The Things That Are Unseen Are Eternal

It is an illusion to believe only what you can see, for even the best of us see only the surface of things.  Most of reality lies hidden below the surface of the seen.  The things most important to you are not material; love, joy, peace, and security.  The things we fear are not material; the unknown, loss of control, rejection, and evil itself.

Petra; The Strong City

Of the ruin of ancient Edom we are told, “Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses.  It shall be the habitation of dragons, and a court of owls. And yelpers shall meet with howlers, the satyr shall cry to his fellows, indeed, there Lilith settles and finds for herself a resting place” (Isaiah 34: 13-14).  Demythologized modern translations miss not only the charm of this older version, but also its reality.  If I had not ridden a horse into the strong city of Edom, I could doubt that Edom and its strong city existed.  If experience hadn’t spoken to the reality I might doubt that the great dragon has been thrown down and his angels were thrown with him. We dismiss too glibly what we cannot see, but because we glibly dismiss it, we are left undefended.

Thorns have grown over the strongholds of Edom, nettles and thistles in its barren fortresses.  The cruel sun beats down on the canyon walls as you ride into the strong city.  The city is abandoned; it is magnificent, empty, and more than empty.  Walking through the doorway of the red gold edifice one finds only a single empty room, and nothing.  Where is the vaunted might of Edom?   

It has become a habitation for the dragon who has come down in great wrath, the court of owls sits in judgment, the satyrs dance to the music of the howlers, Lilith, the night demon, haunts the empty rooms looking for a resting place.  She was no first wife of Adam; that was a self-aggrandizing lie.  Always evil looks for legitimization and when it cannot find it, it seeks destruction.

The truth is that “the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. That is true with one reservation.  The eternity of the dragon is not to be envied.  He will be thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented night and day forever; while the Blesséd, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb will live forever in the mansions of glory.  If you only believe the things that you can see, you can’t believe in the things that are yet to be.