Manariwa

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is Yah.

“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the Earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore Yah is not ashamed to be called their Yah, for He has prepared a city for them.

– Heb. 11:7-16

WEEK 45 (11^th to 17^th of Nisan, the First Month, in the Hebrew Religious Calendar)

How Did the Curse Change Creation?

Based on the divine narrative revealed by the prophets, there appears to be, at least, 3 types of or 3 stages in Creation. Understanding and accepting this idea can help us fathom the Nature of Deity, of humans, of the physical world, and of the ultimate future of Creation, in general. In our virtual journey through the Creation, we saw the generation of all things, beginning with Water, to the Light, to the Heavens, to Land and Sea, to the Sun and the stars, and to the living beings that populated the Earth. The perfect design and functions of the First Creation were totally different from the Second Type or Stage of Creation we find ourselves in now. (Whatever is “good” to the Creator is perfect to humans.) Moreover, the Third and Final Stage of Creation is far more incredible and extraordinary than this one we have. We will describe each stage as accurately and faithfully as we can.

People who dismiss the solid evidences in scriptures miss out not only on valid intellectual enlightenment but the more valuable opportunity to savor the present benefits and the promised eternal realities. This happens because, while many theorize past conditions and envision a revised future from degraded present circumstances, they do so using invalid or faulty assumptions. “I know, O Yahuah, that the way of humans is not in their control, that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps.” (Jer. 10:23) The prophets of Yah did their part in leading many to the right direction. We hope to clear the way through the murky waters as well; so that, like Noah, after the waters dry out, people can live and walk freely in the grace of Yah. 

The Garden of Eden in Review

The Paradise given to Adam and Havah has been the subject of numerous novels, songs, treatises, sermons, debates, movies, poems, art works, videos, and plays throughout history; and it continues to intrigue and interest people as the one all-consuming idea and place they cannot get enough of. It is the one place or dream humans miss and long to see most of all . Yet, only two living humans ever got to see and live in Paradise. Or perhaps, others may have seen it but only outside of its gates. Only angels can attest to its real beauty, although many today can attest to its reality and even its location. But that is for another time and discussion. We wish only to describe what Paradise and the original Creation was really like.

If you were the Creator, how would you form humans, animals and plants out of the inorganic materials available in the Earth and with the various forces acting in the newly-made Universe? There was Water, Light, Land, Atmosphere, Gravity, Wind, Evaporation, Condensation, Sun, Moon and stars – but no living things. Your primary goal is to create humans who will live perpetually by making use of all those raw-materials and processes. We know that under the present conditions, that is not possible or even conceivable. But in the pristine Creation, what would you do?

It is rather simple. We would remove all the conceivable physical, biological, biochemical and geological processes that can bring about the corruption or degradation of a perfect Creation. For death is the ultimate antithesis to what it good and desirable in a utopian world. And death involves various natural and supernatural mechanisms to happen. First of all, it involves the separation of the material vessel of a living being (the body) and the immaterial entity (the spirit) that gives the vessel the essence of life. Death brings about the termination of motor or muscular ability of an animal or a human. As to plants, they lose the ability to harness light, water and gases and to convert them into complex biochemical substances that can sustain the life of humans and animals. Everything that dies, thus, ceases to function and to remain a living entity. It returns to dust (that is, into minerals, water and heat or other forms of energy) through the process of decomposition.

Hence, in Paradise, there has to be no decomposition because death is non-existent. This means the human body in Paradise remains in a perfect state of balance such that everything it consumes (input in the form of food, water, gases) is processed and accumulated within the body, while a certain amount of that is thrown off as “reusable waste” (output in the form of food waste, urine, gases). Now, people would say, “Aha, the process of digesting and removing food involves decomposition!” Which is absolutely correct – in this present stage of Creation. So, as Creator, we must design the human body to digest “perfect food” (such as the Fruit of the Tree of Life and maybe all other fruits in Eden) and to convert it into 100% energy that is availed of by the body without any wastage. Hence, that would mean there is no need for humans to excrete much wastewater or food waste and, maybe, even toxic gases in the normal sense. Which could mean that the human anatomy may have been created differently in Paradise. This seems consistent to the fact that in Eden there was no rainfall to water the plants; a mist arose to water Eden. Conditions then were totally different and must have been designed to sustain perpetual life.

Is it possible, then, that the curse upon sinful humans also involved transforming certain bodily design and functions among all living things? For that would mean even animals and plants had to have suffered the same punishment of death, decay and decomposition into the original minerals and gases used to create them in the beginning. That is the only explanation of: “Dust you are and to dust you shall return”. Well, at least, that is how one could create and, if needed, curse humans and the ground. Yes, we must focus now on that primordial part of Creation we have neglected to divine; the Ground. What is the Ground?

The Ground or the Land Gives us Our Material Being

The Ground is essentially the Earth, although at the fundamental level, the ground or soil is the earth we walk upon. But the soil we depend on for our existence had to have gone through a major process of transformation or production by divine will to serve as the raw material that would allow plants and microorganisms to thrive and produce sustenance for other living beings. We must design the original soil, then, in Eden as a perfect medium and a provider of all the ingredients perfect plants need to produce perfect food for perfect humans. And in a place where decomposition was not acting, the soil must be perfectly-balanced and totally-renewing so as to maintain such a Paradise we have made as the supposed Creator. Talk about sustainability and renewability; Paradise can sustain life and refresh or renew it perpetually through a process only a powerful and wise Divine Being can conceive and achieve.

We can almost suggest or surmise that the only way this idealized design of Paradise can exist in reality is for humans and animals to consume food and water without ever having to experience the mundane tasks of expelling them through urinating or bowel movement, other than through perspiring and respiring. Somehow, the perfectly-processed food and water have to be returned to the Earth to be reused. Think of mushrooms which are said to be digested by humans up to almost 100%, leaving only minimal waste, while all that food eaten is digested and used up as energy. Meaning, the food is converted either into body mass, such as muscle cells, blood cells, organ cells, enzymes, proteins, and other forms that are ultimately released as heat, perspiration, gases, and even electromagnetic radiation. It might be hard for many to conceive of a world where pooping does not exist; but Adam and Havah had no belly-buttons; and if they had anuses, they must have been merely for passage of gases and not solids. Their digestive system must have been that efficient! Think of a highly-efficient hybrid car that releases no fumes or particles through the exhaust pipe, except for clean water moisture and heat.

The Curse: Returning to the Ground as Ground

Only after leaving Paradise would Adam and Havah be reminded each time they pooped that the waste they produced looked and smelled exactly like the way their bodies would become when they finally return to the Ground. Even their skin now had to perspire more profusely and their eyes shed tears; and grief, despair and burden crushed their hearts, minds and their bodies for their violation and neglect of the covenant they had made with their Creator. The curse was not a mere audible sound they heard from the mouth of Yah but a negative creative word that transformed their entire being and that of the whole Creation into lower versions of their former perfect conditions. We think of rain as being good for us humans and the Earth; but the first time it rained, all humans and all animals on the Land died, except for those in the Ark. Think of the curse in Eden as something so transformative and grievous as the condemnation upon the whole Earth through the Great Flood. The word of Yah has power to create, to transform and to destroy. It was true in the beginning, in the past, and is true today and in the final days. 

In short, the worms, fungi, viruses and the bad germs would have no reason to exist in Paradise either. The Second Stage of Creation would have to incorporate other forms of organisms that were not present in the First Creation and which would allow death and decomposition to occur. The curse upon the Ground must have led to the transformation of human, animal and plant DNA so that death or aging would produce the degradation and corruption in all of Creation, necessitating the appearance of organisms through adaptation that were not there in the beginning. That does not include the hybrid species the fallen angels produced later on.

And what would stop the Creator to create or produce through natural or intentional acts in order to either allow unclean animals or monstrous species to thrive or to control their growth and multiplication? Why indeed did the dinosaurs and other monsters, as we said, disappear if not for the desire of the Creator to save His children and the Earth from utter corruption? And that is exactly what the Great Flood of Noah was for. The Second Creation we have today is a “cleansed” although not a “cleaner” version of the Earth that Noah lived in before the Flood. Only proud humans today would think they live in a much better world than the one we had before. No, we only have better promises; but we will not receive them without those who have gone on before.

Think about that: The First and Second Creations are worlds apart, literally. Paradise remains as the perfect place for perfect humans who are reserved for Eternal Life. Yahusha is the first and final witness to that fact. He died and resurrected to prove that reality. We can return to Paradise upon death, as so many others have done so, including Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaiah, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Paul and John. However, even that place, beautiful as it is and containing the Tree of Life as it does till today, will be replaced by a Third Creation absolutely different from the first two. In order to describe it, for so the prophets give us a preview of its beauty, we must enumerate how it is so different and supremely extraordinary.

A New Creation Based on Eternal Principles and Incorruptible Materials

Biochemists tell us that earthly life is Carbon-based, from the tiniest bacteria to the largest whale, even though Carbon is not the most-abundant element. Oxygen, Nitrogen and Silicon bypass Carbon in abundance in our planet. Our bodies are made up of 20% Carbon; whereas, the Earth only has 1% Carbon composition. (Watch this video “Why Carbon?” to appreciate more the reasons why Carbon is vital in forming and preserving life.) The fundamental reason why Carbon plays a huge role in the existence of life is its unique atomic structure that allows it to bond with other elements to form stable molecules that support the biological functions of living beings. Complex molecules of sugar, proteins and enzymes require the presence of Carbon as a unifying element, providing the complex chemistry needed to sustain life. The human DNA, in fact, utilizes Carbon as its backbone in the process of cell replication and regeneration.

We can assume, without any reservations, that Carbon already existed in the beginning, that is, in the First Creation. There is no reason to suppose plants, animals and humans were made up of unknown elements other than what they are made of in the present. Perhaps, as we have assumed, Carbon-based life-forms had the property of spontaneous self-rejuvenation by utilizing the uncorrupted materials and unhindered processes of the First Creation. We can imagine the fruits that grew in Eden contained sugars, vitamins, minerals and enzymes that had the ability to breakdown their Carbon-bonded molecular structures such that the perfectly-attuned bodies of humans and animals can convert into new forms of Carbon-based structures, such as Carbon Dioxide, muscles and cellulose, and other compounds, as well as into pure energy that is released back into the environment.

The gasoline we use to power cars today make use of fossil fuels that once were the remains of living organisms that had decomposed. We must realize that if not for the cataclysmic events that occurred during the Great Flood, the fossil fuels, asphalt and other Carbon-based materials originating from living organisms would not have accumulated in abundance underneath and on the surface of the Earth and form deposits of fertile materials, metals, rocks, coal and oil that are now mined or harnessed to produce food and to create and power our cities and our industries? The Second Creation has been made possible in terms of the advancements of human civilization because death and decomposition provided the sources of materials and energy humans so badly need to survive. If you think such fortunate and abundant supply came as a result of luck or evolution, then the destiny of humans and this world is nothing more than a slow march into death, decomposition and destruction without hope of renewal and rejuvenation. Without humans having mastery or dominion over such a declining Creation, the destruction of all living things may take longer; but it will happen sooner or later. How so?

The assumption that Global Warming is caused by humans and not by natural phenomena does not consider the overarching effects of the physical entropy and decay that is occurring in the entire Universe. If we were to remove humans from the equation and leave only the plants and animals, the Sun and stars will continue to provide food for living things; and the geophysical processes in the Earth will also go on. However, the Sun and stars will eventually die and so will all living things. The explosion of dying stars might produce block holes or new stars, as claimed by astrophysicists; but are we sure life will spontaneously regenerate and evolve as evolutionists propose? All these theories (that is, alternative human creations) have lesser chances of occurring than for plants, animals and humans to survive in a world condemned to destruction. Do not think a new Universe will arise from this old, cursed Second Creation and hope that it will be so much better for the species that may or may not even survive in it after a billion years. Look toward that Third Creation that will soon arrive by the Supreme Power and Will of Elohim.

What has been cursed or condemned will disappear. It happened to the Nephilim hybrids, the wicked humans who followed them, and the monstrous creatures they had created. It will happen to the demons and powers that rule and control this world that is bound to undergo a fiery end into final destruction. Coal, which is a sedimentary rock made up of Carbon and Hydrocarbons coming from the petrified remains of plants that accumulated within swamps for centuries, undergoes a transformation that illustrates what Creation will undergo in the end. For when coal undergoes intense pressure and temperature in the depths of the Earth, it becomes diamond, the hardest crystal known to humans. Is this another product of accidental, natural phenomena, much like the supposed processes of Evolution, or a result of a predestined process that has supernatural purposes? For that matter, are crystalline materials found in the depths of the Earth also accidental byproducts manufactured by the Earth, as living creatures are the fortunate fittest and most-intelligent survivors in the struggle of life on the Earth? Hardly.

The Properties of Crystals  

Britannica defines a crystal as “any solid material in which the component atoms are arranged in a definite pattern and whose surface regularity reflects its internal symmetry.” Furthermore, the structure of any crystal ”can be grown under moderate conditions from all 92 naturally occurring elements except helium, and helium can be crystallized at low temperatures by using 25 atmospheres of pressure.” Two or more elements can form a crystal, such as salt or Sodium Chloride (NaCl), Alumina (Al₂O₃), and ice (H₂O). At room temperature, gold possesses a face-centered, cubic crystal structure. (See photo c/o Princeton.) To most lay persons, however, a crystal is transparent and having a shimmering color, which is the result of the unit crystal cell being stacked upon another cell on the face of its basic structure. For instance, a cubic structure can be stacked up to form a larger cubic structure, as exemplified by the cubic structure of salt crystals.

Beyond their biochemical functions and properties, crystals also exhibit other properties which allow us to use certain crystals as conductors, insulators, semiconductors, magnets, and as high-frequency signal transmitters for communication purposes. On a less-intricate manner, crystals, such as silicon and some metals, can be formed into building materials (glass, steel bars or tools), as well as decorative or ornamental accessories. Diamond, being the hardest and rarest crystals, fetches a high price in the form of jewelry. Ezekiel refers to diamond (yahalom in Hebrew) as “adamant”, reflecting mental fortitude. (Ezek. 3:9) Moses prescribed the specific gems to be put on the High Priest’s breastplate as follows:

 “You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. (Ex. 28:15-20)

The High Priest’s Tunic and the Holy City’s Foundation: Living Body and Living City

Given all the properties and uses of crystals, this passage above in the Mosaic Law serves as a hopeful, prophetic metaphor of the coming Third Creation we need to pursue and understand. To do so, we must juxtapose the above materials with the New Heavenly Yerushalem:

The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. (Rev. 21:18-21)

Imagine the total value of the Temple in Yerushalem in the form of gold, silver, bronze and other materials used to build and furnish it. Add to that the tunic of the High Priest who was tasked to enter the Holy of Holies once-a-year and come face-to-face with the Real Presence of Yahuah. Were those crystals worn by the High Priest possibly meant to reflect or absorb the majesty and glory of the Creator and the King in Heaven and then reflected back to the people after the High Priest left the Temple and faced the people? Remember Moses’ face when he faced Yahuah on Mt. Sinai? His face shone and almost blinded those who saw his glowing face. His face was Carbon-based while the High Priest’s tunic gems were crystalline. The same divine glory was manifested to human eyes to prove the reality of the Creator. But the tunic of the High Priest became now the instrument not connected in any way to the corruptible body and nature of a human being. It appears that the coming Third and Final Creation will use the materials that do not contain the corruptibility of living beings but the eternal incorruptibility of materials that will be transformed as the new building materials of the New Creation.

Imagine Yerushalem then and its jasper walls. “Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” (Rev. 21:11) Moreover, if we consider the incomprehensible size of the Holy City, as measured by the angel’s stadia rod of angelic length-standard, which could be based on the speed of Light, then we can somehow appreciate its infinite magnitude and its priceless value. Think of the 12 gates, each made of one whole piece of pearl. A pearl is the result of a grain of sand (a crystal) that is transformed by an oyster through a biochemical process, producing a pure and valuable material that is used to secure the Holy City from the “dogs outside the City”. For nothing impure will enter the City.

Ponder also upon the fact that the streets of New Yerushalem are of pure gold “clear as crystal”. The immense value of gold is now paired with its transformed crystalline structure that makes it look like clear, solid water or diamond. It is like one whole piece of crystal you can walk upon on bare feet and feel the throbbing life and energy that continuously sustains and rejuvenates your body and spirit. Finally, consider the 12 foundations of the Holy City made up of 12 gems listed above. The perfect structural patterns of each crystal mentioned will convince us that Third Creation is Crystal-based and not Carbon-based. Hence, it will not be a cursed, corruptible Creation; for there is no death and decomposition there. Have you ever seen pearl, gold and crystal? They remain as is even in our decaying world.

The Tree of Life

Before we forget, the Tree of Life that once grew in Eden will be replanted in New Yerushalem and it will be watered by the “pure river of water of life, clear as crystal”. (Rev. 22:1) It appears, then, that even the water will be transformed into a state that can sustain Eternal Life. And if it waters the Tree of Life, then the saved ones who eat of its 12 kinds of fruits will also be nourished by food that is no longer Carbon-based but made of “krustallos” (crystal in Greek) – or whatever that new eternal material will be. This is the water Yahusha Masshiak promised to the Samaritan woman, saying:

 “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14)

The life that dwellers of New Yerushalem will receive will, likewise, be sustained by the Light that comes from the face of Yahuah Who sits on the throne of the Holy City. The Sun, Earth, Moon and stars will no longer be there; hence, the Light will not burn or oppress us but nourish and rejuvenate us and we shall no longer till the Land and sweat in order to eat our food. We will live with and worship Elohim in complete freedom and harmony. The new life we will have will require new principles and new purposes with new potentials for abundance and perfection under the rule of holiness and righteousness of Elohim.

Conclusion

Finally, in the New Creation, there will be no night there. Consider the shape of planets and stars. The Earth is a sphere that is mimicked by many other objects in Creation. The force of gravitation causes matter to form spheres, being the most-efficient and most-economical shape in Creation. Raindrops form as tiny spheres due to the water molecules’ tendency to produce surface tension. We even envision atoms and atomic particles as spherical, which allows them to interact with similarly-shaped particles to form more intricate structures. In contrast, in a crystal-based Creation, we see the cube as the predominant shape. New Yerushalem is essentially a cube with dimensions of 2,221 kilometers (conversion of an angel’s measurement) on each side, to wit:

“The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. (Rev. 21:16-17)

Frankly, there are things beyond our capability to totally explain in this structural image given by Apostle John. If the height of the city is also 2,221 kilometers, that is, the same as the length and width, is it then an alternative world where dwellers live on the outside face of the cube? Or is it on the inside face? Or the space within the cube? If the wall is about 66 meters, how is it oriented around or on the cube? We do not know. Perhaps, the dwellers are like angels who can fly within the inside of the cube; meaning, there is no gravitation at all. Or perhaps, depending on which face you are on, you stand on that face, giving the whole City six alternative places on which dwellers can go. This may all be aimless speculation; but some astrophysicists actually theorize the Universe as a block or a cube. Who would have ever thought science would make such a claim consistent with prophecy?!!! (Please check this Instragram post: “Block Universe Theory“) Apparently, according to an article in Penn Today’s website, Plato already made the conclusion that the “Earth is made, on average, of cubes“. These points give us pause to think of certain possibilities and even unlimited opportunities to be given to those who deserve the unimaginable bliss and comforts of New Yerushalem.

Today, even as we hear the rumblings of wars and rumors of wars, we must pray and hope for peace and harmony among Yah’s children living in this cursed Second Creation. We leave it to Yah to protect and save them from the effects of death, decomposition and destruction that have ruled upon this world up till now. May the visions of Apostle John give us the equanimity to face all our troubles and fears. The Creator has truly prepared a much better Creation. As Noah received a better Creation after the Flood, we will receive a New Creation after this one will have been removed and replaced through the power and grace of Yahuah. Amen!