10/5/99
Recognizing Good and Evil
Let us go to the subject of good and evil.
It is interesting that the men who judged good and evil in Israel were called gods, but it only makes sense when we realize that the key to manifesting God is the ability to judge or “know” good and evil. After all, the Gods said: “Behold, the man is become AS ONE OF US, to know good and evil.” Gen 3:22
David was probably referring to the god-judges in Israel when he said: “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth AMONG THE GODS (ELOHIYM)” Psalms 82:1 The word “mighty” is from EL which is usually translated as “God” singular so the verse should read: “God standeth in the congregation of God and judges among the Gods.”
The Psalms then relates how the men-gods should judge correctly and then says: “Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” Psalms 82:6 Jesus quoted this scripture to the Jews who accused him of making himself to be God and then added: “If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken…” why do you complain because I say I am a Son of God? John 10:35
In this scripture Jesus related two important truths. The Psalm called those who received the word of God – gods. Second, “the scripture cannot be broken.” In other words, it stands exactly as written. In fact he used this scripture to prove his mission to the Jews.
In considering man David said: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.” Psalms 8:4-5
Again, in the King James and other versions, the word ELOHIYM is mistranslated. In this case it is incorrectly rendered “angels.” It should read: “For thou hast made him a little lower than the gods.”
The scriptures clearly tell us that man was made a little lower than the gods, but will become as the gods when he learns to discern between good and evil.
It is only logical that Moses should become as Jehovah, or you and I like Jesus for it is written: “The disciple is not above his master: but everyone that is perfect SHALL BE AS HIS MASTER.” Luke 6:40 If Jesus Christ is our master and he is God then we shall be as he is. “The scripture cannot be broken.”
Jesus said: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Rev 3:21
If we overcome and sit down in a throne as Jesus did then it only follows that we will be a god as he is.
In John’s vision those who followed Christ sang: “And (Christ) hast made us to our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Rev 5:10
In the scriptures Jehovah is called the “God of gods, and Lord of lords, a mighty, and a great God.” Deut 10:17 & Josh 22:22 In addition Christ is called “the King of kings and Lord of lords.” Rev 19:16 & 17:14
Christ is the King of real kings as we have just quoted (Rev 5:10) and the Lord of real lords. Obviously, Jehovah is a God of real gods. Surely God would not exalt himself in the claim that he is a god of false gods! Yet this is how most Bible believers interpret this scripture, but if one thinks twice about it he will see that such interpretation is an insult to God. From the evidence we have presented here we see that many beside Jehovah are called gods, and “the God of the whole earth,” Jehovah, is a God of these gods who are in the form of men.
Since the key to becoming as one of the Gods is to “know good and evil” or good from evil let us as a group tackle this ancient problem and discern the difference.
First let us define good and evil. Here is a definition I have given in the past:
The basic difference between good and evil is this.
Good is that which takes us forward on the path of Spiritual evolution toward greater freedom, livingness, intelligence, light and love. Evil is that which takes us back into the past to lesser freedom, lesser livingness, lesser intelligence, light and love. Evil is the reverse reflection of good, corresponding to the fact that “evil” is “live” reflected in reverse.
Hitler was evil because he wanted to take us back into an age of the Kingdoms where the right of the king or dictator was more important than the good of the individual and the whole.
Churchill was good because he sought to move us into greater freedom where the individual could work for the good of the whole according to his or her own decisions.
Now let us look at the world we have before us. What are the pulls that we have on us going toward good (or evolutionary) and also evil (or pulling us backwards)?
Let us examine the following categories
Politics
Religion/spirituality
Education
Science
Creative Arts/Entertainment
Business
Healing/Medicine
Pick one of these categories and give us the good and evil influences as they are manifesting today.
The differences are often very subtle as pointed out by Isaiah who said that people in his day were calling good, evil and evil, good. They were taking darkness for light and light for darkness. Do you think we are in the same boat today?
Copyright by J J Dewey
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