I am a Christian. I believe in the God of the Bible, in God the Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. I believe in Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV)" I am a biochemist and a pharmacist by education. As such I have a desire to understand nature. I am writing this blog as my way to express the facts of true science as I understand them, from the perspective of one who believes that all things were created by God, for God and for His purposes.

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Beryl - from Goals to God's Power

What is it about a game that keeps you running for 45 minutes straight times two, with low scores and frequent ties and only lets you touch the ball with your head or your feet? Why do so many people love this game? Why is it the most popular game on the planet? Is it the deft touches that move the ball across the field? Or maybe the two foot leaps to head the ball into the net, just out of the goalie's reach. Or even the shout of GGGGOOOOAAAALLLL!!!! by the sportscaster, drowned out by the body numbing vibrations of a thousand Vuvuzela's blaring in excitement?

Soccer, also known as football outside of the US, is one crazy game. And it seems you either love it or you hate it. It is filled with action, skill and finesse knit together into a battle to be the team that can hammer in that winning goal before the clock runs out. All of my kids, with the exception of my youngest, played soccer at some time in AYSO when they were small. I coached teams for my youngest son and oldest daughter for a number of years. My son still plays it periodically in several adult leagues and I still enjoy watching him play. Going to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 would be a dream.

So what does Soccer have to do with Beryl, the eighth foundational stone, you ask? Nothing really except that the largest soccer complex in our town is at Beryl Park and is situated between Beryl and Carnelian Streets. With four fields I spent many a day there coaching and yelling from the sidelines as an avid Soccer Dad. As I mentioned in the Sardonyx blog, our town has a street for just about every foundational stone mentioned in the Bible.

So lets get back to the real subject of this blog, the foundational stone Beryl. Beryl is a Beryllium Aluminium Cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2(SiO3)6. It is sometimes confused with Chrysoberyl which is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula BeAl2O4. Despite the similarity of their names, Chrysoberyl and Beryl are two completely different gemstones. We will focus on Beryl here. Beryl has a Mohs hardness of 7.5-8, making it one of the harder of the foundation stones. Pure Beryl is colorless but impurities can change it into a number of colors: green, blue, yellow, red, and white. An Emerald is a green Beryl and a blue Beryl is an Aquamarine.

In Revelation 21:19-20 (KJV) the Greek word "bēryllos" is used for the Beryl foundational stone whereas the word "smaragdos" is used for the Emerald stone. Both words refer to "a precious stone of a pale green color" so it is not clear the difference between the stones. It may be that they are the same stone but then why the two words. A more exact definition of Bēryllos describes "a precious stone of the blue-green color of sea water" so it may be that the Beryl was actually an Aquamarine in a turquoise or blue-green shade.

The blue-green Beryl or Aquamarine
with the Colors of the Sea and Sky
Reflects God's Power as the Giver of Life Eternal

In the Old Testament, specifically in Exodus 28:20 (KJV), the Hebrew word "tarshiysh," meaning "a yellow colored precious stone," is used as the tenth stone in the Breastplate of the High Priest. It is translated Beryl in most versions of the Bible with the exception of the NIV where it is Chrysolite. This stone may have been a golden Beryl. As the tenth stone in the Breastplate Beryl would represent Zebulon by birth order and Dan by the order of the camp.

The Beryl as Aquamarine, imitating the colors of the sea and air, suggests the apostle Thomas as he sailed to India, the farthest traveling apostle, to preach to the Jews there. Thomas, which means twin, is best known biblically for his doubting that the Lord has risen, needing to see the nail prints and put his hand into His side to believe. This links with Beryl's association with "clarity of vision." The word beryllus, in Latin, means a magnifying glass.

Beryl relates to happiness and everlasting youth. It is a symbol of truth, charity, and faith. It represents God's Spirit of POWER AND MIGHT. God wants us to be blessed which means to be empowered to prosper as a result of having God's favor in your life.

Aquamarine is often called “The Stone of Courage" as it is believed to enhance one’s innate abilities to always be prepared. The color is aligned with truth and justice. Since early times, Aquamarine has been believed to endow the wearer with foresight, courage, and happiness.

The blue of Aquamarine is a divine, eternal color, the color of the sky and the color of water with its life-giving force. It reflects God's Power as the Giver of Life Eternal.

Genesis 1:20 (KJV) - And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl [that] may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

Revelation 5:13 (NKJV) - And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power [Be] to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
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