, the Similitude's, expresses a serious concern for the fate of souls after death. We have all lost loved ones and we ourselves are mortal with a wonderment of what lies before us after death. The central theme of the book is that the righteous will be redeemed and the wicked will be condemned, unlike the life we know today. It stresses the curse on the wicked ruling class and the blessedness of the righteous ones. The author of Similitude's has a distinct attitude toward the haves of the powerful.
The place where the idea of the righteous' garments appear is in 1 Enoch 62:15-16, which reads:
15 The righteous and elect ones shall rise from the earth and shall cease being of downcast face. They shall wear the garments of glory. 16 These garments of yours shall become the garments of life from the Lord of the Spirits. Neither shall your garments wear out, nor your glory comes to an end before the Lord of the Spirits?
Rise from the earth can be a dual purpose word describing both the resurrection, but nearer to our everyday life, can express not merely an escape from earthly conditions but also an entrance into heavenly conditions.
The text goes into the state of the righteous' existence will be like in heaven and as a whole refers to future affairs which will take place on the day of God's judgment. Verse 13 states that "the righteous and elect ones shall be saved on that day." Verses 15b-16 refers to the heavenly body which will be owned by the righteous after their earthly lives. "The garments of glory," has the implication is that hat the future body of the righteous will be similar to the existence of God as Glory. The garments of glory can be considered as referring to the body of glory. As a garment envelops its wearer, so glory will encompass the future body of the righteous.
Pay close attention to the identification of the garments of glory with the words the garments of life. It appears as though the terms are interchangeable. The body of glory will be the reality of the existence of the righteous after their death, will be the body of life. The future body of the righteous will be characterized by immortality. A garment prevails over the appearance of its wearer, so life, will one-day dominate your appearance with your future glorified body. Like an immortal garment your body will not wear out nor will your glory [in Jesus Christ] come to an end, undoubtedly underscoring your coming immortal nature. This is discussed in the New Testament resurrection clothing imagery, which stresses that immortality will be dominant in the believer's resurrection body, 1 Corinthians 15:49, 50-54 and 2 Corinthians 5:1-4. In fact, our glorified spiritual bodies await you, the righteous in Jesus, even presently. Glory and life will be decisive elements in the future body of the godly. The combination of these two elements seems to originate in Genesis 2-3, which links life with being free of shame. As to garments of eternal life or immortality, what good would it be to wear such a garment if one was wicked, for it would be a garment of eternal torment?
Faith Lesson: Do I daily put on the garment of Jesus Christ, Who assists me to escape from my earthly conditions and allows me entrance into heavenly conditions where I can live above the sun [not subject to the forces and Laws of Nature that God has established]. How have I prepared for my glorified eternal body? Have I laid up treasures in heaven today? I acknowledge that it is His righteousness in me and not mine that I can wear this garment.
Enoch's Change of Garments
We see in 2 Enoch that Enoch is changing his garments after his experience at the seventh heaven when he was brought before the face of the Lord, who sat on his throne and before whom the ten great orders of angels were standing.
8 And the Lord said to Michael, "Go, and extract Enoch from his earthly clothing. And anoint him with my delightful oil, and put him into the clothes of my glory." 9 And so Michael did, just as the Lord had said to him. He anointed me and he clothed me. And the appearance of that oil is greater than the greatest light, and its ointment is like sweet dew, and its fragrance myrrh; and it is like the rays of the glittering sun. 10 And I looked at myself, and I had become like one of the glorious ones, and there was no observable difference.
This passage describes Enoch's experience of transformation from an earthly to a heavenly mode of existence. The clothes of my [God's] glory could be interpreted as the garment which is composed of God's glory. Enoch's earthly clothing signifies his earthly body, and the clothes of God's glory symbolize his glorious heavenly body. These are symbolic, encompass, and are interchangeable with: clothes of my glory, garments of glory, and garments of life which indicate an immortal body of the righteous after their death! Enoch perceived himself to have an angelic appearance after his three step investiture (that is, his being divested from his earthly garments, his anointing with the divine oil, and his being dressed in the clothes of God's glory) suggesting that he had been transfigured into a heavenly being.
While this may seem fantastical, if you have ever had a Near Death Experience you might more closely relate to Enoch's experience. When I was a healthy 21 years of age with two very young children, we went camping at Yosemite. We set up camp. I felt a bit strange and inquired if I might lay down for awhile. Next thing I knew I was before Jesus. It is very hard to describe, but the phenomena is now well known today: Jesus, beings of light either angels or humans spirit, love, light, warmth, and serenity. If I recollect, I did not have my physical body but I did not have a glorified one either. I suppose I was in between worlds. Despite the fact that I had young children, I wanted to stay. Lovingly Jesus told me that I had to go back, "Because you have a job to do." Next thing I know I was in the dark tunnel coming back to the coarse material world we know. I began to breath and I could feel my blood beginning to circulate. To this day I do not know what happened. I was so terrified [awe] of God that we left in haste. I had never heard of a NDE at that time. So I can relate to Enoch's experience.
Enoch being adorned with the clothes of God's glory signifies that his existence has been transformed into a radiant and holy one which parallels concepts as God's throne, sun, radiance, and glory. This implies that Enoch's clothes being made up of God's glory including God's extremely splendid and white gown in which splendor highlights his glory, while whiteness denotes his holiness. In apocalyptic literature there is the belief that human beings can become the equals [or similar] of angels. To the Hebrews the word for light is synonymous Word, Jesus made Flesh. It is interchangeable with words such as shining, healing, strength, harp, make music, and effulgence. We must begin to incorporate the cosmos into our thoughts. One of the best healing remedies is sunlight after a long and cold winter so too is Jesus to our spirit.
Enoch is transformed into the appearance full of glory. The anointing serves to heighten Enoch's splendor to the maximum; the anointing oil is extremely brilliant and its radiance is like the glittering sun. Remembering back our studies of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness and the Menorah for light-pure olive oil with clarity and cleanliness were used to light God's abode. So powerful was the oil, that it could annul the forces of disease and gently place a man or woman in a state of well-being. The humble lamps of the Menorah were amplified by God's glory.
I have also share with you, my dear friends, my experiences teaching health and beauty classes where in each and every instance my students would instinctive begin the apply these healthy oils to their skin each and every time. Even when many make claims that oil is bad for your health, our bodies are craving these pure oils.
Enoch's own explanation of his appearance after transformation indicates that he has become splendid like one of glorious ones. The text does not refer to his being holy. The language of anointing and clothing suggests our passage to be a heavenly version of priestly investiture it can be concluded that the holiness of his transformed body is implied.
Faith Lesson: How can I begin to prepare for my glorified body? I will pray about study and experiment with some pure oils and notice how they impact my health and spiritual walk. Today, I purpose to walk in awe of Jesus.
Isis the Moon Goddess
Now we must delve into subjects that are not as uplifting to contemplate. It is not coincidence that the walls of Jericho at the hands of God fell. The inhabitants of Jericho worshiped the Moon god. Many ancient's believed the moon to be a goddess. The following is the account of Isis Initiation in Apuleius. I will interchange the ass-beast-man Lucius with his spiritual counterpart Lucifer who was fallen.
They understood the moon in the language of the garment:
Her body is shining and she wears a many-colored robe of finest linen. In particular, what catches and holds his sight more than anything else is the cloak of deepest black, which is worn slung across her body from the right hip to the left shoulder. Along the embroidered hem and elsewhere on the cloak, stars glitter here and there, and in their midst a half-moon exhales fiery flames?
For students of the Mystery Schools, Lucius is intimately related with the Moon-goddess who is a cosmological deity who is preeminent over all other gods and goddess:
She introduces herself to him as the mother of the universe. She says that she knows she is called by a number of titles, and asks him to call her by her true name, Queen Isis. She continues, I am here taking pity on your ills; I am here to give aid and solace. Cease then from tears and wailings, set aside your sadness; there is now dawning for you, through my providence, the day of salvation. This shows that the Moon-goddess Isis sees Lucius' impending restoration as salvation. In accordance with Isis' promise of salvation, Lucius, when the time of his transformation comes, cries: And behold! here come to me the promised blessings of the most helpful goddess and a priest approaches bringing with him my destiny and my very salvation. This makes it clear that Lucius' imminent restoration is to be understood in terms of salvation.
What salvation or life can this moon goddess deliver? The answer is found in Isis' promise to Lucius:
You shall live indeed a happy man, you shall live full of glory in my protection, and when you have completed the span of your lifetime, you will pass down to the netherworld and in the very midst of the subterranean hemisphere, you shall often worship me. We can observe that the salvation of which the goddess promises fullness in this life and the afterlife. Lucius' must transform his essence via a mechanism bestowed by Isis. He can only achieve his immortality (of an evil kind) by submitting to life-out-of-death. He was then provided linen garment with which he has been clothed immediately after his transfiguration similar to what Philo and Josephus describes of Jewish high priest's garment, which he thinks of as symbolizing the whole universe.
Faith Lesson: Does the moon impact my relationship in any way with Jesus? I can now clearly see the relationship between Lucifer, moon worship, and Isis the claimed preeminent goddess who deceptively promising salvation, but only unto subterranean netherworld where she demands worship. I can understand the relationship between Islam and moon worship. There are many commercial products today that bear the name Isis and due to the moon worship involved with this deity I will refrain from financially supporting this idolatrous practice.
Hybrid Beast to Man
Once again, from the Mystery Schools:
Lucius, wearing a white linen robe has been transfigured from a beast [the text actually says ass]-man to a normal human being. It is critical we examine this. So we have a hybrid beast-man who forfeited life through a contract, for the kingdom of the netherworld and who is transformed into a human and practices deception and signs and wonders. Let us hear the Word of the Lord, from the Book of Revelation 13: 11-15:
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Back to the Mystery School but keeping fresh in your mind these verses from Revelation:
Isis' high priest admonishes Lucius to be her devotee and says that blind Fortune has no power to harm those whose lives are committed to her majesty. He declares that Lucius is already under the protection of true Fortune. Further, he urges Lucius to enroll his name in the lifetime service of Isis, and to dedicate himself to the ministry of her religion. Lucius joins the sacred procession, and people recognize him and cry, This is the man who has today been restored to human shape through the splendid divinity of the all-powerful goddess. Happy is he ... to have clearly deserved ... such a wondrous favor from heaven that he is, as it were, born again and has at once pledged himself to service in the sacred rite. This statement makes it clear that Lucius' restoration signifies his rebirth, a regained life.
The Gnostics lay claim that Lucius was "he is born again," sounds most appropriate to Lucius who looked on his previous life as not worth living- an ideology which cultures around the world are now whole-heartedly embracing. One commentator believes that, "Lucius has been born again in the sense that he has been restored to human shape; he has also been born again spiritually in his acceptance of the protection and favor of Isis. The happy life of the underworld after death results from his being born again, that is, his transformation from the beast-man into a proper human and his dedication of himself to the mysteries of Isis.
Faith Lesson: I see Satan's devious plan. I am born again only through the shed blood of Jesus. Lord, please protect me against deception.
Garment of Lucifer
One note on the garment of Lucius, is that a white linen garment was not only symbolic of a priestly garment, but also a burial shroud. There is an affinity to the words renatus quod am modo in that the major theme of both is death and life referring also to celebravi natalem sacrorum, which speaks of a spiritual rebirth through initiation, which as most of you know, are into the mystery schools. The Isis-Book.
Apuleius does not explain what this brand-new linen garment connotes, but by looking into what happens to Lucius, in his secret initiation-chamber we might unfold the symbolism of the garment.
From the mystery texts:
I approached the boundary of death and treading on Proserpine's threshold , I was carried through all the elements, after which I returned. At dead of night I saw the sun flashing with bright effulgence [a vision of the goddess Isis]. I approached close to the gods above and the gods below and worshiped them face to face.
Reconstructed we may view Lucius' experience as follows:
Entrance into the realm of death, vision of the gods below, a journey through all the elements, an epiphany of the dazzling light of the sun-Isis followed by a vision of the gods above. His new initiation garment symbolizing his being united into deistic beings, especially Isis. His journey through deistic realms suggests that he has been united to her.
This delusional theme is common among nobility who view themselves as deities.
Lucius' unity with Isis is achieved through his death-like experience. Lucius' experience proceeds in a state of ecstasy which may be called a state of quasi-death. He enters the region of death and even the gates of Proserpine, i.e. the netherworld, where he approaches the gods below and worships them close at hand, which involves "communion with the gods. Perhaps he then journeys through "all the elements."
I did not include but am inserting the symbolism of the words serviunt elementa as they seem to refer to cosmic deistic beings or elemental spirits [these are especially critical to understand with technology breaking up God's creation to its elemental form and reengineering it] who serve Isis who, along with the gods below and the gods above, the cosmic deistic servants seem to function by performing what Isis commands. Why would we ever need to know this? Because scientists and researchers, along with spiritual deviants are opening doors and gateways and allowing every unclean spirit into our physical and spiritual planes. Believe me, you want to have a cursory understanding of who your enemy is before he attacks.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12
Lucifer goes way past omnia elementa, that is, through altars or pictures of the elemental gods or through rooms which are consecrated to them. Lucifer's union with Isis takes place through an experience of quasi-death and whilst being dressed in the initiation garment, this garment symbolizes an ecstatic death resulting in his union with Isis. This an imitation of God's message to Moses who desires to see His glory, that no man may live.
Lucifer returns to a new life after he has experienced being united with Isis's radiance. The word remeavi suggests that he eventually comes back to a new state of life after all his experience in the ecstasy of quasi-death where he accesses privileges and powers that he would enjoy in that realm. As a Christian, I see Revelation 13 all over this language with some details that one insulated from the world of darkness does not enter.
At midnight Lucius sees the bright light of Isis to whom he has devoted himself. He also calls the elements "the elemental gods" (ibid., 78), "cosmic deities" and during initiation "thus something like this must have occurred for he enters a room which displays the dii superi and whose brilliant illumination - perhaps kindled suddenly - appeared to him all the more dazzling as previously his eyes were accustomed to darkness."
On one occasion, at midnight, the Lord requested that I pray. I fell asleep but awoke suddenly, 3 hours later. I had visited a cave with my pastor. It was filled with millions of short white candles all burning but their light was dim, for it should have filled the cavern [later the Lord said they represented His people who were mightily oppressed]. We went into a secondary cavern where a crescent table in black and white was set up. I had been in the Cave of Zedekiah in Israel and saw this same scene. In this dream I saw Satan and his minions and when he went to speak it was as if a tsunami of judgment, condemnation, and accusation spewed forth. I rebuked the tsunami in the Name of Jesus but my Pastor did not. A few months later he was removed from his office for spiritual improprieties. After reading this account I must wonder if this dream has prophetic implications for our physical tribulations, spiritual confrontations, as very likely a real cosmic encounter. Not a month passed since the dream and I received a book that I had ordered that I was unaware had photographs. I was 2/3 through the book when my heart stopped for there was an artist rendering of my dream! And then on my 50th birthday, the day of the Indonesian Tsunami, I was given the artwork as a gift.
Isis Cult Demands Voluntary Death
It is said that Isis has in her hands the keys of the netherworld and the power to save. Lucifer is face to face with gods above and below and had 'communion' with them, but not the True God.
From the mystery schools"
His garment symbolizes his voluntary death and life which has been acquired through his experience of being united with Isis. Lucifer may cross the threshold of her [Isis'] realm and behold unharmed inferi, elementa, and superi. Thus, penetrating all the cosmic spheres, he becomes like the cosmic, all-ruling Isis; he becomes deified. His experience of being in the presence of Isis means that he becomes like her. Lucius has experienced contact with cosmic deities under the protection of Isis. It seems to be more appropriate to say that he has been on the way to being mystically initiated into Isis. In brief, Lucius' initiation can be regarded as an experience of death-and-life, which may be symbolized by his initiation linen garment. His life at his happy return may be thought of as life-out-of-death... For the gates of hell and the guarantee of life were alike in the power of the goddess, and the very rite of dedication itself was performed in the manner of a voluntary death and of a life obtained by grace. Indeed the goddess was accustomed to elect people who stood near the close of their life-span, on the very threshold of the end of light, but who could be safely entrusted, nevertheless, with the mighty mysteries of the faith. By her providence she caused them in some way to be born again and placed them once more on the course of a new life.
A person may have to pass through the realm of hell when they are initiated into Isis by their "voluntary death. "Thus must propel us to consider that newest trend whereby to gain eternal life by uploading your brain one must submit to be killed while alive.
Faith Lesson: I will sift technology and the promises offered to me through the Word of God and I will put on my full armor of God each day to protect myself from the deception that is creeping over the world. I will make inquiry to Jesus for things I am not sure about [even if just a hunch]. Is this from you Jesus?
Twelve Garments of Lucifer
As I mentioned in, ......Lucifer has Twelve Garments because he has to have more than God Priest and be unduly complex so that those who are not firmly grounded in truth can be swayed to follow him.
From the Mystery Schools:
At dawn Lucifer emerges into public view wearing twelve robes which evidently represent his symbolic journey through the heavenly elements before his return to earth. These robes may point to the twelve zones of the sky into which Lucius arrived only after his journey through the elements. His twelve-fold garment portrays him as a priestly figure that is identified with cosmic god. Specifically, Lucius states that he has dressed himself in an outer garment of fine linen extravagantly embroidered, and a precious cloak which hung down his back from the shoulders to the heels [resembling the High Priest garment]. This attire seems to signify that he has become an Isis-like being, as it resembles her apparel when she first appeared to him in a vision before his transformation... Wherever you looked, he was adorned by beasts embroidered round about his garments in varied colors. Here were Indian dragons, there were griffons from the far north, animals created in the form of a winged bird by a world other than ours. It is called the Olympian robe. He carries in his right hand a torch with rearing flames and my head was garlanded gracefully by a crown of gleaming palm whose leaves stood out like rays [sounds like the Statue of Liberty to me].
All these garments, above all, signify his being identified with Isis through his spiritual change. His apparel "suggests a divine status, perhaps the rank of a son of Isis, for Horus could be represented as a solar deity. The apparel of Lucifer and Isis are of finest linen of many colors. Does he have deistic status without a deistic nature? It is scarcely conceivable.
Faith Lesson: Are my physical and spiritual raiment colorful? Does my attire reflect humility and modesty? Whose nature am I projecting through my clothing? Do I see hints a coming cosmic event in this narrative? What does Holy Scripture say about this?
Adorned Like the Sun
From the Mystery Schools:
When a vision appears to Lucius afterwards and orders him to receive a third initiation in Rome, it calls the twelve robes "the garments of the goddess." Lucius states that "I had thus been adorned like the sun and set up in the manner of a divine statue"; this statement doubtless indicates that by his experience of getting to the twelve zones of Isis' heavenly realm, he has become a being in union with Isis, having a deistic nature.
Lucius' revelation, being dressed in twelve garments, to the people is an epiphany; the initiate is one with the divine. His 'splendid' garments seem to symbolize the glory of his restored life from death, obtained by his initiation into the mysteries. This view can be supported by his statement that he carried a torch with rearing flames and wore a crown of gleaming palm whose leaves stood out like rays, he had acquired effulgent glory. His attire "like the sun," in other words, "in the manner of a divine statue," suggests that he has come to be radiant. Through his experience of cosmic migration from the underworld to the upper world, has resulted Lucius being identified with the goddess Isis.
The final ceremony which fulfills his transformation from an ass-man into a real human was celebrated the most happy birthday and there were welcome feasts and merry banquets. One almost has to wonder if the death of the Two Witnesses and the merriment are part of a reenactment of this cosmic initiation rite into divinity [I say that sarcastically]. He regards the day of his being initiated into Isis as the day of his sacred birth. The day is the day when he has been newly born in a spiritual sense.
Faith Lesson: When I look up into the heavens do I see God and Jesus with my redemption drawing nigh? What do I make of the strange similarity between the Statue of Liberty and the cult of Isis? Lord Jesus, I ask your forgiveness if I have delighted in something evil. I repent and turn from my wicked ways and follow you.
Burning Man 2019: Metamorphoses
It is God's plan that Burning Man chose the 2019 theme as Metamorphoses.
(Everything changes, nothing perishes)
― Ovid-Bay Boy of First Century Rome, Metamorphoses
“Energy can be transformed from one form to another, but can be neither created nor destroyed.”
― 1st Law of Thermodynamics
We are rapidly finding ourselves caught in a world between human folly and godly whims. A season where men are selling their birthright to become mythological gods who fancy themselves as transformed into robots and beasts, containers or uploaded brains, even constellations of stars. This should stand as a potent reminder that life by its nature is a transformative journey, where God and character interact in patterned ways. There is good and there is evil.
Burning Man is routinely described as transformative. What does that really mean? Burning Man is a million stories, and the through-line across them all is change. A crucible of souls but sadly most do not know their Creator.
We are a fickle and restless people who love change-my surroundings, my community, my company, my city, my country. But how much of this is will, and how much within God's plan? Do our true selves lie within, like the form inside the sculptor’s marble, waiting to emerge? Rather, do we find a scripture or respond to answered prayer, set a course, and walk the narrow path until we over crossed the finish line?
Our personal journey of preparation for eternity takes place in a broader context, a tapestry of interrelated transformations of which ours is but one thread. We are surrounded by and inseparable from a world in constant transition. The spiritual landscape and the physical landscape, our planet, in a cascade of tipping points. Do we have the power to influence these changes rather than just lament them, to bend the arc of history? And if we don’t have that power, does anyone?
Burning Man's theme is a celebration of change, and an exploration of uncertainty. As such it invites a consideration of time; not its circular nature, or its attendant ritual, but in this case the relentless flight of time’s arrow, and an embrace of the elusive now. Memory is fickle, and the future is uncertain. None of us knows what they will become, but we can seek to understand where we are at this point in our transformative trajectory, this fleeting chord on the strings of existence.
Alchemists have long sought to master the art of metamorphosis through esoteric means, transmuting base metals to gold and breathing life into the inanimate, thereby hoping to achieve transcendence over the material world and challenge the dominion of gods and kings. This year’s theme is an invitation to explore new forms of alchemy, reliant not on some elusive Philosopher’s Stone but on the limitless powers of the heart.
Part 1: Catastrophism God's Judgments Written in the Stars and Heavens: Cosmological Raiment
Part 3: Catastrophism God's Judgment: Metamorphosis of Humanity into Prismatic Light Beings
Part 4: Catastrophism God's Judgments: Cataclysm Over the Moon Goddess
This appears to be a 10-part series with interesting articles in between.
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Going where angels fear to tread...
Celeste has worked as a contractor for Homeland Security and FEMA. Her training and activation's include the infamous day of 911, flood and earthquake operations, mass casualty exercises, and numerous other operations. Celeste is FEMA certified and has completed the Professional Development Emergency Management Series.
- Train-the-Trainer
- Incident Command
- Integrated EM: Preparedness, Response, Recovery, Mitigation
- Emergency Plan Design including all Emergency Support Functions
- Principles of Emergency Management
- Developing Volunteer Resources
- Emergency Planning and Development
- Leadership and Influence, Decision Making in Crisis
- Exercise Design and Evaluation
- Public Assistance Applications
- Emergency Operations Interface
- Public Information Officer
- Flood Fight Operations
- Domestic Preparedness for Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Incident Command (ICS-NIMS)
- Multi-Hazards for Schools
- Rapid Evaluation of Structures-Earthquakes
- Weather Spotter for National Weather Service
- Logistics, Operations, Communications
- Community Emergency Response Team Leader
- Behavior Recognition
And more….
Celeste grew up in a military & governmental home with her father working for the Naval Warfare Center, and later as Assistant Director for Public Lands and Natural Resources, in both Washington State and California.
Celeste also has training and expertise in small agricultural lobbying, Integrative/Functional Medicine, asymmetrical and symmetrical warfare, and Organic Farming.
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