Plagiarism in the New Testament (Part 2)

Mystery religions are those which keep certain teachings hidden from the masses, revealing these secrets only to an initiated few. Such religions are also known as esoteric (or occult), and they usually involve the practice of magic in one form or another. We have just seen that the Bible wholeheartedly sanctions magic (as long as it is done within Yahweh’s parameters, and with his blessing). So why should we not expect the Bible to also sanction esotericism? 

Disappointment shall not beset us with such an expectation, for the Bible makes frequent references to the fact that it contains “mystery” teachings, particularly in the New Testament:

• “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.” - 1 Corinthians 2:7. 
• “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” - 1 Corinthians 4:1.
•  “How that by revelation he [Christ] made known unto me [Paul] the mystery; as I wrote afore in few words. Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.” - Ephesians 3:3, 4. 
• “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God...” - Ephesians 3:9.
• “And for me [Paul], that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” - Ephesians 6:19.  

Anyone who has ever read the book of Revelation knows that it is filled with symbolism, or hidden meanings (i.e. mysteries). In chapter 1, verse 20, Jesus referred to the “mystery of the seven stars,” and he went on to explain that these seven stars represented the “angels of the seven churches.” So the word “mysteries” in the Bible clearly does carry the meaning of esotericism. 

 Jesus, while talking with his disciples, had referred to his teachings in general as being “mysteries”: “And he [Jesus] said, ‘Unto you [the disciples] it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.’” - Luke 8:10. To help shed some light on the meaning of this monologue, Lawrence Buck, in his 1922 book Mystic Masonry, talked about how, in all secret societies and religions throughout history, “…there was always an exoteric portion given out to the world, to the uninitiated, and an esoteric portion reserved for the initiates, and revealed only in degrees, accordingly as the candidate demonstrated his fitness to receive, conceal, and rightly use the knowledge so imparted. 

Few professed Christians are, perhaps, aware that such was the case with Christianity during the early centuries.” Origen, in Against Celsus, likewise wrote: “…that there should be certain doctrines, not made known to the multitude, which are [revealed] after the exoteric ones have been taught, is not a peculiarity of Christianity alone, but also of philosophic systems, in which certain truths are exoteric and others esoteric.” 

We just saw how Christ revealed his “mysteries” only to his disciples, keeping them secret from everyone else. But now let us observe how he only squeaked out those “mysteries” to the disciples bit by bit: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear….I have used figures of speech to tell you these things, but the time will come when I will not use figures of speech, but will speak to you plainly about the Father.” - John 16:12, 25. This is precisely how all esoteric cults work—not only keeping secrets from the masses, but seeing to it that the initiates are given ever progressive doses of “light” as they advance to higher degrees in the Order.

A thought-provoking side note here is this next quotation from the apocryphal Gospel of Philip, part of the Nag Hammadi scrolls, which depicts Jesus as saying, in the context of relating a parable: “Now [the farmer] was a sensible fellow, and he knew what the food of each of them was. He served the children bread; he served the servants meal; barley and grass [were given] to the cattle; bones to the dogs, and slops to the pigs. Compare the disciple of God, if he is a sensible fellow, the bodily forms will not deceive him....There are many animals in the world which are in human form...to the swine he will throw slops; to the cattle grass and barley; to the dogs he will throw bones; to the slaves he will give elementary lessons, and to the children [of God] he will give the complete instruction.” Relative to this is a quote attached to Christ in the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas: “It is to those who are worthy of my mysteries that I tell my mysteries.”

Right in line with all of this, the Clementine Homilies indicate that Clement, a second century Christian, viewed Jesus as a sage who was initiated into the “mysteries,” which he later shared with his disciples who were also initiated. Clement wrote: “And Peter said,…‘We remember that Jesus…said to us, Guard the Secret for me.’…Wherefore also he explained to his disciples, privately, the Secret of the Kingdom of the Heavens.” 

This sounds so much akin to how the “mystery teachings” of Freemasonry are kept secret, as we see in the following quote from Albert Pike’s classic Freemasonic work, Morals and Dogma: “Masonry conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it.” We simply must again review the words of Jesus here from Luke 8:10: “Unto you [the disciples] it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.” Take some time out to reread these last two quotes, to see that they are saying the exact same thing, and then ask yourself: Is Christianity a mystery religion? To further assist you in answering this question, a consultation with this next quote is in order, from Celsus, in his second century work A True Discourse (as quoted by Origen): “The Christians teach and practice their favorite doctrines in secret.”

The mystery teachings in ancient “pagan” religions (such as those taught in Egypt and Babylon) had exerted a heavy influence on the Hebrew community from very early on. We see this influence reflected in Jewish works such as the Talmud, the Cabala, and, of course, the Bible. Still other ancient Jewish writings talk of “mysteries,” like the apocryphal books of Jasher, Enoch, and 1 and 2 Esdras. The Essene Dead Sea Scrolls likewise refer to “mysteries.” The Hymns Scroll, for instance, contains a prayer that says: “I thank thee, O Lord, for thou hast enlightened me through thy truth, in thy marvelous mysteries….Thou hast granted me knowledge.” The “Manual of Discipline” further mentions “the revelation of the Mysteries, which has been kept in silence through all times eternal.” Later in this same scroll, an address to Yahweh states: “Thou hast made me the authorized interpreter of profound mysteries. Thou hast given me understanding of thy faith and the knowledge of thy wonderful secrets.” (in a separate article, we will discuss the Essene influence on the Christian religion, from day one, which might very well explain how the “mysteries” made their way into Christianity in the first place.)

Once you know what to look for, finding “mystery” teachings in the gospels is not very difficult. Did we not just learn of one, a short time ago, when we discussed the resurrection of Lazarus, where this “miracle” was intended to mean one thing to one group of people, yet something totally different to another group? To the uninitiated, it was a literal rising from the dead. But to the initiated, it represented a spiritual renewal, which had nothing to do with an actual death.

All throughout the story of this “miracle,” Jesus had used esoteric “doublespeak.” John 11:11 has him telling his disciples, referring to Lazarus’ alleged death: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” Later, in verse 13, this explanation is given: “Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.” But of course they thought he meant natural sleep—that is exactly what he told them. Christ must have later gone on to explain that Lazarus only died in a mystical sense, because, as mentioned earlier, Thomas said in verse 16: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Here Thomas was expressing his desire to die the same spiritual death as Lazarus, so that he too could be spiritually raised to a new life. In fact, this very same spiritual resurrection is what Christ had in mind when, in the context of the parable of the Prodigal Son, he had the father in the story explain to his other son who was jealous of his Prodigal Son brother: “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” - Luke 15:31, 32. 

Paul continued this imagery in Colossians 3:1, 3, speaking of a believer’s death and resurrection experiences as a present reality, in a spiritual sense: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God….For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

With further respect to the biblical concept of resurrection having a spiritual (rather than physical) application, the Gnostic Gospel of Philip states: “Those who say they will die first and then rise are in error, since we should receive the resurrection whilst alive.” In this sense, the story of Lazarus rising from the dead, as recorded in the book of John, was an allegory. And as you may recall, Paul referred to the story of Abraham as an allegory in Galatians 4:22-25. So perhaps we could conclude that all the stories in the Bible are just that—allegories with mystical overtones. They certainly cannot be taken as literal, for the most part anyway. 

Origen reinforced this position, specifically in reference to the life story of Christ in the gospels, stating: “I do not think anyone will doubt that these [accounts of Christ’s life] are figurative expressions which indicate certain Mysteries through semblance of history and not through actual events.” 

As the centuries progressed after the time of Christ, many Christian leaders continued to carry on the tradition of mystery teachings, such as Clement, Augustine, Origen, Tertullian, and Hippolytus. As late as the sixth century, Saint Gregory of Constantinople wrote: “You have heard as much of the Mystery as we are allowed to speak openly in the ears of all: the rest will be communicated to you in private; and that you must retain within yourself…our Mysteries are not to be made known to strangers.” Christians today call these early Christians heretics for their dabbling in mystery teachings. However, if that be true, then Paul, and even Jesus himself, were also heretics, seeing that they both referred to their teachings as hidden mysteries. We could assume, therefore, that Gnosticism and other forms of esoteric Christianity that existed in the early centuries were not departures from the foundation laid by Christ and the apostles, but were instead representations of the original spirit of Christianity, and that “orthodoxy” itself is a “heresy.” After all, much of what is accepted today as “orthodox Christianity,” which has been in place for many centuries, was unknown in the apostolic era, such as the observance of Sunday as a “holy day” and, in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox contexts, the veneration of statues of Mary and other “saints,” the use of holy water and rosaries, and other related traditions.

Primitive Christianity’s status as a mystery religion appears to go much deeper than what we have covered thus far. A more intensive exploration of the gospels unveils the prospect that Jesus may very well have been a “Grand Master,” so to speak, in a Jewish “secret society” akin to modern Freemasonry. Perhaps he was originally initiated therein by the Essenes, many of whom were heavily involved in mysticism, as implied a moment ago. As a matter of fact, Essenism itself, to a large extent, was essentially a secret society.

A very compelling piece of evidence that Jesus was a high-level mystic would be to find a passage where he was addressed as “Master.” And sure enough, we see this having happened in John 20:16: “Jesus saith unto her [Mary Magdalene], ‘Mary.’ She turned herself, and saith unto him, ‘Rabboni’; which is to say, ‘Master.’” Still not convinced that this title carries the connotation of “Grand Master,” as used in secret societies like Freemasonry? Well, consider the fact that the word Rabboni is, and has long been, a critical password in the Royal Arch degree of Freemasonry. Furthermore, this word was ultimately derived from the Hebrew, RB BNI, which means “Master Builder.”

In addition to Christ referring to his teachings as “mysteries,” as did the Essenes, he left us many other clues that lift the cover off his otherwise covert mystical leanings. To wit, he often muttered terms and expressions that were (and still are) exclusively used by insiders of secret societies. Luke 16:8 quotes him as saying: “…the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” “Sons of light,” as will be seen in a separate article, was a term used by the Essenes, as well as other esoteric groups.

John 2:19 records Jesus as declaring to a group of Jewish priests: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” Jesus later explained that he was talking about his “body temple” here—how he would supposedly rise from the dead three days after his crucifixion. But why did he have to word himself like this? He sounds here like someone obsessed with Masonic-type terminology. 

He did it again in Revelation 3:12: “The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.” Pillar? Temple? You cannot get more Masonic than this. And do notice how he was speaking figuratively (or esoterically) here, and not literally.

In Matthew 21:42, quoting from Psalm 118:22, Jesus likened himself to a chief cornerstone: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’” This is again Freemasonic phraseology to the hilt. 

Yet more Masonic lingo was employed by Jesus in Matthew 6:22: “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” Why did Jesus use “eye” here, in the singular (as in the “all-seeing eye”), instead of “eyes”? And what about his reference to the whole body being full of light? 

An important concept in Masonry, and secret societies across the board, is the “as above, so below” motif. The apocryphal Gospel of Philip has this to say about it: “The Lord did everything in a mystery.…He said, ‘I came to make the things below like the things above, and the things outside like those inside. I came to unite them.’” Sure enough, Christ did talk frequently about the “as above, so below” theme in the canonical gospels. In Matthew 16:19 he told Peter: “Whatever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be unbound in heaven.” Furthermore, Jesus taught his disciples to say this in prayer: “...Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” - Matthew 6:10.

Freemasons trace their roots back to ancient Egypt, and in a sense they might be correct, since Masonic beliefs, symbolism, and ceremonies are quite ancient indeed, many of which existed during the time of dynastic Egypt. Keeping this in our thoughts, we now steer a course toward a stunning excerpt from the apocryphal Gospel of the Holy Twelve: “And Jesus, after he had finished his study of the Law, went down again into Egypt that he might learn the wisdom of the Egyptians, even as Moses did…and he learned…the mysteries of the Square and the Circle…and of numbers and of signs.” Does that not sound like Freemasonry? Did Jesus learn this “craft” from the Egyptians, instead of the Essenes? 

Christ’s emphasis on being “born again” was a close parallel to Masonic-type initiation rites that involved, and still involve, for example, sleeping in a coffin overnight to awake in the morning as a new person, totally given over to the Order, with the independent “former self” having “passed away.” Which brings us to Christian baptism—a ceremony that is by no means unique to Christianity. Mystery religions had long before observed such full immersion ritual cleansings, the Essenes among them. It basically symbolizes the washing away of the sins of the old self. Paul coupled the “new birth” concept with baptism in the proceeding passage, which abounds with corresponding esoteric overtones: “…don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” - Romans 6:3-7. Parallel to this is Colossians 2:12, 13, where Paul again wrote: “Buried with him [Christ] in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened [raised] together with him…” Paul also wrote: “I am crucified with Christ.” - Galatians 2:20. And finally, in Ephesians 5:14 Paul penned these words: “…Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.” Do these Pauline quotes not have all the trappings of what mystical rituals of initiation entail? This, after all, is what we should expect, for Paul himself labeled his teachings as “mysteries.” And is this verbiage of death-through-baptism, along with its accompanying “resurrection” allusions, not akin to the obviously spiritual death and resurrection of Lazarus that we have looked at?

Peter got into the act with a little mystical language of his own: “…you [believers] also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…” - 1 Peter 2:5. He then went even further with this next remark: “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” - 2 Peter 1:19. The morning star? This is the very height of mystical language. Christians have no problem with this, however. They point to Revelation 22:16 where Jesus applies this title to himself: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” But this only compounds the situation. For why would Jesus be taking upon himself a title that has been a hallmark of mystery religions since time immemorial, used to refer to the goddess Venus? Have a look, for instance, at these few lines from the ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts: “The reed-floats of the sky are set in place for me, that I may cross by means of them to Re at the horizon….I will stand among them, for the moon is my brother, the Morning Star is my offspring.” 

Incidentally, it is this “morning star,” or Venus, that serves as the source for the name of the Masonic Order for women—Eastern Star. 

In further respect to the “morning star,” it must also be pointed out that another reference is made to it (at least in the NIV) in Isaiah 14:12—a verse applied to Satan, or Lucifer, in the Christian world: “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” So “morning star” is applied in the Bible to both Christ and Satan, at least in what is now the most popular Bible translation. How very peculiar.

James made a highly Masonic statement in his epistle: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (1:17). Father of the heavenly lights? 

Paul blurted out some unmistakable Masonic references in this next citation: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into Paradise.…And he heard things which cannot be told, which man may not utter.” - 2 Corinthians 12:2-4. What Paul was doing here was adding in some “heaven talk” to what is otherwise an allusion to the third degree of Masonic initiation, at which time the candidate has new secrets shared with him that are never to be divulged. In fact, vows of secrecy are sworn in Masonry that call for a death sentence to the violator.

Another classic fingerprint of Masonry that turns up in association with Paul is found in Acts 26:1. The setting here is Paul being brought before King Agrippa’s court: “Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense…” Anyone familiar with Masonry knows that members of this fraternity use secret hand signs to send signals back and forth to each other, without the general public perceiving what is going on. These signs are particularly useful in courts of law, where Masonic defendants are known to get acquitted by making such gestures to their brother Mason presiding over the hearing. And there is precious little doubt that Paul was doing that very thing in the last-cited scripture.

All esoteric teachings have two layers—literal and figurative. The literal is for the uninitiated, while the figurative represents (through symbolism) the real teaching intended only for the adepts. Most of Paul’s discussions about the resurrection of the dead and the kingdom of heaven seem, on the surface, to be literal and in the future. But then he made statements like this, which clearly are figurative, and in the present: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” - Ephesians 2:6. Here Paul spiritualized the concepts of the resurrection and heaven, revealing that they constitute a current, non-literal, spiritual experience and a state of mind. Paul said the same thing in Colossians 1:13: “For he [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” On this same note, Jesus stated: “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, ‘Lo here! or, lo there!’ for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” - Luke 17:20, 21. Jesus also said: “If by the finger of God I cast out demons, then surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” - Matthew 12:28. 

Some Bible believers would take comfort in the realization that the Bible is written in code. For them, this would seem to explain all of its contradictions and inconsistencies, since the Bible was seemingly not to be taken literal in the first place (by the adepts, anyway). However, this brings into question the character of the alleged god behind the Bible. Would a loving deity really cloak the true meaning of his message to his people, so that only a lucky few would be able to decipher it? If the Bible truly is intended to be understood in a metaphysical sense, then where is the key for its proper interpretation? There is none. And how could one know which parts, if any, are to be taken literal? Again, no such information is provided. Thus there is no basis for any believer to be enthralled over the prospect of the Bible being written in code.

Numerology ever has been a major component of esotericism. And we find a great deal of it in both the Old and New Testaments. Though the Bible does not come out and openly teach the occult significance of numbers, this teaching is nevertheless implied through the Bible’s repeated use of the same numbers in parallel contexts that go way beyond the possibility of coincidence. This tells us that a good deal of the stories in the Bible were invented, or at least modified, so that they would reflect these repeating numbers and thereby assign the connected events with numerically magical significance. Here is a small sampling of this anomaly:

Number Three

Three has always been a pivotal number in the occult world. In Masonry, the third degree is considered primal, which is where the expression “given the third degree” comes from. And a lot of attention is directed toward this number in the Bible as well, appearing to be connected therein with the concept of completeness:

• Christ was allegedly victories over three temptations that he was met with by Satan in the wilderness.
• While on earth, say the gospels, Christ raised three dead people to life.
• Mark 14:33 says that Jesus took three disciples with him into the Garden of Gethsemane.
• Jesus prayed three times in this garden.
• He fell three times while carrying his cross.
•  Pilate made three appeals to have Christ released, as reported in Mark 15. 
• It was at the third hour that Christ was crucified, according to Mark 15:25.
• Two other victims were crucified with Jesus, totaling three.
• There were three important women standing by witnessing the whole crucifixion scene, says Mark 15:40.
• As Jesus hung on the cross, there were three hours of darkness.
• On the third day Jesus is professed to have risen from the dead. 
• Peter denied Christ three times.
• After his denials of Christ, three times Peter was asked by him: “Do you love me?”
• Christ’s whole ministry lasted three years.
• In Revelation 14, three angels are depicted as flying through the heavens, each bearing a message of primal importance for mankind. 

Number Six

The number six is prominent in the occult world, standing for the soul of man. In the Bible this number, and multiples thereof, occur frequently in reference to man, or entities that are man-centered:

• Man was created on the sixth day of the creation week.
• When pharaoh decided to pursue the fleeing Israelites, 600 chariots were used. 
• Goliath’s height was 6 cubits, he wore 6 pieces of armor, and his shield weighed 600 shekels.
• In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar erected an image of a man which had dimensions of 60 X 6 cubits.
• The number of the beast power mentioned in Revelation 13 is three sixes.

Number Seven

Seven is considered a sacred number in the occult world, and always has been. Little wonder, then, that it, along with its multiples, would be afforded reverence in the Bible: 

• Yahweh rested on the seventh day of the creation week. 
• Noah took the clean beasts into the ark by sevens (Genesis 7:2).
• Seven days after Noah entered the ark, the flood waters came (Genesis 7:10).
• Joseph warned Egypt of a coming seven-year famine in Genesis 41:30. 
• Before Aaron and his sons entered their priestly work, they underwent a consecration period that lasted seven days (Leviticus 8:31-36).
• 2 Kings 8:1 speaks of a seven-year famine that Yahweh brought upon the land of the Shunammites.
• In 2 Samuel 24:13 Yahweh offered David a seven-year famine as one of three choices he could pick from for a punishment that Israel would receive. 
• David said in Psalm 12:6 that Yahweh’s word is as silver purified in the fire seven times. 
• A probationary period of seventy weeks was allotted to the Israelites in Daniel 9, during which time they were to cease from their rebellious ways.
• Ancient Israel observed seven feast days—Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Atonement, Trumpets, and Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:1-44). 
• On the ancient Day of Atonement, the priest sprinkled blood upon and before the mercy seat seven times.
• There were seven branches on the candlestick placed in the tabernacle. 
• Naaman washed seven times in the Jordan (2 Kings 5:10).
• Job had seven sons (Job 1:2). When his friends came to visit him, they sat on the ground with him for seven days (Job 2:13). These friends later offered seven bullocks and seven rams for sacrifice (Job 42:8).
• The Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days, with seven priests blowing seven trumpets before them. On the seventh day they marched seven more times around the city, after which time the walls thereof allegedly collapsed.
• Matthew 18:22 has Jesus telling Peter to forgive “seventy times seven.” 
• Seven men of honest report were chosen to administer the alms (Acts 6:1-7). 
• Seven “blesseds” are pronounced in the book of Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14).
• Jesus cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2).
• There are seven last plagues mentioned in the book of Revelation. 
• Seven churches are mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3. Also mentioned in the book of Revelation are seven seals, seven trumpets, seven candlesticks, seven hills that the harlot sits upon, seven thunders, seven stars, seven heads on the great beast, seven seals, seven spirits, seven angels, and so on.

Number Nine

This number is also popular in the occult world. It is the total amount of degrees in the York Rite of Freemasonry, for example, and it is predictably quite popular in the Bible as well, along with its multiples:  

• Sarah was ninety when Isaac was born.
• There are nine fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23.
• Nine gifts of the Spirit are listed in I Corinthians 12:810.
• In Matthew 5:312 there are nine “blesseds,” or beatitudes.
• Christ died on the ninth hour.
• Christ appeared nine times to his followers after his resurrection.

Number Twelve

Though the number twelve does not appear to be of any great significance in the occult world, it must have meant something to the ancient Hebrews, since it makes several important appearances in both the Old and New Testaments:  

• There were twelve tribes of Israel.
• Twelve was the number of Christ’s disciples.
• Yahweh specified that twelve unleavened cakes of bread were to be placed each week in the temple (Leviticus 24:5).
• Revelation makes numerous references to this number: There will be twelve gates and foundations in the New Jerusalem, as well as twelve names from the twelve tribes, with one each on the twelve foundation stones thereof; twelve angels; twelve precious stones; and the dimensions of this city will be 12,000 furlongs cubed. Also in this city, the trees shall bear twelve kinds of fruit.

Number Forty

Forty is another number that, although not big in the general esoteric world, was certainly highly esteemed among the biblical writers: 

• It rained for forty days and forty nights during Noah’s flood.
• Forty was the number of days that Moses spent on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:18), and he later fasted for forty days (Exodus 34:28).
• Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years. By the way, this claim is preposterous, since the distance between Egypt and Palestine is only about 250 miles. Thus this journey, on foot, should only have taken a few weeks, or a couple of months, at best.
• Forty stripes was the maximum whipping penalty in ancient Israel (Deuteronomy 25:3).
• Judges 3:11 says that Yahweh gave Israel forty years of peace.
• Another forty years of peace was later granted by Yahweh in Judges 5:31.
• Abdon, a judge in Israel, had forty sons (Judges 12:14).
• Because of their rebellious ways, Yahweh gave Israel over to their enemies, the Philistines, for forty years (Judges 13:1).
• Eli judged Israel for forty years (1 Samuel 4:18).
• Elijah fasted for forty days, according to 1 Kings 19:8.
• Goliath tormented Israel for forty days, according to I Samuel 17:16.
• Saul reigned for forty years (Acts 13:21).
• David reigned for forty years (2 Samuel 5:4).
• Solomon also reigned for forty years (1 Kings 11:42).
• Joash reigned for forty years as well (2 Kings 12:1).
• The holy place of the temple was forty cubits long (1 Kings 6:17).
• The measurement of the lavers in the temple was forty “baths” (1 Kings 7:38).
• Spies searched the land of Canaan for 40 days, as we see from Numbers 13:25. 
• Jonah preached repentance to Nineveh for forty days, as we read in Jonah 3:4. 
• Egypt was prophesied to lay desolate for forty years (Ezekiel 29:11, 12). 
• Ezekiel envisioned a temple that had a hallway forty cubits long (Ezekiel 41:2).
• Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil, according to Matthew 4:2.
• For forty days Christ remained on earth after his resurrection, according to Acts 1:3.

There are many other examples like this that we could list here, but the point has surely already been solidified that the Bible does indeed embrace numerology. But probably the best proof of this fact comes from Christ himself, as we see from the following exchange between him and his disciples, which began by him asking them: “‘When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ ‘Twelve,’ they replied. ‘And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ They answered, ‘Seven.’ He said to them, ‘Do you still not understand?’” - Mark 8:19-21. Understand what? Jesus was obviously drawing attention to the numbers twelve and seven here because of their esoteric significance.

Spiritualism 

It hardly needs to be mentioned that the Bible heavily frowns upon—yea, vehemently condemns— spiritualism, or communication with the “spirit realm”—something that has always gone hand-in-hand with the occult. Here are some biblical references that drive home with forcefulness the forbidden nature of spiritualism, in case you missed this in Sunday School:

• “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” - Leviticus 19:31. 
• “A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.” - Leviticus 20:27.
• “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.” - Deuteronomy 18:10, 11.
• “Also he [Manasseh, King of Judah] made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.” - 2 Kings 21:6. 

With all this in mind, carefully observe what this next passage has to say: “And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’” - 1 Kings 22:20-22. Here we have Yahweh himself conversing with a spirit, and a deceiving one at that. And he totally supported this spirit going forth to lie. Is this not spiritualism? Is this not brazen hypocrisy? Is this not outright evil on the part of Yahweh? Of course it is.

Since we are addressing the subject of Yahweh talking with evil spirits, we have to take up the story of Job, where Yahweh is found communicating with the chief of evil spirits, Satan himself. The two of them are portrayed as having struck up a bet over whether or not Job would lose his faith once stripped of all his worldly comforts, even losing his wife. The fact that Yahweh went along with this grief-inflicting arrangement is troubling all on its own. But why would he even have been talking with the devil in the first place, let alone placing wagers with him? And, for that matter, why would the devil have engaged in a deal with Yahweh regarding the outcome of a future event, when he would certainly have known that Yahweh (supposedly) knows the future before it happens, and would thus automatically come up with a winning hand in such a bet? This whole story has no sense to it, no matter what angle it is viewed from. Speaking of Yahweh fraternizing with the enemy, here are a couple more texts for your consideration: 

• “Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem…” - Judges 9:23. God sends evil spirits? Is he in some kind of partnership with them?
• “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul’s servants said unto him, ‘Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.’… And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.” - 1 Samuel 16:14-16, 23. Here God sent another evil spirit, this time to trouble King Saul. But not to worry, because once David played his harp, this evil spirit (again, from God) fled from him.

This next scripture is a most disturbing one, especially when viewed in the light of a text we cited a moment ago that forbade necromancy (calling upon the dead): “Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.’ ‘There is one in Endor,’ they said. So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. ‘Consult a spirit for me,’ he said, ‘and bring up for me the one I name.’ But the woman said to him, ‘Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?’ Saul swore to her by the Lord, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.’ Then the woman asked, ‘Whom shall I bring up for you?’ ‘Bring up Samuel,’ he said. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, ‘Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!’ The king said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. What do you see?’ The woman said, ‘I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.’ ‘What does he look like?’ he asked. ‘An old man wearing a robe is coming up,’ she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’ ‘I am in great distress,’ Saul said. ‘The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.’ Samuel said, ‘Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy?’” - 1 Samuel 28:3-16. Notice the hypocrisy here. First Saul purged the land of mediums, and then he turned around and consulted one. But check out how Samuel was supposed to be the spirit that was conjured up in this instance. Why, if he was the “ghost” of a “godly man,” would he have responded to a medium’s conjuring, when this practice was strictly forbidden as evil? Would he not have known that, especially in the “afterlife,” where he was assumedly dwelling in eternal bliss with the great Yahweh? Why would Yahweh himself have allowed him to appear? But then again, since Yahweh himself likes to converse with spirits—evil ones at that—perhaps we should not be so taken aback by this.

Another troubling aspect of this last passage is the fact that Saul is said to have made an inquiry to the spirit of Samuel because the Lord would not answer him through prophets, dreams, or Urim. In other words, Saul would never have been a bad boy and consulted a medium if Yahweh had responded to him. But what exactly was this “Urim”? It was nothing more than a form of divination, which is yet another occult practice. This Urim needs to be looked at a little more closely.  

Urim, Thummim, and Other Forms of Divination

Exodus 28:30 reveals that Yahweh was the one who first introduced the Urim (along with the Thummim) to the ancient Israelites: “And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim [said Yahweh], and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.”

The Urim and Thummim were divination stones that were used for making “either / or” decisions—sort of like tossing dice. For example, in Numbers 27:21 we find Yahweh saying to Moses: “He [Joshua] shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.” Likewise, in 1 Samuel 14:36-42 we read: “Saul said, ‘Let us go down and pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive.’ ‘Do whatever seems best to you,’ they replied. But the priest said, ‘Let us inquire of God here.’ So Saul asked God, ‘Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel’s hand?’ But God did not answer him that day. Saul therefore said, ‘Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan, he must die.’ But not one of them said a word. Saul then said to all the Israelites, ‘You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here.’ ‘Do what seems best to you,’ they replied. Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault, respond with Thummim.’ Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. Saul said, ‘Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son.’ And Jonathan was taken.” Was this not divination to the max? But why would Yahweh have even instituted such a thing to begin with? Why would he need to respond through this medium, and not just answer his people’s requests directly, as he purportedly had done so many other times, like when he appeared to Moses in the burning bush? And did you catch what Saul was inquiring about? He was asking God if he should pursue and plunder the Philistines until dawn. How nice.

In addition to the last passage mentioning the Urim and Thummim method of divination, it also mentioned a casting of lots, which is another form of divination. The Bible is actually loaded with references to this practice. Here are some select examples:

• “Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.” - Leviticus 16:8-10. This reference speaks in regard to the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, when two goats were selected for ceremonial use—one to be sacrificed and the other to be released into the wilderness. But why did Yahweh leave it up to a conjuring game of chance for the choice of which goat would serve which function? 
• “But the land shall be divided by lot; they shall inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. According to the lot their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller.” - Numbers 26:55, 56. 
• “‘You shall therefore survey the land in seven parts and bring the survey here to me [Joshua], that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.’…Then the men arose to go away; and Joshua charged those who went to survey the land, saying, ‘Go, walk through the land, survey it, and come back to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.’…Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.” - Joshua 18:6, 8, 10. Here again we see Yahweh sanctioning the casting of lots, in this case for determining the inheritance of land for the Israelite tribes. 
• “And Saul said, ‘Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me.’ So Jonathan was taken.” - 1 Samuel 14:42.
• “And they cast lots for their duty, the small as well as the great, the teacher with the student.” - 1 Chronicles 25:8. 
• “And they cast lots for each gate, the small as well as the great, according to their father’s house. The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and his lot came out for the North Gate.” - 1 Chronicles 26:13, 14.
• “We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God as it is written in the Law.” - Nehemiah 10:34. 
• “Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities.” - Nehemiah 11:1.
• “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.” - Proverbs 16:33. A most puzzling verse indeed. For how could it say that “every decision is from the Lord” with divination gambling at work? 
• “Casting lots causes contentions to cease, and keeps the mighty apart.” - Proverbs 18:18. Solomon was here glossing over lot-casting, trying to make it look legit. 
• “And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.” - Jonah 1:7. We see here some “pagan” sailors deciding to blame Jonah for their problems, based on casting lots. It sounds ridiculous; yet this very type of methodology was utilized by Yahweh and his faithful followers for generations. So says the Bible.

Before ending our discussion of casting lots in the Bible, we will first survey a New Testament passage that shows Christ’s apostles participating in this form of divination. Not only did they utilize it, but they did so in order to make a determination of something of great importance that should never have been left to chance—the choosing of who would replace Judas as the new twelfth apostle: “And they [the apostles] cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” - Acts 1:26. Why did the “Holy Spirit” not reveal who God’s choice was, perhaps through a vision or dream? 

Back to the Old Testament… Divination is also found in the story of Joseph, as recorded in Genesis 44:4, 5: “But when they [Joseph’s two brothers] had gone only a short distance and were barely out of the city, Joseph said to his palace manager, ‘Chase after them and stop them. When you catch up with them, ask them, Why have you repaid my kindness with such evil? Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup, which he uses to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!’” Why would Joseph, if he was truly a “man of God,” be concerned at all about an “evil” divination cup being stolen, let alone calling such an act a “wicked thing”?

Get a load of this method of divination, from Judges 6:36-40: “So Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand as you have said—look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.’ And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, ‘Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.’ And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.” Yahweh actively participated here in this instance of divination. But why did he not directly speak to Gideon, instead, to save himself (and Gideon) all the trouble?

To put into perspective the severity of the dissonance created by these divination advocacy passages, have a look at how the proceeding texts explicitly condemn divination: 

• “You shall not…practice divination or soothsaying.” - Leviticus 19:26. 
• “For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you.” - Deuteronomy 18:14. Oh really?  

In order to round off our discussion of divination in the Bible, the topic of the teraphim needs to be addressed. Though it is not known with any surety what the teraphim actually were, they are believed to have been large stones used, like the urim and thummim, for divination purposes. 

The one verse that hints most loudly at the divining nature of the teraphim is Zechariah 10:2 (although here they are mentioned in a negative connotation): “For the teraphim utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; the dreamers tell false dreams, and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for want of a shepherd.” 

As is true with so many other things in the Bible, the teraphim are espoused as both good and evil therein, depending on whether or not Yahweh got the credit for the source of their “magical powers.” Chapter 19 of 1 Samuel gives the impression that they were something good, or at least benign. Here Michal, David’s wife, helped her husband escape from her father Saul. She let him out a window, and then fooled Saul’s men into believing that a teraphim in her bed was actually David. The impression given here is that teraphim were common items in every household—certainly not something forbidden for Yahweh believers to be in possession of. Yet, we get a different message from 1 Samuel 15:23, where Samuel rebuked Saul and told him that “presumption is as iniquity and teraphim,” carrying the idea that the teraphim were on a par with iniquity. Furthermore, the teraphim were forbidden under King Josiah’s reforms, according to 2 Kings 23:24. But then, later in Hosea 3:4, they again received the stamp of divine approval when it was said that, in a coming punishment the Israelites were to receive for their rebelliousness, they would “live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or teraphim.” It is truly amazing how the Bible flip-flops on so many issues.

After that lengthy diversion, we shall now retrace our steps back to the discussion of New Testament plagiarism of pagan sources, this time focusing on examples thereof from the writings of the apostles. 

In Acts 26:14 Paul made this remark: “And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.’” This was supposed to be Christ talking to Paul. But in reality, all that Paul was doing here was quoting from one of the works of Euripides, called “Bacchae” (which we cited earlier), that states: “Better to yield him prayer and sacrifice than kick against the pricks, since Dionysus is God, and thou but [a] mortal.” 

Romans 11:19, 20 finds Paul stating: “The branches [Jews] were broken off, that you [Gentiles] might be grafted in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off…” Here he was quoting from the apocryphal book of The Wisdom of Solomon: “The imperfect branches shall be broken off, their fruit unprofitable, not ripe to eat, yea, meet for nothing…”

Paul declared in Romans 1:32: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things [various sinful acts] are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Paul was somewhat loosely plagiarizing here from The Testament of Asher 6:2, which declares: “For they that are double-faced are guilty of a twofold sin; for they both do the evil thing and they have pleasure in them that do it, following the example of the spirits of deceit, and striving against mankind.” 

Plagiaristic Paul continued his game in Romans 12:21, where he wrote: “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Here he stole from The Testament of Benjamin 4:3: “And though they devise with evil intent concerning him, by doing good he overcometh evil...”  

Another Pauline plagiarism in the book of Romans is contained in chapter 7, verse 19: “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” The conceptual copying he here engaged in was spun off of this line from Ovid: “I see and approve the better things of life, the worse things I follow.”

Ephesians 4:25 contains this statement from Paul: “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor.” This was stolen from The Testament of Dan 5:2: “Speak truth each one with his neighbor…” 

We find this scathing remark by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:16: “Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins always: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.” The last part of this verse was unquestionably lifted from The Testament of Levi 6:11: “But the wrath of the Lord came upon them to the uttermost.”

First Corinthians 6:19 renders these alleged Pauline words: “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” But a glance at an ancient Egyptian proverb etched into stone at Luxor reveals their real source: “The body is the house of god. That is why it is said, ‘Man, know yourself.’”

In I Corinthians 15:33 Paul wrote: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” Here he was quoting from Menander’s Thais, Fragment 218: “Evil communications corrupt good manners.”

Romans 5 records this discourse from Paul: “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law” (verses 12 and 13). Paul was here quoting from two passages in an apocryphal book called The Apocalypse of Ezra 3:21; 7:118: “For the first Adam clothed himself with the evil heart, and transgressed, and was overcome (and not only so) but also all who were begotten from him….Oh, what hast thou done, Adam! For though it was thou that didst sin, yet the evil was not thine alone, but ours also who are from thee!” Though Paul’s version of this is a rather loose paraphrase, the concept he was relating is exactly the same as what we see in The Apocalypse of Ezra.

In spite of all these plagiarized statements from Paul, he unabashedly wrote this to the Galatians: “I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ” (1:12).

Peter was also guilty of literary theft. Acts 12:11 quotes him as having said: “Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod…” This was taken from The Testament of Simon 2:8: “But his God and the God of his fathers sent forth his angel, and delivered him out of my hands.”

The thoughts expressed in 1 Peter 3:3, 4 are presented as those of Peter himself: “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning….But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price…” But this whole concept did not originate with Peter. Instead, it was stolen from The Testament of Reuben 5:5: “Flee, therefore, fornication, my children, and command your wives and your daughters, that they adorn not their heads and faces to deceive the mind; because every woman who useth these wiles hath been reserved for eternal punishment.” 

“John the revelator,” in two separate passages of the book of Revelation, quoted from The Apocalypse of Ezra, just like Paul. First we will look at the two Revelation passages: 

• “And his [Christ’s] feet [looked] like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.” - Revelation 1:15. 
• “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.” - Revelation 14:2.

Now have a look at the reference he was plagiarizing: “And it came to pass that when I heard I stood upon my feet, and I heard, and lo! A voice of one speaking, and his voice was as the voice of many waters.” - Apocalypse of Ezra 6:17.  

Several times in the book of Revelation, John (assuming he actually wrote this book) referred to heaven as “the New Jerusalem.” This title for heaven was lifted from The Testament of Dan 5:12, which also refers to “the New Jerusalem” where the righteous will dwell.

In Revelation 1:14 John thusly described Christ’s alleged appearance in “heaven”: “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.” Compare this with what we read from chapter 46 of The Similitudes of Enoch: “There I saw one who had a head of days, and his head was like white wool.” A couple verses later this individual is thusly identified: “This is the son of man who has righteousness.”

Speaking of writings attributed to Enoch, you might recall our discussion earlier of Jude quoting from the apocryphal book of Enoch in Jude verses 14 and 15. Well, no shock, there are quite a few other literary borrowings (although without due credit) in the New Testament from this same source:  

• Jesus is credited with having said, in the context of his Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” - Matthew 5:5. However, this was plagiarized from Enoch 6:9, which says: “The elect shall…inherit the earth.” 
• Matthew 26:24 has Jesus saying: “Woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would be good for that man if he had not been born.” The source for the last part of this statement was Enoch 38:2: “Where will the habitation of sinners be...who have rejected the Lord of spirits? It would have been better for them, had they never been born.”
• Bible believers assume that this next scripture was exclusively the work of Paul: “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:20. But now look at the similarity we see with this next citation from the book of Enoch, chapter 19, verse 2: “So that they sacrifice to devils as to Gods.”
• In Luke 16:26, while relating a parable, Jesus depicted Abraham as speaking from the dead (up in “heaven”), saying to the rich man (in “hell,” suffering in flames of torment): “Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed.” This was lifted from Enoch 22:10, 12, where the angel Raphael, addressing Enoch in the region of the dead, says: “Here their souls are separated...by a chasm.”
• Christ stated in John 14:2: “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” Christ himself cannot take credit for this statement, however, which must instead go to Enoch 39:4: “In my Father’s house are many dwellings.” 
• “…the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the son.” This is a declaration accredited to Christ in John 5:22. Nevertheless, the concept behind it really came from Enoch 69:27: “…the principal part of the judgment was assigned to him, the Son of man.” 
• Luke 6:24 has Jesus saying: “Woe unto you that are rich!…” This condemnatory remark was taken from Enoch 94:8: “Woe to you who are rich!…” 
• Paul might seem to have been the originator of this comment: “In whom [meaning Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” - Colossians 2:3. But he actually stole the basic idea for it from Enoch 6:2: “This is the Son of man...who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed.” 
• In Romans 2:11 Paul wrote: “For there is no respect of persons with God.” He took this from Enoch 7:11: “In his judgments he pays no respect to persons.” 
• Enoch 3:4 says: “Then they said to the Lord, the King: ‘Thou art Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings. The throne of thy glory is for ever and ever, and for ever and ever is thy name sanctified and glorified. Thou art blessed and glorified. Thou hast made all things; thou possessest power over all things: and all things are open and manifest before thee. Thou beholdest all things, and nothing can be concealed from thee.’” This passage is rather loosely quoted from in several New Testament texts: 

1. Revelation 17:14 and 19:16 both mention “King of kings, and Lord of lords.”
2. Revelation 4:11 carries this echoing message: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created.” 
3. Hebrews 4:13 says: “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

• This cryptic scene is found in Revelation 6:9, 10: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?’” The inspiration for this is found in Enoch 9:10-12: “And now behold the souls of those who are dead, cry out. And complain even to the gate of heaven. Their groaning ascends; nor can they escape from the unrighteousness which is committed on earth…” 
• The gospel of John begins with this introductory statement: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God” (1:1). The idea for this came from Enoch 61:10: “…for from the beginning the Son of man existed.”