A multi-layered, metaphysical exploration of Bible verses that sheds light on the hidden meaning and secret symbolism of scripture
Taking Biblical scriptures at face value risks more than misunderstanding the bedrock principles of Christian faith. It could jeopardize your soul’s path toward God, which is why revisiting the meaning of Biblical scriptures for accuracy is so important. That’s the challenge laid out by Itotko inBehind the Torn Veil.
Small errors in belief multiply over time and only by getting back to the true basics of what scripture means can Christians reorient themselves toward God. It’s not enough to read the words on the page for their literal meaning. Understanding their symbolic meaning is essential too.
Itotko’s instruction is straightforward, offering an in-depth examination of key ideas backed by scripture, context, and analysis. The book isn’t denomination-specific but for Bible-based faith believers. The author aims for a “practical” framework for understanding the King James Bible and succeeds in demonstrating a linear path among Biblical verses that appear to contradict each other.
However, the verses used are wordy and archaic, requiring attention and patience. Some of Itotko’s ideas are unorthodox, too: reincarnation; the Lord, Lord God, and God being three distinct entities, and Adam as the spiritual representative of humankind and not an individual man; but they do a great job of highlighting verses that support these unusual interpretations.
Itotko stresses a careful and critical reading of scriptures, which gives readers a chance to hone a worthwhile skill. Don’t be the church-goer who just lets Bible readings wash over them and allows assumption or wishful thinking to “correct” what’s wrong about your understanding of scripture.
According to Itotko, what appear to be simple Bible stories are really multi-layered texts. The Bible has hidden meanings and symbols for those who know where and how to look for them. Big ideas in accessible stories allow us to understand as much as we are able to, and as our knowledge of scriptural meaning grows, so does our understanding. We’re limited by our five senses while God is limitless, Itotko says.
Putting that practice into action comes up short in some cases, such as a semantic argument about whether the word “again” means an action is repeated or whether what was said before is restated. While it’s possible to see the point Itotko makes about the reincarnation of Jesus using this example, agreeing with it is harder.
Itotko emphasizes avoiding speculation, imagination, and wishful thinking when it comes to reading scripture: when any two passages seem to contradict each other, they actually don’t; we just don’t have the understanding to parse them properly. That’s a tough premise to accept, especially since anyone can read the Bible verses for themselves and draw a different conclusion, such as whether the Garden of Eden refers to a real place or a higher plane of existence.
There’s a heavy focus on Genesis as well as the Last Supper and the crucifixion of Christ, with an overarching metaphysical theme throughout the book. For example, Itotko states that the dark waters of the creation story are actually symbolic of dark matter, which wasn’t a known thing back when the Bible was being written for a contemporary audience. It doesn’t sound impossible, but it also expects a high level of open-mindedness. Those who welcome fresh interpretations of traditional Bible stories and verses will find a wealth of ideas to explore.
Itotko’s perspective is truly fascinating, yet the length of the book and dense writing, along with a tendency to mention a symbol or verse only to say they’ll explain it later, present the reader with some challenges. Behind the Torn Veil is a firehose of ideas that may have benefited from being two books.
That said, for readers who are willing to commit the time and energy into a close reading of the text, Itotko’s work is an enticing exploration of the true nature of our spiritual journey.
The post Behind the Torn Veil by Itotko appeared first on Independent Book Review.