2022/06/20

44. Divine Knowledge and Human Knowledge

In an age when the word "information" did not exist, people tried to understand the accidental information that occurs when creatures are multiple by personifying them. "Man's accidental information," compared to the "serpent" in Genesis, soon became personified as the devil and Satan, and so on. The Holy Spirit, however, inspired John to describe it as a great dragon and write, "that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world" (Revelation 12:9). The Holy Spirit communicated the existence of this "information," which could not be expressed in words at that time, to people so that they could identify it. The dragon is pure "information" because it signifies "man's accidental information," called "serpent" in Genesis, that has evolved with people. The contrast between the dragon, which is "information," and the beast rising out of the sea at the beginning of Revelation 13 illustrates well how people took "information" and made it into "human knowledge." The dragon is described as having "seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads" (Revelation 12:3). The fact that the number of "heads" representing "information" and that of diadems boasting "information" are the same and consistent indicates that the dragon is pure "information." The number of horns suggests that people made "information" into "human knowledge." The beast from the sea, on the other hand, is described as having "ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads" (Revelation 13:1). The beast is depicted with its heads and horns in the reverse order of the dragon. In addition, the diadems are on its horns instead of its heads. That expresses people are prouder of what they did and said by making this information into knowledge than the "information" itself they have. By saying that the dragon is an "ancient serpent," Revelation suggests the author wrote these things above with the account in Genesis 3 in mind. There are seven scenes in Genesis 3 where the man and his wife took in "man's accidental information." So, Revelation puts seven diadems on the seven heads of the dragon, the "information." Ten instances are in these seven scenes where the two persons made this "information" into "human knowledge," and then into words and actions. Therefore, the beast in Revelation has ten diadems on its ten horns. The breakdown of the ten horns is as follows: three actions that the two did together, for a total of six horns for the two of them (cf. Genesis 3:6-8), two actions of excuse by the man (cf. Genesis 3:10,12), one action of excuse by his wife (cf. Genesis 3:13), and finally, one action taken by the man alone (cf. Genesis 3:20), for a total of ten horns. The "blasphemous name" is the name traced back to Eve because the last action taken by the man, naming his wife, was an act of blasphemy. People further evolve by taking information that gives the "power and throne, along with great authority" (Revelation 13:2) and making it "human knowledge." God, on the other hand, with "divine knowledge," had already fulfilled for those who love him what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9).

Maria K. M.