Gate of the Gods: Book 5 of The Windows of Heaven

by K. G. Powderly Jr.

  The first statement—that negative emotions cause most chronic illness, whether intended to or not, places undue burden for “most disease” onto the sick person, who is already struggling. The second statement is more realistic. It recognizes that attitude can either help or hinder healing in significant ways, but it does not encourage leaps as to causality based on limited and at best superficial analysis. The realistic fostering of good emotions and healthy eating and exercise habits likewise aids much to healing, even where sickness is largely due to factors that may be governed by genetic entropy, or by factors more unknown than known.

  Genetic Entropy is the sort of phenomenon one might expect in a cosmos affected by a real Genesis Curse. Evidence of it seems to be growing. We do know that an average 100 mutations introduced per generation adds up.

  Clearly, long-term hope does not rest in this world. For a better understanding of this issue, I recommend reading: Genetic Entropy and the Mystery of the Genome, by Dr. John Sanford Ph.D.

  Appendix IV

  Chronology

  This chronology, based on a fictional hybrid of the Masoretic and Septuagint chrono-genealogies of Genesis 11, should not necessarily be viewed as an innovative solution to the question of why variations of chronological data are found in Genesis 5 and 11 between some of the Old Testament text groups.

  Several possible reasons exist for more than one chrono-genealogy version in Genesis: The first is that one or more versions suffered corruption in transmission; numbers being the easiest information to mis-write in pass-down. Another is that the earliest Hebrews kept a deliberate long count for historical purposes with a shorter count for ceremonial and typological reasons, which omitted apostate times and peoples for reasons now lost to us, but which made honest sense to them, and to God in His dealings with them in their day. While the ancient Hebrews used genealogical year counts to convey real historical timeframes, they also used such numbers in some ways that modern chronologists would not.

  Numbers had greater symbolic significance in Hebrew extra biblical literature, and sometimes in the Bible. The Hebrews often rounded not merely to even numbers, but to the nearest symbolically significant ones. Because they did this so often in extra biblical writings, we don’t have an absolute way of knowing if that language convention was not used in the Scriptures also.

  The numbers 3, 7, 12, 40, and 70, for example, appear a statistically improbable number of times in biblical history. This may be because God actually imposed this symmetry upon the dating of real events to get our attention. It may also be that this form of rounding was a normal language convention at the time. The Bible does not say. The short count seems designed to expand mathematically into the long one, or the long collapses into hard values in the short—which suggests that the basic long-count and short-count situation arose from a deliberate act.

  Most people today would assume that someone must have deliberately distorted the values for dishonest purposes, but that assumes facts not in evidence. Jesus and the New Testament writers quoted from the Septuagint (LXX), which has a long count, about 75% of the time, and the Hebrew forerunner texts of the Masoretic, which has the short-count, about 25% of the time. They called both “Scripture” and the “word of God” without prejudice.

  In the case of the “extra Kenan” (Cainan) in the LXX Genesis 10-11 genealogies, this raises the somewhat amusing question of “just how bad did this guy have to be to get kicked out of the Bible?” Of course, it is not really a matter of that. We now know that this Post-Deluge Kenan, who does not appear in the Hebrew Masoretic Text, cannot be a copyist error as is so often claimed. He shows up in the Hasmonean Jewish history, the Book of Jubilees, written ~150 years before the Gospel of Luke, as a significant apostate figure in the Semitic line between Shem and Abram.

  This is not an argument that our versions of Genesis are wrong not to include him—he shows up in the major manuscripts of Luke’s Gospel genealogy of Christ, which follow the LXX version.

  My treatment of Qe’Nani is purely fictional, and Jubilees is not canonical, and should not be treated as such. It does, however prove that post-Flood Kenan cannot be a copyist error. Since faithful Jews in Jerusalem included him in a serious history as a real person who did bad things (as opposed to just being a name on a list), it shows that he cannot be a mistake made by someone copying the Gospel of Luke, which was penned 150 years later than Jubilees.

  It seems the Hebrews sometimes used a genealogical exclusion principle for reasons not clear to us. They kept both counts, so they were not pulling a “cover-up.”

  There is some evidence of this exclusionary principle in action, but not enough that I would do anything more with it than use it in a work of historical fiction. If anyone is concerned that I got the dating of events wrong, it is because I went with this hypothesis for literary reasons. (I also do not claim to have the best head for numbers.) Those concerned with Scriptural inerrancy (as I am), should consider that Post-Flood Kenan is included by Luke.

  I am not arguing for a text addition, but against a text subtraction (from Luke), on a subject where we only have limited information. Only present-day assumptions about how a literal historiography should work forces a conflict here. I believe in a literal historiography, but it must follow the language conventions of the Inspired Authors, not those of our technical assumptions.

  Nor am I arguing that the LXX should be preferred for historical reasons—that goes too far. The Masoretic Text is usually the cleaner transmission. Personally, I think it’s just fine for some mystery to exist. If anything, I support a developing third option.

  That third possibility is that God has preserved all of these variant text group versions because each contains some subtle detail of the divinely inspired original that was not as clearly passed on in the others. Jesus said that not one jot or tittle would be lost from God’s law, and I believe him. The differences between the variants are so minor that no essential truth was lost concerning the sequence of events, their meaning, and their historicity. At worst, there exists a range of possibilities for exact dating. Nevertheless, that range is small, being a little over a thousand years cumulatively from the Flood to Abraham.

  In no way does this represent error in God’s word, or insecure transmission. Indeed, it is magnitudes more securely passed on to us than any other piece of ancient literature. One cannot call something an error if it is there for a purpose—even if that purpose is not clearly or completely known or can only be speculated on. Using two chronologies that approximately collapse into each other mathematically may not be the way we would go about recording a history, but that does not mean the Mind of God and those of the Inspired Writers had no reasons for it. This timeline is simply to supplement the story.

  Year A Year AC

  Event

  2256-57

  Year of the Deluge

  2258

  Birth of Arrafu’Kzaddi to U’Sumi and T’Qinna

  2259

  Birth of Magog to Iyapeti and Sutara

  2260

  Kush born to Khumi and Tiva. Birth of Iavanni to Iyapeti / Sutara

  2261

  Birth of Misori'Ra to Khumi and Tiva

  2262

  Birth of Elammi to U’Sumi and T’Qinna

  2263

  Puta born to Khumi. Assur born to U’Sumi / T’Qinna

  2266

  Birth of the twins, Khana’Ani and Rhea to Khumi and Tiva

  2282-99

  Anchor Mountain erupts. Beginning of the Wandering Years of the Great Cold. Cold lasts 17 years, followed by 4 more years of hot dusty winds from the south

  2293

  Birth of Qe’Nani to Arrafu’Kzaddi by Khana’Ani’s twin sister Rhea. Rhea dies in childbirth

  2304

  End of the Wandering Years. A’Nu-Ahki and his clans settle northeast of Mt. Lubar, near the River T'Qinna

  2314

  U’Sumi chooses Arrafu’Kzaddi formally as his heir, despite his widower status

>   2317

  U’Sumi and Arrafu’Kzaddi fly over what is becoming the Tigris-Euphrates plain in the Sun Phoenix, and witness massive tsunamis that bury dragon-rich jungles in many cubits of silt

  2321

  Rape of Aevria. Trial of Khana’Ani. Khumi finds his father drunk. A’Nu-Ahki’s prophecy and judgment against Khana’Ani. U’Sumi given the primacy of M’El-Ki: meaning, Steward of the Judge of the Earth. Khumi’s clan moves back toward the Anchor Mountain region

  2322

  The M'El-Ki commissions Elammi and his children to settle the mountains overlooking the Southern Ocean and establish a watch for giant wave activity

  2323

  Qe’Nani impregnates Melka, a daughter of Iyapeti's son. U’Sumi insists they marry. Birth of Usalaq to Qe’Nani and Melka, who being both little more than children; foster their son to Arrafu’Kzaddi and his new wife, Rasu’Eya. Qe'Nani and Melka banished

  2330

  U’Sumi founds the Academy and places Arrafu’Kzaddi over it

  2334

  Birth of Nimurta to Clan Kush

  2347

  Usalaq begins Academy.

  ~2350- on

  As Firstborn of U’Sumi, Arrafu’Kzaddi and his clan, begins to be called the Khaldini, which means, “People of the Ram”

  2365

  Nimurta and P'Tah-Tahut begin academy. U’Sumi authors the A’Nu-Ahki Toledoth

  2375- 2400

  Khumi settles permanently at the Treasure Cave mound, and calls the settlement Arrata, which means City of Urartu. Iyapeti and U’Sumi send some of their clans down to settle nearby on the same mound. Arrafu’Kzaddi’s house represents U’Sumi, and Iavanni’s does Iyapeti. Tension’s rise, until quelled by the Foundation of the Three Sacred Cities of Arrata (2400)—one for each prime clan. Each city is named for the Matriarch of their clans, to avoid the offense of clan rivalry—since inter-clan marriages are the norm. The city names are descriptive titles given to each of the 3 Matriarchs. Khumi’s city was already built as a place to keep Tiva, his wife. Khumi, angrily renames it after her, Ni’Alal-tamu’Ukum “I Hang from this Oath of Dust.” T’Qinna’s city is called by U’Sumi, S’Eduku-tal-ebab, which means, “Dawn-sayer of Knowledge from the House of the Holy Mound,” and Iyapeti’s city for Sutara is named, Adantu Nisirtisu, which means, “The Treasure of Times”

  2411

  Elammi reports "Tiamatu’s Death Throes" have razed the Abyssu. Sea level drops radically, leaving the river valleys safe to colonize for the first time. What is now the Persian Gulf becomes a vast swamp, estuary, and lake land referred to as “the Abyssu” because it had before been the sea floor

  2417

  Death of Na’Amiha, wife of A'Nu-Ahki

  2420

  Kush moves his clans onto the Northern Agadae plains

  2429

  Foundation of a permanent tent settlement at Kush, which later becomes the first city on the plains

  2433

  Death of Sutara in childbirth

  2435 on

  Nimurta drives the dragons from the swamps of the Sumar into the Abyssu mires. Some of the tribes of Iyapeti and U'Sumi impose servitude on the children of Khana'Ani. U'Sumi opposes making Khana'Ani's offspring into a permanent slave class, but the clans out-vote him, and do it anyway. The Amurru and Qirkasim later escape slavery. U'Sumi promotes others out of it

  2444-50

  Nimurta founds a tent settlement on a marshy peninsula in the Sumar and calls it Uruk

  2453

  Haviri is born to Usalaq at Arrata

  2460-62

  Nimurta completes a permanent brick house and administrative center at Uruk that becomes known as the Kulaba

  2532

  Arrafu and the M'El-Ki send Haviri to Uruk to establish a Khaldi mission-shrine

  2535-45

  The M'El-Ki and Zhui'Sudra determine from over a hundred years of ocean stability that it is safe enough to build a fleet of mapping vessels capable of using the advanced engines of the Ancients, brought over on the Boat of a Million Years, in order to fulfill Iyared's Charge. The M'El-Ki, Haviri, and Nimurta begin construction of a shipyard at Uruk. The engines are transported from the Treasure Cave to Uruk

  2546-74

  Construction of the Sun Ships at Uruk Haven

  2557

  Napalku born to Haviri at Uruk

  2564

  Birth of Yoqtani

  2575

  Sun Ships depart. Haviri commands Sun Ship, Ursunabi. Nimurta agrees to post Napalku as Uruk's Khaldi of upon Academy graduation

  2576-87

  Napalku goes to Academy at Arrata, and becomes a Khaldi

  2587

  Napalku becomes Khaldi of Uruk, and marries Lomina

  2595

  Sun Ships miss their planned return date

  2597

  Assur joins Kush. Kush and Nimurta begin building Bab'Eluhar

  2601

  Qe'Nani finds the "Eridu Prism"

  2602

  Fall of Arrata. Tablets of Destiny stolen. Napalku renamed Palqui , and escapes

  2603

  A'Nu-Ahki, T'Qinna, and Tiva placed in hostage city of Surupag by Nimurta

  2604-05

  The Plague of Madness.

  2605

  Fall of the Meteor. U'Sumi and Haviri return to Uruk

  2606

  Fall of Surupag. Tiva, Khumi, and A'Nu-Ahki exiled to Dilmun. A'Nu-Ahki dies at Dilmun two days before year's end.

  Appendix V

  Divine Judgment and the Ethical Principle of “Double Effect”

  Joseph said it best, when he said to his brothers in Egypt, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” (Gen. 50:20-21) His outlook captures a principle that Judeo-Christian moral philosophers call “Double Effect.”

  Double Effect is when a good person (like God) does something for a good purpose (like create and redeem a universe with people in it), but bad people (like the Serpent and fallen humanity) use what was intended for good to create evil. The accusation that “God knew it would happen, so He’s to blame…” will not hold up because God gave people a real choice. He did not program them to make a bad one, like angels and humans were a cosmic version of the Robot in Lost in Space. God could only be held complicit in Satan’s evil, and that of humanity, if that evil was (a) His final purpose in creating, and (b) a creative method He used for making things prior to the Fall. Such a belief is the essence of what Jesus called “the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 12:31-32, Lk. 12:10)

  Double Effect appears in just about every aspect of the human condition. Good people do good things that an evil person can take advantage of for selfish and malicious purposes. Should the good people therefore cease doing good? To claim that God should not have created people (angels and human) with the real capacity for choice because He knew they would choose badly is to place oneself in the position of God. God also created an ethical means of redemption, before saying “Let there be light…” which He would later pay for. It is why Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” The horrors of fallen creation—and there are many—are not God’s final purpose.

  God did not create because he was lonely or just to amuse Himself. He created accountable beings because He has in mind a greater good than even that which existed at the end of Day 6 of a perfect creation. Things would have been better if no one had ever sinned. Still, the Good at Redemption is better than the Good at Creation. The Good at Creation was fragile and unraveled by one man’s sin. Redemption’s Good is robust; it is God’s power to bring good even out of evil, leading to a wonderful end. (Rom. 5:12-21)

  The tragedy is that there is real loss. Real choices have real consequences in the real world. There are real points of no return.

  Double Effect is visible here, too.


  God is not incompetent. He did not place Himself in the position where Satan or humanity could manipulate Him. Evil is something God endured, not something He wanted. Being greater than evil, however, God created a means for redemption, because redemption—providing a way of restoration—is intrinsic to His good nature. Nevertheless, so is justice. Justice must be satisfied.

  That is what the Cross is all about.

  God created, knowing evil would result from the wicked choices of those whom He created. He did not want them to go that way, and warned them not to, but left the choice to them. After that, only one of two possibilities remained for created beings: judgment or redemption. Double Effect is built into the system here, too.

  God created humans with an eternal soul so they could enjoy fellowship with Him for all eternity. That eternality is built into human architecture—part of being “made in the image of God.” God had a good purpose in making us that way. Evil choices were made, however, which turned a good universe into a place where death ruled at every level. What God made for good, in making us eternal, is now the very thing that makes hell eternal for those who refuse redemption. It’s not God being cruel by sending us to this awful place, it is that we carry the beginnings of this awful state with us even in this life. Apart from redemption, at some stage either at or before death, there is a point of no return. We are eternal by nature, and so we will exist either in a state of grace or in the cause-and-effect consequence of our sin.