Inerrant Lie #19

Another lie from "God's ineffable, inerrant word":

Moses, in making record of the events which transpired in service to the LORD at “the mount of God” (post- exodus) commits a faux pas in describing the reaction of the people to the apocalypse of the ten commandments. "And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off [Exodus 20:18]." This is perhaps trivial, and may ultimately not be a lie so much as a cover- up. However, even a small lie-- if it is a lie-- is a lie. As such, it bears scrutiny.

The lie here is an obvious one: no one sees “thunderings” or “the noise of the trumpet.” These are audible signatures, and are therefore heard-- not seen. This much is simple and unrefutable, prima facie.

As to how this lie may in fact be true: There is a 'seeing' which engages all the senses. As 1 Samuel 9:9 informs: "Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer." Thus, even that which some hear is counted as “vision.”

For the Hebrews to see “thunderings“ and “noise,” however, implies reception of the ten commandments was a “visionary experience” shared among the people generally. In no other way I can think of could hearing be seeing. There is another apocalyptic revelation recorded in the Holy Bible.

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John is treated to a "Come up hither" in which he sees “a throne… in heaven.” John describes the vision thus: "And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God [Revelation 4:5]."

Thus, the ”thunderings” and ”voices” which John's “vision” perceived are possibly the same caucophony which filled the seeing of the people what time they “saw” thunderings and the noise of the trumpet. Moses does not, however, record the giving- and- receiving of the ten commandments as in any way mystical or visionary. There is a threat of immediate death (made by “the LORD”)-- to the people– recorded by Moses in both of his accounts of the event.

The caucophony which the people in the wilderness “saw” was of “thunderings” and “the noise of the trumpet.” The caucophony which greeted Saint John the Divine (in the vision he recorded in Revelation 4) was of “thunderings” and “voices.” In both of these visions– assuming they are both visionary experiences, and Exodus 20:18 isn't a lie– “thunderings” are common to both. Where the people see “the noise of the trumpet” Johnny Divine hears “voices;” which isn't as strange as it sounds. It may be the same thing.

Johnny Divine's Revelation begins with “...a great voice, as of a trumpet [Revelation 1:10],” Therefore “the noise of the trumpet” in Exodus could be the “voices” of Revelation 4:5, if John were wont to hear voices as trumpets; or even by transubstantiation. But if Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 describe– to any degree– a shared, common visionary experience: that much of the ‘ten- commandments’ narrative is (or seems to be) altogether lacking in all accounts of it in both testaments.

The anonymous writer of Hebrews, for instance, in describing the same scene Moses captured in Exodus 20:18, makes mention that “the mount… might be touched [Hebrews 12: 18 & 19].” Moses himself characterizes the encounter as a face- to- face between the LORD and the people, saying, “The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire [Deuteronomy 5:4].” The mountain wasn't visionary. “The mount” was Death. Exodus 20:18 reads like a Freudian slip wherein Moses tells on himself by telling a lie he never meant to let slip.