Wisdom Is the Principle Thing; Therefore,
 Get Wisdom and Forget It Not

 

For some time now, I have desired to discuss an issue I discovered within the framework of the Christian Bible; particularly, the King James Holy Bible. After completing three college courses at accredited universities, I was left to question my entire religious perspective. What I’d been taught over the years by parents and peers and/or educators about religion, didn’t clarify the root of the knowledge encompassed within the historical religious doctrine, we as Christians, cling to with all our heart and soul for comfort and guidance.



This is why I was perplexed to find out a new piece of the puzzle on the current religious warfare Muslims seem to continue being involved in. The details in the discovery, evoked me to begin additional research outside of the Scriptures. What I found out from both the Bible and theological study resources, knocked my socks right off!

Here’s why: in the Old Testament, some Christians in the past were introduced to the angel: Belial, whose history has been repeatedly hammered with direct correlation to Satan, according to theological studies. So when I began reading the entire Christian Bible, and learning about other angels’ that exist within this story, I began speculating that  God had conveyed this information to Christians, in an effort to educate us about our ancestry.

Take for instance, the first acknowledgement of an angel being referred to as God can be found in Genesis 31:11, which conveys: And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, say, Jacob: and I said, Here am I. Now when you read further down to verse 13, the angels says, “I am God of Beth-el, where thou anointed the pillar, and where thou vowest a vow unto me: now rise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of kindred” (American Bible Society, 1982, p.26).  Learning this surely evoked me to research a little more about angels.

After all, you hear music artist sing songs conveying messages about angels and how they love and provide wisdom and guidance from a divine perspective. Yet when reading about angels in the King James Holy Bible, I began questioning the existence of celestial presence; wondering if such divine existences were true. This thirst for understanding led me to I Corinthians 15:40, which introduced this idealism: There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial…

Reading this evoked zeal for clarity. This is when I began investigating the name: Belial, which I discovered in I Samuel 25:17, which conveys: Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial that a man cannot speak to him (1982). Then, I found the same name in Second Samuel 23:6- But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands (1982).

Now as a Christian, I must admit: I never learned much about this angel-Belial. I say angel because according to Theologian Gustav Davidson, author of The Dictionary of Angels, Belial (Beliar and/or Berial) is the great fallen angel, often equated with Satan. Gustave goes so far as to explain that Belial danced for King Solomon; then, he shares a Scripture from II Corinthians 6:15, which reads: What concord hath Christ with Belial? To me, this passage conveys, Paul concern of Belial being the chief of demons. And as questionable as it seemed, I couldn’t help conducting additional research, hoping to unlock more clues about Belial.

Ideally, this angel’s name is spelled differently from time to time; so much, in some instances, it’s spelled Beliar, and is often interchangeable with Beliel or Bilal.  I learned this because the author points out this name in Deuteronomy, Judges and I Samuel. He also shares details about this angel being written about in the Apocryphal (forbidden books) found in the Septuagint; where Beliar is the prince of darkness, supreme adversary of God.

Next the author shares a passage from The Gospel of Bartholomew, when Bartholomew asked Beliar to tell who he is, and Beliar answered: “At first I was called Satanel, which is interpreted as messenger of God, but when I rejected the image of God my name was changed to Satan, the angel that keepth watch over hell. I was formed the first angel, Michael second, Gabriel third, Uriel fourth, Raphael fifth, Nathanael sixth…these are the angels of vengeance that were first formed” (Gustav, D., 1968, p.74).

Afterwards, the author shares this passage, “Beliar was said to have been created after Lucifer” (1968). But what captured me most, was when I read that Beliar is best noted for his role in Muhammad lore. Surely, any knowledgeable religious study understands this is in reference to Muslims. Then it dawned on me. The local Muslim Mosque here in Canton, MI has a sign outside it that has -Bilal on it as its primary welcome sign.

 

Honestly, I’ve always wondered what Muslims believed differently from Christians. So when I took college courses on Western World Religions, and learned about the history of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Shinto, Catholicism, Hinduism, and many others, I couldn’t help trying to put all the piece of the puzzle together. After all, I was introduced to theological research conveying the angel Gabriel, was the one who inspired Mohammed, to compose the Hole Quran, sura by sura. Of course, learning this was quite baffling, because Gabriel is the angel who informed Mary that she would conceive a child name: Jesus, as it is written in St. Luke 1:19 and St. Luke 1:26.

 

Question is: Why does angels play more of a role of God in our ancestors’ lives than God? I ask this, because in Matthew 1:20, the Scripture conveys: But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost (1982).

Almost immediately after reading this, I turned back to Genesis 31:11, which I pointed out earlier, to you: “And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, say, Jacob: and I said, Here am I. (1982).

Surely this mystery has been tucked away from the minds of those who seek to know more understanding on the Word many classify as the Book of God. Even though many theologians and Bible committee members have repeatedly shared insightful clues on how they revise the Scripture and try and provide readers with a more clear understanding of what the text is explaining. I Corinthians 2:15, conveys: But the natural man does not understand the things of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1982).

If man is considered spiritually discerned (he is without knowledge), therefore, how can any one sitting on a Bible committee, determine what the original authors intentions were when they compiled those fragmented scholarly books together, to complete what we have now: The New International King James Bible, The New Revised King James Bible; the New NIV King James Bible, and the countless other bibles, we are forced to purchase at Barnes and Nobles for various prices.

The whole concept of these historical religious documents, is to provide us with some understanding of what was happening during those eras of time, when our holiest of ancestors were groomed with oppression, misled, and mistreated because people didn’t have the same anthropology skills and knowledge required today, to provide thorough answers for us, who seek to understand today’s revised Holy Bibles. Fact is, had I not began studying eMarketing and forced to take courses that teach me about cultures, religions, and beliefs; I would not have learned as much as I have shared with you about the angel Belial/Bilal and his history closely related to the teaching of Muslims.

Clearly, over the course of years, someone twisted the story of each religion; added a few changes that unleashed the meaning of the text, but in a different format than originally presented. Afterwards, groups of ‘learned’ scholars joined together and swore each other to secrecy about the mysteries woven within the structure of all religious bodies. I guess this is why the Scripture found in 2 Peter 1:20 teaches us: Knowing this first that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation (American Bible Society, 1982, p.994).

Christians, I  believe it’s time to invest more interest in the root of our religious history; in order to better combat the seemingly endless negativity that continues eroding our communities because of religious misunderstanding, deeply rooted in our history, established centuries before today. After all, we now live in a world where unbelieving and ungodly fearing people, do not respect your First Amendment right to religious freedom. Or, your 14^th Amendment right in compliance with the Bill of Rights; to liberty (freedom), life, and the pursuit of happiness.  

We are the body of the Church; each of us who takes stock in the message of faith offered through the divine words of wisdom left behind by our ancestors’, to inspire us, protect us, guide us, and console us. Christians, isn’t it time we got back to walking in the rhythm of LOVE, LIGHT, and HAPPINESS? Otherwise, religions such as Islam, will continue looking at us as enemies and not supporting contributors of God’s universe.

“Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city”-

Ecclesiastes 7:19, KJV

 

Reference

 

American Bible Society, (1982). Holy King James Bible. P. 26

Davidson, Gustav, (1968). A Dictionary of Angels including the Fallen Angels. The Free Press a Division of MacMillian, Inc. p. 74