The Ancient Tradition

00:00

Music

00:10

You’re listening to the Ancient Tradition. A Wonk Media Production. Music provided by Joseph McDade. He is your host, Dr. Jack Logan.

00:29

Welcome to the ancient tradition. I’m your host, Jack Logan. We have a good one for you today. I’m super excited about the opportunity to share a lot of the things that I’ve put together. Hopefully the episode will cause you to ponder and think about things a little more deeply than you normally would. It might even be somewhat mind bending. I’ve titled this episode, Universes Beyond Universes.

00:58

If you’re a long time listener, we’ve been working our way towards coming to many of the conclusions that we make in today’s episode. If you are a first time listener, first of all, welcome to the program. We’re really glad that you’ve joined us. You might need to do a little bit of homework though. After you’ve listened to this episode, you might need to go back and listen to the earlier episodes because those are there to set the foundation that helps bring us to where we are today. In our last episode.

01:27

We read an ancient Ugaritic text, Cuneiform Tablet 2.3, in which Baal, now Baal was the Ugaritic selfless son, he was told that upon defeating the rebellious son, Yam, he would be given, quote, an eternal kingdom, a promise that we also find made to Christ in Psalm 145.13, in which Christ is told that his kingdom will be, quote,

01:56

everlasting kingdom. And we learned in our last episode when we looked into Strom’s Hebrew dictionary that everlasting kingdom was the same thing as an eternal kingdom. A kingdom that goes on and on and on and on. A kingdom that’s literally without end. An infinite cosmic kingdom. In that episode I argued that you can’t really have an eternal kingdom with one world.

02:22

And since newly crowned heavenly kings are granted the ability to divinely utter the power to create a world, then we must ask the very important question, couldn’t that same power be used to create another world and another world, even thousands upon thousands or millions and millions of worlds? After all, Baal was promised that his kingdom would be an eternal kingdom. From the ancient texts like Keneah form tablet 2.3,

02:50

and Psalm 145.13 were left to conclude that the newly crowned heavenly king could and would create world after world after world. This would be an eternal kingdom, a kingdom of innumerable worlds. A hundred years ago, this theology would likely have been considered unfathomable, really, really fanciful. But today, modern astronomers confirm that our universe is packed.

03:19

with billions and billions of planets. And they’re just beginning to identify Earth-like planets, planets that could potentially harbor life. Now, modern day astronomers still consider life to be a rare occurrence in the universe. But there’s more and more evidence that’s being accrued every single day that suggests, especially considering the sheer size of our universe and the sheer number of planets in our universe, that other Earth-like life-filled planets

03:48

are not only a possibility, but an inevitability. I love this. Here we see modern astronomers playing catch up with the ancients. Ancients who thousands and thousands of years ago wrote down on cuneiform clay tablets or on the skin of sheep or goats that the selfless dragon slaying sun was granted the power to create an eternal cosmic kingdom.

04:16

a kingdom of innumerable life-filled worlds. I find this incredible. If what the ancients are teaching us is true, then one day, given enough time, I expect that every single cosmogonic doctrine taught within the ancient tradition will be validated by astronomers, which is exactly what we’re already beginning to see. As of right now though,

04:45

astronomers are still playing catch up with what the ancients already knew. At this point, we need to start talking about you and me. See, up to this point, most of the textual evidence we’ve covered has focused on the heavenly enthronement, the bestowal of divine utterance and the inheritance of an eternal kingdom by the selfless son, who conquered the rebellious son in the heavens before this world was created.

05:14

But what do the ancient texts have to say about human beings who are dragon slayers? We’ve already shown that there are many, many ancient texts and myths and legends and folk tales that attest to the doctrine that dragon slayers are made kings. But the majority of these narratives tell of human dragon slayers who are enthroned as earthly kings and queens, not heavenly kings and queens. Now, of course,

05:44

I’ve studied this enough to know that earthly kingship is an echo of heavenly kingship. The whole as above, so below thing that I’ve hinted at. But still the same, I wanted to know if there was anything in the ancient record, any textual evidence of the enthronement of dragons slaying human beings as heavenly kings and queens. The catalyst for this exploration came from a very, very intriguing…

06:14

and very, very important verse in the Christian New Testament in Revelation chapter three, verse 21, which I mentioned at the end of our last episode. In this verse, Christ promises human beings who overcomeeth, who triumph over evil, who are dragon slayers, that they too will join him on a heavenly throne. And I had asked myself, is Christ really saying what I think he’s saying here? If he is,

06:44

then number one, this is the most mind blowing and mind bending theology I’ve ever heard. And second, if he’s saying what I think he’s saying, then there has to be more evidence of this theology, not only in the biblical canon, but also in the ancient world, which of course is exactly what I found. So let’s take a look at some of the textual evidence. We’ve discussed many of these texts on the podcast already.

07:14

But today I want to focus primarily on what they say about the enthronement of human beings as heavenly kings and queens. Let’s start with one of my favorite ancient texts, which is one of the most important in the ancient world and to the ancient tradition, the Book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch. In this account, Enoch, a living human being, is taken by two messengers into the divine

07:44

After passing through several heavens, the messengers stop in the seventh heaven. And this is what Enoch sees, starting in chapter 20. It reads, then those two men took me up to the seventh heaven, and I saw there a very great light and fiery armies of great archangels. I became afraid and trembled in great terror. And those men took me

08:13

and led me with them and said to me, be brave, Enoch, and don’t be afraid, and showed me the Lord sitting far away on his highest throne.” Here, Enoch sees a supernal light, and in it he sees the Lord, who if this text is Jewish, is Yahweh, or if this text is Christian, it’s Christ. Though this is really sixes, because more and more biblical scholarship is showing that the

08:43

Christ of the New Testament is the Yahweh of the Old Testament. They’re one in the same. We’ll save that discussion for a future episode. Enoch sees the Lord, who I’m going to refer to as Christ from here on out, sitting far away on his highest throne. The glory of what Enoch sees, even as far away from Christ’s throne that he is, is terrifying to Enoch, especially as a mortal. The messengers calm him down.

09:12

And the text continues by describing what Enoch sees around Christ’s heavenly throne. Chapter 21 reads, the cherubs and the seraphs. Now these are varying ranks of angels. The cherubs and seraphs surrounding about the throne. The seraphs did not leave, but remain before the Lord’s face doing his will.

09:39

humming with gentle voices before the Lord’s face. And this is what they hum, holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabbath, the heavens and earth are full of your glory. At this point, the messengers tell Enoch that they can’t go any farther with him. Enoch’s left alone in the heavens for a terrifying minute. And then the archangel Gabriel appears. The text reads,

10:09

The Lord sent one of his glorious ones, the archangel Gabriel, and he said to me, be brave, Enoch, do not be afraid. Rise before the Lord’s face forever. Rise and come with me. I answered him, my Lord, my mind had left me from terror and trembling. Enoch, as a human being,

10:38

is still terrified by the glory of Christ’s throne, even though he’s still seeing it from far away. Here the archangel Gabriel takes Enoch up to the highest heaven, to Christ’s throne room, and escorts him into Christ’s presence. Listen to Enoch’s amazing description of Christ. The text reads, quote,

11:08

and placed me before the Lord’s face. Chapter 22. In the 10th heaven, I saw the Lord’s face like molten iron and poured out and emitting sparks and glowing. I saw the Lord’s face, but the Lord’s face should not be talked about. It is incomprehensible, marvelous, and supremely awesome, and supremely terrifying.

11:38

Who am I to describe the indescribable being of the Lord, or of his very strange and wonderful face? I cannot describe his many instructions and various voices or the Lord’s supremely wonderful throne which was not made with hands, or the number of those standing around him, armies of cherubs and seraphs with their never-ending singing. Who could describe his immutable beauty?

12:09

who will tell of his incomprehensible and wondrous glory. I fell down and bowed before the Lord. And the Lord with his own lips said to me, be brave, Enoch, don’t be afraid. Rise and stand before my face into forever.

12:35

In another episode, we’ll talk a lot more about what Enoch sees here and what’s taking place. But for this episode, it gives us one of the most detailed descriptions, if not the most detailed description of Christ as a heavenly King and of his heavenly throne that could be found anywhere in the ancient texts. So it’s very important in that light. But it’s also incredibly important for what happens next. And for the question that I asked before we started reading this text,

13:04

Is Christ in Revelation chapter 3 verse 21 really saying what I think he’s saying? Is he really saying that human beings who overcome, who triumph over evil, who are dragon slayers will be made heavenly kings and queens? Let’s keep reading to see what happens next. Quote, the chief general Michael carried me up.

13:32

and led me before the Lord’s face. And the Lord said to his servants, let Enoch stand before my face into forever. The Lord said to Michael, go and disrobe Enoch from his earthly clothes and anoint him with my delightful oils and put him into the clothes of my glory. Michael did as the Lord commanded. He anointed me and dressed me.

14:02

The oil was as bright as the rays of the sun, cool like dew, and smelled like myrrh. I saw myself, and I saw I was like one of his glorious ones, and there was no observable difference. This passage is absolutely astounding. It’s theologically breathtaking.

14:28

Here we’re seeing the same royal enthronement ritual that we see all over in the ancient texts and in the ancient world. But this time, the royal enthronement ritual we see taking place is the enthronement of a human being in heaven, directly before the throne of Christ, who, let me remind you, in Christianity, is the son of the high God.

14:57

who selflessly conquered the malevolent son Satan and gained his throne upon which Enoch sees him seated. In this text, Christ is making Enoch a heavenly king. Astounding. In this passage, Christ invites Enoch to stand before him. Remember, Enoch had fallen to the ground upon witnessing Christ’s glory. Christ’s invitation to Enoch to stand

15:26

is actually a really important doctrinal point that we’ll talk about sometime in the future. Christ then commands the chief archangel Michael to remove Enoch’s earthly clothing. Clothes, which are in part symbolic of Enoch’s individual battle with Satan the dragon. Why? Because it was while Enoch was a human being on earth.

15:53

that he fought or battled against Satan, a battle which according to the ancient record, he must have won to be standing like he is before Christ to be made a heavenly king. As a human being, when the temptations came to violate the laws of heaven, Enoch did not bend. Or when he did, he used the ointment of the sacred

16:23

tree to heal his wounds and continue the battle. Either way, Enoch came off victorious. In this text, we have an interesting sequence of events. First, Christ asks Michael to help Enoch remove, quote, his earthly clothes. Second, Christ asks Michael to anoint Enoch with delightful oil. Oil which Christ calls

16:51

my delightful oil. So the oil with which Enoch is anointed is directly connected to Christ. Third, Christ asks Michael to robe Enoch in the clothes of my glory. Third, Christ asks Michael to robe Enoch in the clothes of glory. Clothes which Christ calls the quote clothes of my glory.

17:17

The removal here of Enoch’s earthly clothing, the clothing that represents his earthly battle with Satan, is an incredibly interesting aspect of this account because this is exactly what we see happen in tablet five of the Mesopotamian Enuma Elish. When Marduk, after having conquered the sea serpent Tiamat, returns to Anu, the high god, and the council of the gods, wearing clothing covered in, quote,

17:47

the dust of combat. The text says, and we’re talking about the Mesopotamian Marduk here. This happened when Marduk returned. Quote, the Anunnaki, which is the council of the gods, each and every one kissed his feet. They, they being members of the council of the gods, took off his clothes, which were

18:16

in the dust of combat. Here we see that the first thing the high god Anu and the council of the gods do after Marduk slays Tiamat is remove his clothes. Just like we saw Michael, whom I presume is a member of the council of the gods under Christ, helped Enoch do. Amazing. But what does the council of the gods do after they take off Marduk’s battle clothing?

18:45

Let’s continue reading. Quote, the gods were attentive to him. With Cyprus, they sprinkled his body. He put on a princely garment. After the council removes Marduk’s dusty clothes, they sprinkle his body with Cyprus. And what is Cyprus? Cyprus is a tree.

19:12

Council of the Gods is sprinkling Marduk’s body with a tree. Why is the council doing this? Well, you long time listeners should know. And you also know that what’s going on here is a royal anointing. The council is anointing Marduk with the oil of the sacred tree. They’re anointing Marduk a heavenly king. And what happens after this? The council invests Marduk in, quote,

19:42

princely garments, royal robes. Here, after slaying the dragon Tiamat, Marduk returns to the high god Anu and the council of the gods, and we see the exact same sequence of events occur. First, the council removes Marduk’s battle clothing. Second, the council anoints Marduk with the sacred tree. Third, the council robes Marduk in a princely garment.

20:13

I hope you recognize how remarkable this is. So here we have two texts. One, the Enuma Elish, a Mesopotamian text believed by scholars to date back to the time of the second dynasty of Ishan, which flourished between 1953 and 1717 BC. And another text, the Book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch, a Jewish writing.

20:39

believed by scholars to date back to sometime between 100 BC and 200 AD. So here we have two texts that are separated in time by 2,000 years, yet they’re nearly identical in content. Content that attests to the enthronement of heavenly kings, one of whom was a human being.

21:09

What we’re seeing happening here in this Mesopotamian text is almost exactly what we see happening in the book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch. Listen again to what chapter 22 of the book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch says. The Lord said to Michael, go and disrobe Enoch from his earthly clothes and anoint him with my delightful oils and put him into the clothes of my glory.

21:36

This sounds exactly like what happened in the Enuma Elish, from the events mentioned right down to the order in which those events are mentioned. The text continues, quote, “‘Michael did as the Lord commanded. He anointed me and dressed me. The oil was bright as the rays of the sun, cool like dew and smelled like myrrh.'” Just like what we saw with Marduk in the Enuma Elish,

22:06

Here, Michael removes Enoch’s battle clothes, anoints him with a delightful oil that is bright and golden like the rays of the sun, and smells like myrrh. And you long time listeners should know why this oil smells like myrrh. And then according to Christ’s command, Michael robes Enoch in glory, the clothes of Christ’s glory.

22:38

If you go back and watch the enthronement ceremony of King Charles III, you’ll notice that before he’s anointed with the chrism oil, Charles is dressed in very humble, plain linen clothing, known as the Colobium Sindonis. After he’s anointed a king, just like we see in these accounts of Marduk and Enoch, Charles slips into another room, changes his clothes,

23:07

and returns in a stunning golden gown known as the Supertunica. He literally looks like the sun incarnate. He looks robed in Christ’s glory. Now, why would Charles do this? Why would any earthly king do this? Why would any king wear plain clothes, be anointed with sacred oil that smelled like myrrh, and then change into golden robes?

23:37

Why? Well, that’s an incredibly difficult question to answer. Unless, unless you know about the theology of heavenly kingship. And when you do, it makes complete sense. Even if you don’t fully understand what it all means, you know and understand why Charles wears plain clothes, is anointed, and changes into a majestic, full length golden robe that shimmers and glistens

24:06

like the glory of the sun. Charles does this because he is replicating the sacred enthronement rites that we’ve learned take place in the heavens. Every British coronation ceremony ever conducted has replicated or modeled right in plain view the theology taught by Christ in Revelation chapter three, verse 21.

24:35

that all human beings who overcome it will be given a throne. And what’s more, there is extensive, and I mean extensive ritual evidence of this theology all over the world. A.M. Hocourt, in his compelling little book, which is one of my favorites too, titled Kingship, found that all over the world,

25:03

whenever and wherever monarchies have been established, be they in India, Germany, Japan, Tonga, New Zealand, Russia, France, Finland, among the Inca, the Aztecs or the Mayans, not to mention among the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamian and Israelites, perform coronation rites that follow virtually this same ritual pattern. They model earthly enthronement rites after

25:32

heavenly enthronement rights. Hohkart, who wrote kingship, writes, speaking of earthly kingship, writes, quote, we find as many correspondences between Fijian and old Indian ritual as between old Indian and modern Cambodian. We have no justification for rejecting a common origin, but every reason in favor of one. The coronation ceremonies

26:00

strongly support a common origin. In other words, not only does the British enthronement ceremony attest to a theology of heavenly kingship, but every single coronation rite ever performed on the planet, from the rites performed for ancient Chinese emperors to enthronement rites performed for the King of Hungary, attest to and replicate

26:29

the sacred enthronement rites performed in the heavens, the ritual enthronement of dragon slayers as heavenly kings. That is a powerful worldwide witness to the theology of heavenly kingship. It’s when we start seeing things like this that we have to start taking the notion of a theology of heavenly kingship seriously.

26:56

And furthermore, when we see this theology show up in the world’s earliest religious writings, in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ugarit, and among the ancient Hebrews, then we have to start taking the notion of a common source, or a single primordial religious tradition, seriously too. The textual and ritual evidence begs us to do so. So let’s return to our original question.

27:24

Is there anything in the ancient record, any textual evidence of the enthronement of dragons slaying human beings as heavenly kings or queens? Clearly, yes. In the book of the Holy secrets of Enoch, we have an unambiguous example of a human being, Enoch, being enthroned by Christ as a heavenly king. But are there more examples? Yes. Let’s return to the book.

27:54

of Joseph and Azanath. If you’ll recall, in that text, which we discussed in episodes number 24 and 25, Azanath is dressed in sackcloth and ashes. Her battle closing, seeking repentance for not having followed the laws of heaven, when suddenly the heavens tear open and a divine being appears. A being who appears strikingly similar?

28:23

to Enoch’s description of Christ. Let me reread you a bit of chapter 14 and take note how much of what happens to Azanath mirrors what happened to Enoch. Keep in mind that what happened to Azanath, who is a human being, happened in her own home. The text reads, quote, and lo, the heaven was torn open near the morning star and an indescribable light appeared.

28:53

and Azanath fell on her face upon the ashes. So just like Enoch, Azanath falls to the ground, afraid at the sight of this glorious being. Then listen to what this being, who I’m going to call Christ from here on out, says to her. Stand up and I will speak to you. Just like what we saw with Enoch, Christ invites Azanath to stand in his presence.

29:23

that’s something. Listen to Azaneth’s description of Christ and how similar it is to Enoch’s quote, his face was like lightning and his eyes were like the light of the Sun and the hairs of his head were like flames of fire and his hands and his feet like iron from the fire. At this point,

29:53

I can’t stand before this glorified being, it’s too much. And she drops back down to the ground like Enoch, terrified. The text continues, quote, and Azanath looked at him and she fell on her face at his feet in great fear and trembling. And Christ said to her, take heart, Azanath, and do not be afraid.

30:22

but stand and I will speak to you. Just like what we saw with Enoch, Christ tells Azaneth not to be afraid of him, and he once again invites her to stand before him. Now listen to what he tells Azaneth next. It’s the exact same thing we saw with Enoch. Christ says, quote, “‘And Azaneth got up and Christ said to her,

30:50

Take off the black tunic you’re wearing and the sackcloth round your waist and shake the ashes off your head and wash your face with water and put on a new robe that you have never worn before and tie your bright girdle round your waist. This is just like what we saw with Enoch and Marduk and Charles III. Here.

31:17

Christ invites Azanith to take off her battle clothing, her clothes enveloped in the dust of combat, the sackcloth that is literally dusted in ashes, and put on the royal garments of the victorious. Did you notice how Christ asks her, along with putting on a new robe, to quote, tie a bright girdle round her waist?

31:44

All of you long time listeners should know why Christ asks her to do this. If you don’t know or you need a refresher, be sure to give episode number 15, Sea Monsters, Sea Serpents and Leviathans a listen. I’m not going to give away the answer here, but it’s clear for those of you who know what the girdle represents, that Christ, by inviting Azanath to wear the girdle, is declaring her victorious. The girdle is.

32:13

the ultimate symbol of her victory over the dragon. She has won. Then just like what we saw with Marduk and Enoch, here Christ anoints Azanath with a substance that Enoch said was bright as the rays of the sun. In this text, this substance is referred to as honey. And like in the Enoch text, it has the fragrance of myrrh.

32:41

The passage in chapter 16 reads, quote, and Christ stretched his hand out and placed it, the honey on her head and said, you are blessed as an, for the indescribable things of God have been revealed to you. Here we’re seeing the same thing we’ve seen in all of the other accounts. We’re seeing the enthronement of a heavenly queen.

33:10

I want to stress here that in both the Azanath and Enoch accounts, the texts are telling us about the enthronement of human beings, just like Christ promised in Revelation chapter 3 verse 21. The New International Version of the New Testament translates this verse like this,

33:39

just as I was victorious and sat down with my father on his throne. If what Christ says is true, which appears to be the case from the ancient accounts we’ve covered, then we would expect that Azanath and Enoch would take on the glory of Christ. They’d become like him. And that’s exactly what the Enoch and Azanath texts say. After the archangel helps Enoch remove his earthly clothing,

34:08

anoints him with the sacred oil of the tree and invests him in robes of Christ’s glory, the texts say this, quote, I saw myself and I saw I was like one of his glorious ones and there was no observable difference. Enoch looks around and he can see no difference between his glorious light and the glorious ones.

34:37

are referred to as one of the glorious ones. So Enique’s telling us that he looks no different than the chief archangel Michael, the highest ranked angel in Christ’s kingdom. Who I argue, when compared to the text in the Enuma Elish, is equivalent to a member of the Council of the Gods. Recall that in the Enuma Elish, it was the Council of the Gods who removed Marduk’s battle clothing and anointed him with Cyprus.

35:04

And here in the book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch, it is Michael who helps Enoch remove his battle clothing and anoints him with oil. So the two correspondences between the texts strongly suggest that Michael is a member of the Council of the Gods under Christ and as such is a God. And Enoch looks at him and he says, hey, I saw myself and I saw I was like one of his glorious ones and there was no observable difference.

35:35

But what about Azaneth? Did she experience a similar transformation when she was asked by Christ to change out of her battle clothing of sackcloth and ashes and then anointed her with honey? Yes. Let’s read a bit from the text. In chapter 18, we read, quote, “‘And Azaneth went into her room and opened her wardrobe, “‘and she took out her finest robe “‘that shone like lightning, and she put it on. “‘And she tied a resplendent royal girdle

36:04

her waist. I pointed this out in a previous episode but note here how her dress shone like quote lightning and this is the exact same description she gave Christ. In chapter 14, Azaneth said this of Christ quote his face shone like lightning. So she’s telling us that she’s become like Christ. Let’s go back to chapter 18 and keep reading. In this passage Azaneth catches a reflection of

36:33

in a basin of water. The text reads, an asinus bent down to the water in the basin and her face was like the sun and her eyes like the rising morning star. She looks down at her reflection and she realizes that she has become a glorious being of light. She’s donning the robes of Christ’s glory. She looks like the sun.

37:03

It’s pretty clear from these two accounts that there were those in Jewish and early Christian circles. Scholars have dated both the book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch and the book of Joseph and Azanath at some time between a couple of hundred years before Christ and a couple of hundred years after Christ who understood the theology of heavenly kingship. Even though Jude, the brother of Jesus,

37:29

quotes directly from one of the books of Enoch in Jude chapter 1 verse 9, neither the book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch nor the book of Joseph and Azanath are included in the Catholic biblical canon affirmed by the Council of Rome in 382 AD. My guess is because this doctrine had been lost or rejected by this time. Despite this there is still plenty left in the biblical canon

37:59

that attests to the enthronement of human beings as heavenly kings and queens. I don’t have time in this episode to go into a lot of those examples, but I want to give you one. In Psalm chapter 2, which most Jewish scholars consider to be about the enthronement of King David, though it’s not conclusive, it could be about another Israelite king, begins in verse 1 with a reference to a cosmic battle between good and evil.

38:28

The verse that follows, verse two mentions Yahweh’s anointed. Psalm 89 20 explicitly mentions that King David was anointed by Yahweh. The verse reads, quote, I have found David my servant. With my holy oil have I anointed him. As a quick aside, note how the oil mentioned here is referred to as quote, my holy oil, Yahweh’s holy oil.

38:58

just like what was said of the oil Enoch was anointed with. It’s also super interesting here that Yahweh says, I have anointed him. When did Yahweh do this? And why would Yahweh do this? Well, with an understanding of the theology of the enthronement of human beings as heavenly kings and queens, and from what we saw happen when Azanath, a human being was anointed by Christ, this doesn’t seem so perplexing.

39:27

Looks like a similar thing must have happened to King David or one of the other Israelite kings. And who knows, perhaps at one time, a heavenly enthronement anointing may have been a requirement or a prerequisite for one who was chosen to reign as an earthly king. There are definitely several verses in the canon that hint at such an interpretation. Back to Psalm two, verse six, Yahweh says, quote,

39:55

Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” What holy hill is Yahweh talking about here? In a couple of episodes, I’m going to have a whole lot to say about this holy hill. But for now, recognize that this holy hill is God’s holy mountain, the sanctuary where God dwells. And don’t forget that it’s on the summit of this sacred mountain sanctuary that God sits on his…

40:25

So for Yahweh to say that the earthly Israelite king will sit upon his holy hill is akin to saying that this earthly king will sit on Yahweh’s throne. Something I yet again remind you Christ promised in Revelation chapter 3 verse 21 to all who over cometh. It says to him that over cometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne.

40:55

Seems pretty clear here in Psalm two that this is exactly what we see happening. Yahweh has made an earthly king, a human being, by placing him on his Yahweh’s throne, a heavenly king. In this episode, all of the textual evidence I provided of God enthroning human beings as heavenly kings or queens has come from the Jewish or early Christian writings.

41:23

But some of you are likely wondering if there are any examples of the enthronement of human beings as heavenly kings and queens in other parts of the ancient world. Well, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. In fact, it turns out that the entire objective of the ancient Egyptian religion was to secure

41:53

in the afterlife so that he could reign as a heavenly king. All of the rites and rituals in the ancient Egyptian religion centered around this primary objective. We’ll get into this more in the coming weeks, but in order to understand the theology of heavenly kingship among the ancient Egyptians, we have to start with the god Osiris. Remember Osiris? He was the selfless son, the righteous son.

42:21

who battled his evil brother, the rebellious son Set, who wanted to usurp his throne. During the battle, Set suffocates Osiris, killing him, after which Set tears Osiris’ body into 14 pieces. If you need a refresher, check out episode number 23, The Troubling Death of Osiris. After Osiris’ death, Isis, Osiris’ wife,

42:49

gathers up the parts of his body and rejoins the fragments together. And this is where ancient Egyptian mummification comes in. At least mythologically speaking, Osiris is understood to be the first mummy, the prototype after which all mummies are mummified. And then Isis imbues Osiris with the breath of life. Osiris is restored to life and he triumphantly rises from the dead.

43:18

Upon his resurrection, Osiris is enthroned in the afterlife, the heavens, as a heavenly king. The Papyrus of Annie, known by most as the Egyptian Book of the Dead, dated to 1240 BC, is unambiguous in describing Osiris as a heavenly king. The text says, quote, homage to thee, Osiris.

43:48

Lord of eternity, King of the gods, whose names are manifold. Thou art the great chief, the prince of the company of the gods.” Which likely refers to the Council of the Gods. This text clearly describes Osiris as a heavenly king. But listen to what else this text tells us about Osiris’ reign. It’s quite interesting. The text continues.

44:18

quote, thou art the great chief, the prince of the company of the gods, establisher of right and truth throughout the world, the son who was set on the great throne of his father, Geb. So whose heavenly throne does Osiris reign on? He reigns on his father’s great heavenly throne. Huh. Where else have we heard this?

44:48

heard of a heavenly king reigning on his father’s heavenly throne. If you thought of Revelation chapter 31, then you’re absolutely right. Revelation 321 says, and this is Christ speaking, even as I overcame and am set down with my father on his throne.

45:17

that the text reminds us that Osiris conquered the dragon. The text reads, quote, “‘The son who was set on the great throne “‘of his father, Geb, “‘thou art the beloved of thy mother, Newt, “‘the mighty one of Valor, “‘who overthrew the Sibau fiend, “‘who is the dragon,’ Osiris’s evil brother said. “‘Thou didst stand up and smite thine enemy.'”

45:48

This is interesting. Here the papyrus of Annie tells us that Osiris reigns on his father’s throne. And then the text directly connects Osiris’s heavenly reign to his having conquered the dragon. And when we compare this to Revelation 3, verse 21, we have Christ telling us he conquered the dragon, he overcame it, and then he directly connects that to now reigning on his father’s throne.

46:17

This is remarkable. I’m starting to see a very convincing theology of heavenly kingship here. And then you’re not gonna believe this. A couple of lines after that, the papyrus of Annie tells us that Osiris created the world. The text reads, speaking of the heavenly king Osiris, thou hast made the earth with thy hand.

46:46

and the waters and the winds and the vegetation and all the cattle and all the feathered fowl and all the fish and all the creeping things and all the wild animals thereof. The two lands, now the two lands is another way of saying Egypt, which you know also represents the entire world. Are content to crown thee upon the throne of thy father like Ra. So let’s walk through what we’re seeing here.

47:16

Here we have an earthly king who died, Osiris, who after his death is resurrected and coronated a heavenly king for having conquered the enemy. A heavenly king who now reigns on his father’s throne in the heavens and who we are told created the world. We’re starting to see a very strong pattern in the ancient text between slaying the dragon, heavenly kingship,

47:45

reigning on one’s father’s throne, who was also a heavenly king, and the creation of a world. But listen to what else the papyrus of Annie tells us. Before I read it to you, I need to give you a little bit of background. The ancient Egyptians believed that when a pharaoh died, he ascended to heaven and became a quote, imperishable star. Imperishable stars refer to the circumpolar stars that never fell below the horizon when the ancient Egyptians gazed into the night sky.

48:14

There are probably some scholars out there who think that the ancient Egyptians actually believed that the dead pharaoh turned into a star. But like 99% of what we see going on in ancient Egypt, this is symbolic. It’s symbolic of the late pharaoh ascending to the heavens and becoming a glorious being of light. And the ancient Egyptians believed that all dead pharaohs who passed the test of Ma’at

48:44

which was essentially akin to slaying the dragon, became imperishable stars, became beings of glorious light. In other words, the ancient Egyptians believed the heavens were full, just like the night sky of dead earthly kings like Osiris, who had become glorious beings of light and who now reigned as heavenly kings. They believed the heavens were

49:13

loaded with heavenly kings. And let me remind you that each of these heavenly kings the ancient Egyptians saw sparkling in the night sky had previously been a human being. If I were able to take you down into King Pepe II’s tomb, which I so wish that I could do, you would notice that the ceiling above the dead pharaoh’s sarcophagus was literally

49:42

in golden five-pointed stars, the five points of which represented the arms and legs and head of a human being, a resurrected human being who now resided in the heavens as a heavenly king, a glorious being of light. And don’t forget, that’s exactly what we saw happen to Enoch and Azanath when they were anointed a heavenly king and queen.

50:12

glorious beings of light. Enoch saw himself and saw that he was, quote, like one of the glorious ones. And Azanith looked at her reflection in the basin of water and saw that her face was, quote, like the sun. The ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, and early Christians are all teaching the same doctrine here. So let’s return to the Papyrus of Annie and keep reading.

50:39

Homage to thee, Osiris, Lord of eternity, King of the gods, whose names are manifold. Thou art a shining spirit body, the governor of spirit bodies. Permanent is thy rank, establishes thy rule, gracious is thy face, and beloved by him that seeth it. The stars in the celestial heights are obedient to thee.

51:07

The imperishable stars are under thy supervision, and the stars which never set are thy thrones. Okay, this passage is crazy. The text says, quote, the imperishable stars are under thy supervision. So here we learn that there is a royal hierarchy in the heavens, a rank order to the heavenly kings.

51:35

This passage tells us that Osiris reigns over other heavenly kings, kings who are obedient to him. The next part of this passage is mind-blowing. Sometimes I’m floored that some of this stuff was written down. The passage says, quote, The imperishable stars are under thy supervision, and the stars which never set are thy thrones.

52:05

Let me read that again. The imperishable stars, who are deceased human beings, who now reign as heavenly kings, are under thy supervision, are under Osiris’s supervision, and the stars which never set, which are again the imperishable stars, deceased human beings, who now reign as heavenly kings, are thy thrones, plural. Okay, so what does this mean?

52:34

Well, basically, the papyrus of Annie is telling us here that the heavenly kings who reign under Osiris have thrones and that those thrones are a part of Osiris’ greater cosmic kingdom. We established in our last episode that kings must have a kingdom over which to reign, else the title king is meaningless. Kings must have a people and a land over which to reign if they’re truly to be considered a king.

53:02

We showed in our last episode that Marduk, after he was coronated, was given the power of divine utterance, the power to create a world, which he did with the carcass of Tiamat, the dead sea monster. Dragon slayers who are made heavenly kings and queens are given the power to create worlds, to create a kingdom, a cosmic kingdom. That’s what all of these texts are telling us. We see all of this to come together in pyramid texts.

53:31

213 and 214. In this text, the Pharaoh King Unas, a human being, has died and ascended to the afterlife. And listen to what the text says, quote, Climb to the place where your father is, where Geb is, and he will give you what is on Horus’s brow. Here King Unas is told to go to where Geb is. Geb is Osiris’s father.

53:58

King Unus is told to go where Geb is to Geb’s throne and he will give King Unus what is on Horus’s brow. Okay, so what is on Horus’s brow? I’ve talked about this in previous episodes so you should know, but in case you’ve forgotten, it’s oil. If you recall, when Horus battled Set, Set tore out Horus’s eye, leaving him severely wounded. And then through the help with the god Thoth,

54:24

Horus is anointed with the oil of several trees, pine oil and cedar oil, which are mentioned in Pyramid Texts 72 to 78. And the injured eye, the wound that he received in battle, is fully restored. He’s healed. So what we’re reading about here is an anointing of a heavenly king. The dead King Unas is told to go to Geb and get the same thing that is on Horus’s brow, an anointing.

54:52

Then in Pyramid Text 213, the dead King Unus is told, quote, Ho Unus, you have not gone away dead. You have gone away alive. Sit on Osiris’s chair, which is Osiris’s throne, with your baton in your arm. Note what’s happening here. Here the dead King Unus is enthroned as a heavenly king and placed on Osiris’s throne.

55:21

And we see a similar thing in pyramid text 422. This time it’s the dead king Pepe I. The text reads, Ho Pepe, you take your ba within you, your control about you, your crown atop you. He, now I’m not sure who he is here, but I think it sounds like a heavenly escort of some type, takes hold of your arm, leads you into the sky, and puts you on Osiris’ throne.

55:51

You take up your position, Pepe, on Thy’s forwards throne, saved, provided as a god, and equipped with Osiris’s form. So here King Pepe I looks like Osiris. No observable difference? I don’t know. On foremost of Westerner’s throne, and do what he used to do. It’s fascinating. We’re reading about the enthronement and coronation.

56:20

of a human being as a heavenly king here, one who sits on quote Osiris’ throne. And the text says that the newly enthroned king will quote, do what he used to do. And what did Osiris used to do? Well, we learned in the Papyrus of Annie, the Egyptian book of the dead, that Osiris created a world. All of this sounds

56:47

uncannily like Revelation chapter 3 verse 21 which again reads and this is Christ speaking to the one who is victorious I will give the right to sit with me on my throne breathtaking did you notice in this translation it says I will give you the right that’s very interesting Christ tells the victorious here that it’s their right to sit on his throne

57:15

I think the language there is worth pondering. Well and good, we have some pretty strong textual and ritual evidence of the enthronement of human beings as heavenly kings and queens. But now we have to think through the cosmic implications of this, which I’m not so sure is possible with our finite minds, but I’m going to try. Of course, I have no idea how all of this works, but let me propose one possibility.

57:43

Let’s start with a heavenly king. This heavenly king is promised, quote, an eternal kingdom. So he uses divine utterance to create a kingdom, which we can conceptualize as a single universe. He reigns over that universe. It’s his inheritance for conquering the dragon. Within that universe, he creates worlds upon worlds.

58:11

Worlds where other human beings are born and who have the opportunity to conquer the dragon themselves and later become heavenly kings and queens And then they go on to create their own kingdoms their own universes Where they create worlds upon worlds? Where other human beings are born? Who have the opportunity to conquer the dragon and later become heavenly kings and queens themselves?

58:41

And so on and so on and so on, each new heavenly king and queen would be subordinate to the heavenly king and queen above them. The cosmic implications here are astounding, but this is what the texts we’ve covered are telling us. The book of Joseph and Azanath is an absolutely remarkable text because it gives us an actual account of Yahweh or Christ.

59:10

anointing a human being, Azanith, as a heavenly queen. The Book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch is an absolutely remarkable text because it gives us an actual account of Yahweh or Christ anointing a human being, Enoch, a heavenly king. This is the reason the Book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch is such an important ancient text. And I haven’t covered this yet.

59:38

But after Enoch is made a heavenly king, what is the very next thing the Lord does? The Lord summons an archangel named Vervoil and asks him to fetch a pen and a paper for Enoch because Enoch is about to need to take some notes. And what was Enoch gonna be taking notes on? Well, you’ll never believe this. But for the next 10 chapters, Enoch is taught by Vervoil.

01:00:07

and by the Lord’s own lips, the secrets of creation. Which is why the book is titled The Book of the Holy Secrets of Enoch. For the next 10 chapters, Enoch is taught how the Lord created the world. Enoch is taught how to create a world. Chapter 24 reads, quote, “‘The Lord summoned me and said, “‘Enoch, sit down to my left with Gabriel.’

01:00:36

I bowed down to the Lord and the Lord said to me, Enoch, beloved, all you see, all things that are standing still or moving around were built by me. I myself will explain them to you. OK, so how amazing would that be to have the Lord sit down and teach you how he created the world or worlds? This is amazing. Listen, Enoch.

01:01:05

and pay attention to my words, as I have not even told my secrets to my angels, and I have not told them their origin or of my endless realm.” His endless realm? When the Lord tells Enoch here to listen and pay attention to my words, it very much sounds like the Lord wants Enoch to understand how to create his own world or worlds, his own kingdom. The Lord is giving Enoch

01:01:34

the secrets of how it’s all done. As we’ve seen up to this point in the podcast and as you’ll see in the coming months, heavenly kingship is always tied to creation. This is a truly stunning theology, not only in light of what it says about the true potential of human beings, but also in terms of its cosmic implications.

01:02:02

In the passage I just read, the Lord tells Enoch that he’s going to give him the secrets of his quote, endless realm. So think on this. If the Lord’s realm or kingdom is endless and the kingdoms inherited by the heavenly King Enoch and the heavenly Queen Azanath are endless and the kingdoms of all of the myriad other heavenly kings and queens are endless and on and on and on, then there would have to be

01:02:30

universes beyond universes beyond universes. In fact, there would have to be an infinite number of universes out there. To wrap your brain around this possibility, you could think of each universe like a tiny little bubble, like a little drop of water. Then think of billions and billions and billions of these tiny little bubbles.

01:03:00

filling the infinite expanse of the cosmos. Think on that the next time you gaze upon the night sky. Now, if you think this all seems just a little too much to digest, or if you think it seems just too improbable, let me leave you with the words of one of my favorite astronomers, Alex Philippenko. He’s an astrophysicist and professor of astronomy at Cal Berkeley.

01:03:28

You know how I mentioned that modern day astronomers are playing catch up with the ancients? Well, this is another good example of that. Listen to what Dr. Filippenko has to say about what modern astronomers think of the possibility of innumerable universes. The idea of multiple universes has now gained real respectability. I mean, card-carrying physicists, astrophysicists are thinking seriously about the possibility

01:03:58

We could discuss this later on, but ideas about how our universe was born and evolved with time naturally lead to other pockets that are essentially independent of ours. And so there could be a gazillion of them, or there could be an infinite number of them. So there you have it. Modern day astronomers are now taking the possibility of an infinite number of universes very seriously. Something the ancients already seem to have known.

01:04:27

thousands and thousands of years ago. That’s it for me. If you’re interested in listening to a full audio recording of the Enuma Elish, the book of the holy secrets of Enoch, the Osiris myth, or the book of Joseph and Azaneth, you can find them on our sister podcast, the ancient tradition audio writ. With that, I’ll leave you with the words of William Shakespeare, knowledge is the wing we’re with, we fly to heaven.

01:04:57

I’m Jack Logan.

01:05:02

You’ve been listening to the Ancient Tradition. A Wonk Media Production.