Subject: The Interpreation of #'s |
Bible Note: "Cabala is still essentially an occultic system'" 'What is the Christian response to Cabala? This is an important question because in today's “occult revolution” where all dimensions of the occult are being probed, there has been a revived interest in Cabala among both Jew and Gentile. Although its Jewish origin makes it unique, Cabala is still essentially an occultic system, and thus must be classified among all other occultic systems as being incompatible with the historic Judaeo-Christian faiths. Its theology is essentially pantheistic in that it teaches that all reality springs directly from God's own essence. Even if one believes that these emanations from God's essence have gone through a descent of ten spheres on four different levels, the conclusion is inescapable that even the being on the lowest level is still of one essence with God; and thus, ultimately, he is God. Such a concept is incompatible with the biblical God, who created the world out of nothing, not out of Himself (Gen. 1:1). The Hebrew word for “create” is “bara,” which indicates something coming out of nothing. _____________ "Cabalistic method of interpretation is neither acknowledged in the Bible, nor justified by it." _____________ 'Although Cabalists' insistence upon the inspiration of Scripture in its literal form was commendable, their carrying this point to the extent of seeking to find hidden meaning in its numerical arrangements was unwarranted. Depending upon one's assumptions, one may apply Cabalistic methods to almost any piece of literature and draw almost any interpretation from it. Cabalistic method of interpretation is neither acknowledged in the Bible, nor justified by it. The application of this method of the Bible had produced interpretations that are not supported by Scripture, and, in fact, are something directly opposed to it, in its obvious context. 'In my years of research in comparative religions I have become persuaded that essentially there are only two metaphysical interpretations of reality available to us: the Biblical and the occultic. In seeking to support the inspiration of Scripture, the Jewish Cabalists applied to it a method of interpretation foreign to Scripture, but familiar to the occult, and thus these Jews slipped over from a Biblical understanding of reality to an occultic one' (STATEMENT DC040, Cabala by Elliot Miller. www.equip.org/free/DC040.htm) |