People from the biblical period would have had a different perception, one that was more transcendent. They would have thought of Eden as a temple. After all, temples are where gods live. Eden was the abode of God, “an earthly archetype of the heavenly reality.” “Because Adam communed with God in Eden,” Wenham adds, “the latter was the temporal analog for the celestial archetype.”  Michael Heiser

As Alston notes, “Darkness [is] closely related to the concept of the wilderness.… The mythical understanding of the wilderness is often denoted by the notion that it is the habitat of strange animals and hostile demons.”  Michael Heiser

Some days your heart says “Yes” but your body says “No”. I would have gone much further but my body really was not up to it. Lovely morning to be outside though.

In three of the instances where Michael is mentioned, he is referred to as “prince” (śar). That he is not the only “angelic prince” is indicated by Daniel 10:13, where he is said to be “one of the chief princes.” Michael Heiser

A warm morning but a good ride out to Haire Drive #cycling #Narrabri

As noted earlier, Deuteronomy 32:8 informs us that the division of humanity into disparate nations at Babel occurred in tandem with allotting those nations to lesser ʾelōhı̂m, the “sons of God” (and vice versa). This event is the Old Testament explanation for the devolution from humanity’s corporate relationship with the true God to individual nations with rival pantheons. Michael Heiser

Alston observes, There is considerable evidence in the Old Testament that an intimate relationship exists between the concept of the “wilderness” and that of the primordial chaos … that part of reality which cares not for human life and provides not for its sustenance, posing instead the constant threat of extinction. Michael Heiser

Nice ride along Yarrie Lake Rd this morning. I took a rare selfie, and forgot to change the mirror setting. 😀 #cycling #Narrabri

Evil spirits are members of God’s heavenly host who have chosen to rebel against his will.  Michael Heiser

Nice ride out to Haire Drive ahead of a predicted hot day.