Alex -
Thank you for clarifying these points:
Hi guys just been reading through many past forum posts, saw an email craig posted in 2012 where Ray had talked about having many hundred pages for an upcoming paper but also mentioned was reading other scholars on the enigma topic
Does anyone know what books or scholars those specifically were? Thanks
Mike
Hi Mike,
Alexandre Thomson wrote extensively on this Enigma. Ray quotes him in his last paper.
----------------------- https://bible-truths.com/enigmaOfGod.htm
Israel wanted to know whether God was with them or not after the terrible ordeal of the Babylonian captivity. God was letting them know through Ezekiel that God were "BE THERE." This is most interesting. Some scholars firmly believe that were Jehovah said His Name was "I Am that I Am," means "coming."
The name Jehovah represents the third person singular of the verb Hayah (old form Havah) in its "present" or pictorial tense. This would signify "He is becoming," or "He will come to be." It must be related to the form found at Exodus 3:14, Ehyeh, which can only mean "I am coming to be." (From Alexander Thomson-"Who is Our God" p. 48).
And so we have in God's name both the promise of "coming" and "being there." And this is precisely what God has done. God has "come" to mankind.
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A quick google search will yield you the result you desire.
Let me tell you one thing, Alexander Thomson understood the Enigma very well, as well as the greek and hebrew, and had much wisdom to share, but in other areas he lacked understanding. I.E He believed humanity had free will. He believed in a fallen world. We know these things are simply error. So read his writings and be aware that while ray may have quoted him and held him in high regard for his early work on the concordant literal translation, not everything the man believed and taught is scriptural true. Neither would ray have agreed with everything the man wrote and taught. Nevertheless, his understanding of the enigma is most enlightening.
As God said, "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:" (Isaiah 28:9-10)
His spirit will guide us all to the truth eventually.
God bless,
Alex
To me, the enigma of God, can be summarised as follows:
'He came to His own (creation) and they knew Him not.'
Most of those who saw Him in the flesh did not desire Him - only a few believed in Him (and even then, they denied Him when challenged).
So He visited mankind and spent time amongst His people, and did good and taught them about His Ways - yet without His Holy Spirit, not one of them (not Peter, not James, not John - and not even Paul - had the desire, understanding, wisdom, or strength to Do His Will).
The greatest visitation of all remains to this day a mystery - and most of mankind cannot cope with it - so they deem it a work of fiction (while living their lives in their world of deception).
Wow!
George