Old people like me try to side-step getting old by not saying “I’m old”, but saying I’m older. That doesn’t sound like much, but it says a lot. It’s a non-admission of getting old. I’m presently 74 years old. I do not like being refered to as 74 years “young”. That’s another one of those side-steps.

What I have learned in my old age is astounding. Take my belief system for instance. Being a Chaplain and keeping an open mind and it appears I have gotten to a place where I understand why many ministers stop ministering because of cynicism. The KJV of the Bible is no longer the entire belief system for me. I’ve come to see there are extended Christian beliefs wherein the Bible of sixty six books isn’t giving me the whole story, because “church fathers” decided what people “needed” to understand. The Catholic Bible has 72 books and the Etheopian Bible has 81-88 books depending on who you talk to. Just one of those books is enough to put you into a spin.

I’ve started reading the Book of Enoch 1 for the third time. I started this journey after studying what Biblical scholars have said about what goes on in the eternal realm. Then I began delving into the Book of Enoch for my personal study. The God of all things is truly who is portrayed in the Protestant Bible. He is the Almighty and lives up to all the names to describe Him. He has final say. Nothing happens without His decree. He is the Father of my salvation. But then comes the crux behind the whole picture beyond what I just wrote.

There are a lot of beings on the other side of the veil. There are already many being held in captivity until the day of judgment. There were many humans besides Adam and Eve. The difference not inferred in scripture is that God created Adam and Eve in His image, unlike all the other humans. They were a special creation beyond all other men. The test given to them became a failure on their part, but not unbeknownst to God. Their beginning was the beginning of an ongoing process for all men to have the opportunity to refine themselves by regeneration through Jesus Christ’s coming, death, burial, and resurrection. He plans to find a well-refined mankind who loves Him unconditionally. He wants men to sacrifice their well-being to God’s will living in them. What is most valuable about this is that with men doing this, they will find that God has and will take care of men without conditions in His love for mankind. So as scripture says.

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. – Matt 10:39

So now the understanding of that saying comes to light. Are we willing to give ourselves up for Him to live in us, thus finding ourselves? Then we can declare the ultimate change of who were were for the new “who we are”.

So, as I grow older, I find this truth to be a reality in my old age. I find this a fair exchange in my last days upon this earth is this realm. I will continue in the next realm.