Yahweh, the name for the God of the Israelites, represents the biblical pronunciation of “YHWH,” the Hebrew name revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus. The name YHWH, consisting of the sequence of consonants Yod, Heh, Waw, and Heh, is known as the tetragrammaton.

After the Babylonian Exile (6th century BCE), and especially from the 3rd century BCE on, Jews ceased to use the name Yahweh for two reasons. As Judaism became a universal which means (catholic NOT tHE papacy) rather than merely a local religion, the more common Hebrew noun Elohim (plural in form but understood in the singular), meaning “God,” tended to replace Yahweh to demonstrate the universal sovereignty of Israel’s God over all others. At the same time, the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered; it was thus replaced vocally in the synagogue ritual by the Hebrew word Adonai ~ “My LORD”, which was translated as Kyrios (“LORD”) in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures. Whilst El is a generic word for god that could be used for any god, including Hadad, Moloch, or Yahweh. In the Tanakh, 'elōhîm is the normal word for a god or the great God (or gods, given that the 'im' suffix makes a word plural in Hebrew). In addition (yehōshu'a My Lord)

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YahWEH: YHWH    Yahweh

Yahweh is the name of the state god of the ancient Kingdom of Israel and, later, the Kingdom of Judah. His name is composed of four Hebrew consonants (YHWH, known as the Tetragrammaton) which the prophet Moses is said to have revealed to his people. As the name of the supreme being was considered too holy to be spoken, the consonants YHWH were used to remind one to say the word 'adonai' (lord) in place of the god's name, a common practice throughout the Near East in which epithets were used in referencing a deity.

All of these stipulations and details were applied to the god later, however; it is unclear exactly when Yahweh was first worshipped, by whom, or how. Scholars J. Maxwell Miller and John H. Hayes write:

The origins of Yahwism are hidden in mystery. Even the final edited form of Genesis – II Kings [in the Bible] presents diverse views on the matter. Thus Genesis 4:16, attributed by literary critics to the so-called `Yahwistic' source, traces the worship of Yahweh back to the earliest days of the human race, while other passages trace the revelation and worship of Yahweh back to Moses [in the Book of Exodus]. 

Scholar Nissim Amzallag, of Ben-Gurion University, disagrees with the claim that Yahweh's origins are obscure and argues that the deity was originally a god of the forge and patron of metallurgists during the Bronze Age (c. 3500-1200 BCE). Amzallag specifically cites the ancient copper mines of the Timna Valley (in southern Israel), biblical and extra-biblical passages, and similarities of Yahweh to gods of metallurgy in other cultures for support.

Although the Bible presents Yahweh as the god of the Israelites, there are many passages which make clear that this deity was also worshipped by other peoples in Canaan.

Although the Bible, and specifically the Book of Exodus, presents Yahweh as the god of the Israelites, there are many passages which make clear that this deity was also worshipped by other peoples in Canaan. Amzallag notes that the Edomites, Kenites, Moabites, and Midianites all worshipped Yahweh to one degree or another and that there is evidence the Edomites who operated the mines at Timnah converted an earlier Egyptian temple of Hathor to the worship of Yahweh.

Although the biblical narratives depict Yahweh as the sole creator god, lord of the universe, and god of the Israelites especially, initially he seems to have been Canaanite in origin and subordinate to the supreme god El. Canaanite inscriptions mention a lesser god Yahweh and even the biblical Book of Deuteronomy stipulates that “the Most High, El, gave to the nations their inheritance” and that “Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob and his allotted heritage” (32:8-9). A passage like this reflects the early beliefs of the Canaanites and Israelites in polytheism or, more accurately, henotheism (the belief in many gods with a focus on a single supreme deity). The claim that Israel always only acknowledged one god is a later belief cast back on the early days of Israel's development in Canaan.

The meaning of the name `Yahweh' has been interpreted as “He Who Makes That Which Has Been Made” or “He Brings into Existence Whatever Exists”, though other interpretations have been offered by many scholars. In the late middle ages, `Yahweh' came to be changed to `Jehovah' by Christian monks, a name commonly in use today.

 

The character and power of Yahweh were codified following the Babylonian Captivity of the 6th century BCE and the Hebrew scriptures were canonized during the Second Temple Period (c.515 BCE-70 CE) to include the concept of a messiah whom Yahweh would send to the Jewish people to lead and redeem them. Yahweh as the all-powerful creator, preserver, and redeemer of the universe was then later developed by the early Christians as their god who had sent his son Jesus as the promised messiah and Islam interpreted this same deity as Allah in their belief system.

Extra-biblical Mention of Yahweh

The oldest mention of Yahweh was long held to be the Moabite Stone (also known as the Mesha Stele) erected by King Mesha of Moab to celebrate his victory over Israel in c. 840 BCE. The inscription mentions how Mesha, after defeating the Israelites, “took the vessels of Yahweh to Kemosh” (the chief god of Moab), meaning the objects sacred to the worship of Yahweh in the temple, most likely the temple in Israel's capital of Samaria (Kerrigan, 78-79).

The Moabite Stone was discovered in 1868 CE in modern-day Jordan and the find published in 1870 CE. As the first extra-biblical inscription found to mention Yahweh, much was made of the discovery as the stele reported the same event from the biblical narrative of II Kings 3 in which Mesha the Moabite rebels against Israel (though with the major difference of the stele claiming a Moabite victory and the Bible claiming Israel the winner). The way the Yahweh line was interpreted further supported the concept of Yahweh as the god of the Israelites alone since Mesha claims to have taken the Israelite god's vessels as tribute to his own.

In 1844 CE the ruins of the ancient city of Soleb in Nubia was excavated by the archaeologist Karl Richard Lepsius who documented the site in detail but did not excavate. In 1907 CE James Henry Breasted arrived and photographed the site but, again, engaged in no excavation. It was not until 1957 CE that a team under the archaeologist Michela Schiff Giorgini, excavated the site and found reference to a group of people described as “Shasu of Yahweh” at the base of one of the columns of the temple in the hypostyle hall. The temple was built by Amenhotep III (c.1386-1353 BCE) and the reference to Yahweh established that this god was worshipped by another people long before the time when the events of the biblical narratives are thought to have taken place.

The discovery of Amenhotep III's mention of the Shasu of Yahweh placed the god much earlier in history than had been accepted previously.

The Shasu (also given as Shashu) were a Semitic, nomadic people described as outlaws or bandits by the Egyptians and, in fact, they are named on the column of the temple at Soleb among Egypt's other enemies and appear later, in an inscription from the reign of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BCE), as among the pharaoh's enemies at the Battle of Kadesh. As it has been established they were a nomadic people, attempts have been made to link them with the Hebrews and with the Habiru, a group of renegades in the Levant, but these claims have been refuted. Whoever the Shasu were, they were not Hebrew and the Habiru seem to be Canaanites who simply refused to conform to the customs of the land, not a separate ethnic group.

 

The discovery of Amenhotep III's mention of the Shasu of Yahweh placed the god much earlier in history than had been accepted previously but also suggested that Yahweh was perhaps not native to Canaan. This fit with the theory that Yahweh was a desert god whom the Hebrews adopted in their exodus from Egypt to Canaan. The descriptions of Yahweh appearing as a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day as well as the other fire-imagery from the Book of Exodus was interpreted by some scholars as suggesting a storm god or weather-deity and, particularly, a desert god since Yahweh is able to direct Moses to water sources (Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20). It is generally accepted in the modern day, however, that Yahweh originated in southern Canaan as a lesser god in the Canaanite pantheon and the Shasu, as nomads, most likely acquired their worship of him during their time in the Levant.

The Moabite Stone has also been reinterpreted in light of recent scholarship which demonstrates that the people of Moab also worshipped Yahweh and the reference to Mesha taking the vessels of Yahweh to Kemosh most likely means he repossessed what he felt belonged to the Moabites, not that he conquered Israel and its god in the name of his own.

Yahweh in the Bible

The Bible does mention other nations worshipping Yahweh and how the god arrived from Edom to help the Israelites in warfare (Deuteronomy 33:2, Judges 5:4-5) but this is not the central narrative. In the Bible, Yahweh is the one true God who creates the heavens and the earth and then chooses a certain people, the Israelites, as his own.

Yahweh creates the world, and hangs the sun and the moon in the heavens, as the Book of Genesis opens. He creates animals and human beings, destroys all in a great flood except Noah, Noah's family, and the animals Noah saves, and elects Abram (later known as Abraham) to lead his people to the land of Canaan and settle there (Genesis 1-25).

Abraham's initial community was developed by his son Isaac and then his grandson Jacob (also known as Israel). Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, was sold by his brothers into slavery and brought to Egypt where, owing to his skill in interpreting dreams, he rose to prominence and was able to save the region from famine (Genesis 25-50). The Book of Genesis concludes with Joseph dying after telling his brothers that Yahweh will bring them out of Egypt and back to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Many years later, when the Israelites have grown too populous for the Egyptians, an unnamed pharaoh orders them to be enslaved and makes their lives harsh (Exodus 1-14). Even so, the Israelite population continues to grow and so pharaoh orders all male infants killed (Exodus 1:15-22). A woman of the Levite tribe among the Israelites hides her son and then sends him downriver in a basket to be found by pharaoh's daughter, who adopts him; this child is Moses (Exodus 2:1-10). Moses learns his true identity as an Israelite and, after killing an Egyptian, flees to the land of Midian where, in time he encounters Yahweh in the form of a burning bush (Exodus 3, 4:1-17). The rest of the Book of Exodus details the Ten Plagues which Yahweh sends on Egypt and how Moses leads his people to freedom.

 

Moses never reaches the promised land of Canaan himself owing to a misunderstanding he has with Yahweh in which he strikes a rock for water when he was not supposed to (Numbers 20) but he turns over leadership to his right-hand-man Joshua who then leads his people in the conquest of Canaan as directed by Yahweh. Once the land is conquered, Joshua divides it among his people and, in time, they establish the Kingdom of Israel.

Yahweh in the Canaanite Pantheon

The biblical narrative, however, is not as straightforward as it may seem as it also includes reference to the Canaanite god El whose name is directly referenced in `Israel' (He Who Struggles with God or He Who Perseveres with God). El was the chief deity of the Canaanite pantheon and the god who, according to the Bible, gave Yahweh authority over the Israelites:

When the Most High [El] gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the Sons of God. For Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. (Deuteronomy 32:8-9, Masoretic Text).

The Canaanites, like all ancient civilizations, worshipped many gods but chief among them was the sky-god El. In this passage from Deuteronomy, El gives each of the gods authority over a segment of the people of earth and Yahweh is assigned to the Israelites who, in time, will make him their supreme and only deity; but it is clear he existed beforehand as a lesser Canaanite god.

Yahweh, as the actual name of the supreme being, seems to have remained in use until the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BCE.

Yahweh as God of Metallurgy

According to scholar Nissim Amzallag, however, Yahweh was a god of metallurgy. Amzallag writes: An essential link between Yahweh and copper is suggested in the Book of Zechariah where the dwelling of the God of Israel is symbolized by two mountains of copper (Zech. 6:1-6). In his prophecies, Ezekiel describes a divine being as `a man was there, whose appearance shone like copper' (Ezek. 40:3), and in another part of this book, Yahweh is even explicitly mentioned as being a smelter (Ezek. 22:20). In Isaiah 54:16, Yahweh is explicitly mentioned as the creator of both the copper worker and his work…Such an involvement of Yahweh is never mentioned elsewhere for other crafts or human activities. (394)

Amzallag further notes the similarities between Yahweh and other gods of metallurgy:

The god of metallurgy generally appears as an outstanding deity. He is generally involved in the creation of the world and/or the creation of humans. The overwhelming importance of the god of metallurgy reflects the central role played by the copper smelters in the emergence of civilizations throughout the ancient world. (397)

Amzallag compares the attributes of the Egyptian Ptah and the Mesopotamian Ea/Enki along with Napir of Elam, all gods of metallurgy (among their other attributes) with Yahweh and finds striking similarities. He further claims that the name of the god of the Edomites, Qos, is an epithet for Yahweh and notes how the Edomites, a people closely associated with metallurgy, were the primary workers and administrators of the copper mines at Timna and, further, that Edom is never mentioned in the Bible as challenging Israel in the name of a foreign god; thus suggesting that the two peoples worshipped the same deity (390-392).

Although Amzallag's theory has been challenged, it has not been refuted. Particularly compelling are his arguments from biblical passages and the archaeological evidence cited from the ruins of the mines of Timna.

From God of Metallurgy to Supreme Deity

Yahweh, according to Amzallag, was transformed from one god among many to the supreme deity by the Israelites in the Iron Age (c.1200-930 BCE) when iron replaced bronze and the copper smelters, whose craft was seen as a kind of transformative magic, lost their unique status. In this new age, the Israelites in Canaan sought to distance themselves from their neighbors in order to consolidate political and military strength and so elevated Yahweh above El as the supreme being and claimed him as their own. His association with the forge, and with imagery of fire, smoke, and smiting, worked as well in describing a god of storms and war and so Yahweh's character changed from a deity of transformation to one of conquest. Miller and Hayes comment:

Perhaps the most noticeable characteristic of Yahweh in Israel's early poetry and narrative literature is his militancy. The so-called “Song of the Sea” in Exodus 15:1-18 and the “Song of Deborah” in Judges 5 are typical in their praise of Yahweh, the divine warrior who could be counted on to intervene on behalf of his followers…Thus it may have been primarily in connection with Israel's wars that Yahweh gained status as the national god. During times of peace, the tribes will have depended heavily on Baal in his various local forms to ensure fertility. But when they came together to wage war against their common enemies, they would have turned to Yahweh, the divine warrior who could provide victory. 

Yahweh-as-warrior is evident throughout the Hebrew scriptures which became the Christian Old Testament and warrior imagery is also apparent in passages in the New Testament which drew on the earlier works (ex: Ephesians 6:11, Philippians 2:25, II Timothy 2:3-4, I Corinthians 9:7, among others). By the time these works were written, the worship of Yahweh had undergone a dramatic transformation from what it had been in the early days of the Israelites in Canaan.

Early & Later Religious Belief & Practice

Initially, the people of Canaan, including the Israelites, practiced a form of ancestor worship in which they venerated the “god of the father” or the “god of the house”, in addition to paying homage to their earthly ancestors, in an effort to establish individual tribal and family connections (van der Toorn, 177). In time, this practice evolved into worship of deities such as El, Asherah, Baal, Utu-Shamash, and Yahweh among others.

As the Israelites developed their community in Canaan, they sought to distance themselves from their neighbors and, as noted, elevated Yahweh above the traditional Canaanite supreme deity El. They did not, however, embrace monotheism at this time. The Israelites remained a henotheistic people through the time of the Judges, which predates the rise of the monarchy, and throughout the time of the Kingdom of Israel (c.1080-c. 722).

 

In 931 BCE, following the death of Solomon, the kingdom split in two and a new political entity, the Kingdom of Judah with its capital at Jerusalem, emerged in the south. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah periodically warred or allied with each other until 722 BCE when the Assyrians destroyed Israel and, in keeping with their usual military policies, deported the inhabitants and replaced them with others from their empire. Judah was able to withstand the Assyrian military campaigns but only by paying tribute to Assyria.

The Assyrian Empire fell to an invading force of Babylonians, Medes, and others in 612 BCE and the Babylonians claimed the region of Canaan. In 598 BCE they invaded Judah and sacked Jerusalem, destroying the temple of Solomon and taking the leading citizens back to Babylon. This is the time in Jewish history known as the Babylonian Captivity (c.598-538 BCE). Babylon was conquered by Cyrus the Great (d.530 BCE) of the Persians who allowed the Jewish leaders to return to their homeland in 538 BCE.

As with all ancient religions (as well as modern), the faith of the people was based on an understanding of quid pro quo (this-for-that) in which they would honor and serve a deity and, in return, would receive protection and guidance. When the temple was destroyed and the kingdom sacked, the Jewish clergy had to find some reason for the tragedy and concluded it was because they had not paid enough attention to Yahweh and had angered him through the acknowledgement and worship of other gods.

 

During the Second Temple Period (c.515 BCE-70 CE) Judaism was revised, the Torah canonized, and a new understanding of the divine established which today is known as monotheism – the belief in a single deity. At this time, scholars have established, the older works which eventually became the Hebrew Scriptures were revised to reflect a monotheistic belief system among the Israelites far earlier than was actually practiced.

The monotheism of the Hebrew Scriptures would later be appropriated by the adherents of Christianity who would continue veneration of Yahweh, eventually known as Jehovah and then, simply, as “God”, and Islam would also develop the deity under the name of Allah (“the God”) beginning in the 7th century CE. Whoever Yahweh was originally, and however he was worshipped, today he forms the basis of the three great monotheistic religions of the world.

                                                                                                                 GODs Known Name's

 

🎺"Manners maketh man" You never know you might just be talking to an Angel

 

     🎺    Blessed are tHE pure in HEart, for tHEy shall SEE God.

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THE CREATION OF MAN INTRODUCTION The study of man is called “anthropology” from the Greek words anthropos, meaning “man,” and logos, meaning “word” or “discourse.” Hence, anthropology is the study of man  There is a difference between biblical anthropology (with only 1 view of man) and sociological/cultural anthropology (with many views of man)  This study of the doctrine of man will consist of the biblical data (biblical anthropology), not scientific (cultural anthropology)  Only a study of God’s revelation in His Word can furnish a complete answer to the timeless question, “What is man?”  If man is what the Bible says he is, then he cannot know himself fully apart from the Bible  Unredeemed man cannot study himself with any accuracy Jeremiah 17:9 ~ The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? Romans 1:18-32  Thus, the true study of the doctrine of man can only come from Scripture THE ORIGIN OF MAN  Perhaps no subject is more widely debated today than the question of how man originated Atheistic/Naturalistic Evolution  The theory or origins began with Charles Darwin and has been largely adopted by society today…it is largely an attempt to explain the origin of matter and life apart from God  It theorizes that several billion years ago chemicals in the sea, acted on by sunlight and cosmic energy, formed themselves by chance into one or more single-celled organisms, which have since developed through beneficial mutations and natural selection into all living plants, animals, and people  None of this requires the idea of God….in fact, it attempts to explain the origin of all life on earth entirely apart from any supernatural involvement  Thus, in this theory, a combination of atoms, motion, time, and chance has fashioned what we currently have  Major tenets: 1. The universe resulted from a big-bang explosion 2. Life began completely by chance when a single-cell appeared from non-living matter 3. All other living organisms have developed from those early, simple forms of life which gradually increased in complexity…a development which also produced man  The process of evolution in formula: Mutations + Natural Selection x Time = Evolution  There are serious implications if this view of man is true…namely, if there is no God who has created the world then man is not accountable to God and there are no moral absolutes 2 Theistic Evolution  Theistic evolution holds that God directed, used, and controlled the processes of naturalistic evolution to “create” the world and all that is in it  This involves the idea that God began the process, using existing material, and remains in oversight of the process  It includes the idea that the days of Genesis 1 were ages and that evolutionary processes were involved in the “creation” of Adam  Theistic evolutionists generally accept the findings of science and then try to fit the evolutionary hypothesis into the Bible (i.e. the bases on which theistic evolution rest are the Bible and science)  Thus, theistic evolution tries to ride 2 horses (evolution and Creation) which are going in opposite directions  Not surprisingly then, theistic evolution is rejected by both naturalistic evolutionists and biblical creationists  There are several serious problems with theistic evolution: o If the human race evolved, then Adam was not a historical person and the analogy between Christ and Adam in Romans 5:12–21 breaks down o It requires an allegorical approach in interpreting Genesis 1-2 o To suggest that mankind came from a non-human ancestor cannot be reconciled with the clear statement of man’s creation in Genesis 2:7 Progressive Creationism/Day Age Theory  This is really just another form of theistic evolution  Those who hold to this view perceive God as being involved not only at the beginning of the process but at various points along the way  They believe God stepped in to create at the major stages of life throughout geologic history (i.e. the vertebrates, the birds, the mammals, and man)  But he also permitted and used naturalistic evolution processes throughout the long periods of geologic time  This theory is supposedly a more serious attempt to reconcile the Bible with science in that it assumes the old age of the earth according to the teaching of science and yet at the same time, it acknowledges the direct creation of man and animals according to Genesis 1–2  This theory is based in part on Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8 in rejecting a literal six-day creation: o Psalm 90:4 ~ For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night. o 2 Peter 3:8 ~ But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.  In this view, the days of creation are not to be understood as 24-hour days but as geologic ages  This view says that creation was the result of a series of separate acts of God in which what He made further developed on its own (microevolution)  Several problems result from this theory: o In Exodus 20:10–11, God draws an analogy between a person working 6 days and resting on the 7th and God creating 6 days and resting on the 7th…this doesn’t work if the days are not 24-hour days o This theory would mean there was death before the Fall because it involves a long period of time o The creation of plants bearing seeds prior to the creation of land animals poses a problem in that some seeds depend on insects for pollination and fertilization. o How could plants, created on the 3rd “day,” survive if the sun was not created until the 4th “day?” 3 The Gap Theory  This view states that a “gap” of time exists between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, a gap that could have lasted millions of years  Supposedly, in Genesis 1:1, God created a fully functional earth with all animals, including the dinosaurs and other creatures we know only from the fossil record…this was the original creation of God – perfect in every way  Then between verses 1 and 2, Satan rebelled in heaven and was cast out which “ruined” the original creation…his rebellion brought about its destruction and eventual death and the earth was reduced to its “formless and void” state  At this point, God started all over again, recreating the earth in its paradise form as further described in Genesis  The purpose of this view is to hold to the old age of the earth (an accommodation to science) and yet to understand the words of Genesis 1 and 2 literally  Problems with this view: o It requires death and destruction before the Fall o The plain reading of Genesis 1 does not at all intimate a length of time between the first two verses o The phrase “formless and void” is assumed to be evil but the same phrase is used in Job 26:7 and Isaiah 45:18 without that connotation o Genesis 1:31 says God declared His creation to be “very good” – a statement difficult to square with the theory that evil already existed because of Satan’s fall in the “gap” Sudden Creationism (Biblical)  Definition: God created all that exists directly and instantaneously (fiat) out of nothing (ex nihilo)  Creation was a recent event of 6,000 to 10,000 years ago and the days of Genesis 1 were 24 hours in length  The basis for the 24-hour creation days is the biblical account of Genesis 1 and 2; thus while science may contribute to our understanding, it doesn’t control or change our interpretation of Scripture in order to accommodate its findings  So while it is true that the Bible is not a textbook on science, this does not mean that it is inaccurate when it reveals truth which belongs to the arena of science  God created man directly; Genesis 1:27 is the general statement, while Genesis 2:7 provides additional detail concerning how God created man. The statement in 2:7 also explains God’s manner of creating—He created man out of the dust of the ground o Genesis 1:27 ~ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. o Genesis 2:7 ~ Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.  According to this account man and woman were both created directly by God; they did not evolve from lower forms of life  Thus, man’s creation was special and unique…he was created on the last day, the climax of God’s creation; at the conclusion of man’s creation, God noted, “it was very good” o Genesis 1:31 ~ God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.  It is also important to note that Christ acknowledged that God directly created man: o Matthew 19:4 ~ And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,  If man evolved, he is only a higher form of animal, without moral sensibility or accountability; Scripture, however, presents man as a moral creature, accountable to God. 4  Support for sudden creationism: 1. The work week is patterned after the 7 days of creation Exodus 20:11 ~ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh 2. Believing the biblical account of creation is a matter of faith Hebrews 11:3 ~ By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 3. The Hebrew word for “day” (yom) always refers to a 24 hour duration when used with a number Genesis 8 ~ The 150 days of the flood Exodus 24:18 ~ The 40 days Moses was on Sinai Numbers 13:25 ~ The 40 days the spies searched out Canaan Jonah 1:17 ~ The 3 days Jonah was inside the great fish 4. “Morning and evening” terminology, which occurs over 100 times in the Old Testament, supports a 24- hour connotation Genesis 1:5 ~ God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 5. The catastrophic flood can correlate the fossil evidence with a literal interpretation of Genesis 6. God could have created the earth with a superficial appearance of age or history Genesis 1:12 ~ Fruit trees were created fully grown bearing fruit with seed Genesis 1:20-25 ~ Animals were created mature Genesis 1:26-30 ~ Adam and Eve were created as adults Genesis 1:15-17 ~ Stars were created with light shining on the earth  Note: Progressive creationists and theistic evolutionists absolutely cannot allow the doctrine of the appearance of age at creation. They argue that for God to create with the appearance of age would be deceptive and God is not deceptive CHARACTERISTICS OF MAN’S CREATION It was Planned by God  The act of creating man was based on the deliberate counsel of God  Man was no afterthought in God’s creative work but the result of deliberate forethought on the part of the Godhead 5 Genesis 1:26-27 ~ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. It was the Culmination of God’s Work in Creation  Creation was incomplete without man  In fact, after God created man He then said that everything He had made was very good Genesis 1:31 ~ God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day  Thus, man and woman were created as the pinnacle of God’s creation  This is evident from the fact that mankind is God’s representative in ruling over creation, showing that he is set above the rest of creation Genesis 1:28 ~ God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Psalm 8:3-8 ~ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.  This shows the significance of man…the crowning point of God’s creation! It Involved Two Facets  First, God created Adam from the dust of the ground Genesis 2:7 ~ Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being  The word “formed” describes the work of an artist…like a potter shaping an earthen vessel from clay, so God formed man from clay  The Hebrew for “man” (’āḏām, where we get “Adam”) is related to the word for “ground” (’ăḏāmâh)  Second, God created Eve from the man’s side Genesis 2:18, 21-23 ~ Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him”…So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”  The man Adam (ish) named his wife “women” (isha) because she had been taken out of his side…she had her source in him  The root of the word isha is “soft” 6 THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN Definition  The “image of God” or imago Dei is a term describing the uniqueness of humans as God’s creatures Genesis 1:26-27 ~ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Thus, Adam and Eve are said to be created in God’s image and likeness  All of creation up to this point has been merely a prelude to what would happen at the end of day 6…the creation of the human race was the central object of God’s creative purpose from the beginning  A significant change in the creation process occurs with the creation of man and woman in the image of God  “Then God said” (vs. 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24) has previously been followed by “Let there be…” (3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24)  The language “let it be done” expresses an impersonal yet sovereign decree that immediately brought things into existence; they are mandates issued to no one in particular  Never before has God said, “Let Us make” anything  But in vs. 26, the phrase “Then God said” is followed by personal pronouns: “Let Us make man in Our image”  God was personally and intimately involved in the creation of man  The plural Us introduces the plurality of relationships in the Godhead  Although the plural elohim hints at it, the plural pronoun Us constitutes unmistakable evidence to the Trinity  While the full revelation of the Trinity is not found here, it lays the groundwork for that which is described later in the New Testament  All 3 members of the Trinity were involved in creation:  Father was the Originator – Gen 1-2  Son was the Mediator – John 1:1-3; Col 1:16  Spirit was the Executor – Gen 1:2  “in Our image, according to Our likeness” = the image of God in man is what makes man unique  Two words used: 1. “image” (tselem) = semblance, statue, copy, model 2. “likeness” (demuth) = similitude, pattern, shape This speaks of the creation of Adam in terms that are uniquely personal. Scripture deliberately employs such pronouns in order to stress God’s intimate connection with this aspect of His creation. It establishes a personal relationship between God and man that does not exist with any other aspect of creation…He has no personal relationship with any of those things in the same sense He does with humanity. All those things were created by God through His fiat decree, and they began to exist because He ordered them to. But there is never a hint of any intimacy or personal identification between God and those things. God’s relationship with humanity is unique in all of creation. John MacArthur, The Battle for the Beginnings, 159-60. 7  These terms are not distinct (i.e. one expressing spiritual similarities and the other expressing physical similarities)  These terms are parallel and synonymous for the purpose of emphasis  They emphasize the fact that man has been made in the very image of God  The same two words used in Genesis 5:3…Seth was not identical to Adam but was like him in many ways Genesis 5:3 ~ When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.  Although these terms do not define what this image is, they show that God is the original of which man is the copy (but not an exact replica)  This is what makes man distinct from every other created animal  So what does it mean that man is made in the image of God?  The definition must include that which is unique to humanity and not shared by animals  A possible definition: Man is a personal, rational, emotional, spiritual, eternal being with a moral responsibility  Central to this definition is the concept of personhood (i.e. that which is capable of relationships and fellowship)  God is essentially a God of relationships  That is why God said it was not good for Adam to be alone  That is why God created man to have a relationship with Him  The seat of God’s image is found in man’s immaterial being  Thus, the image of God in man involves the ability to: 1. Bear the Creator’s Image – i.e. to be personal, to have a moral consciousness, a consciousness of others, a consciousness about God; to reflect the incommunicable attributes of God 2. Propagate Life – i.e. to be fruitful and multiply, to procreate 3. Receive Divine Blessing – i.e. to be the recipients of God’s kindness and well-being 4. Rule Creation – i.e. to exercise dominion over the rest of God’s creation [The likeness of God] is what defines the human being’s unique identity. It is the whole reason God took such a personal interest in the creation of this particular species. It explains why the Bible places so much stress on the fact of God’s hands-on creation of Adam. He fashioned this creature in a special way – to bear the stamp of His own likeness. Man was made in the image of God. That sets him apart from every other creature in the physical universe. John MacArthur, The Battle for the Beginnings, 163. It may be defined, in summary, as the totality of man’s higher powers that distinguish him from brute creation J. Barton Payne, The Theology of the Older Testament, 227. Being made in the image of God is usually understood to point to the sense in which we are like God. Though He is the Creator and we are creatures, and though God transcends us in being, power, and glory, nevertheless there is some sense in which we are like Him. There is some analogy between God and us. God is an intelligent and moral being. We are also more agents equipped with a mind, a heart, and a will. These faculties make it possible for us to mirror God’s holiness, which was our original vocation. R. C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, 131. 8 The Image of God and the Fall  In every aspect of life, some parts of the image of God in man have been distorted by the entrance of sin in to the world  Terminology showing how the Fall affected the image of God in man: Genesis 6:5 ~ Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Colossians 1:21 ~ And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, Ephesians 2:1-3 ~ And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Ephesians 4:18 ~ being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 2 Corinthians 4:4 ~ in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God  But, although the image of God was severely marred in the Fall, the following verses indicate that it was not obliterated: Genesis 9:6 ~ Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man 1 Corinthians 11:7 ~ For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man James 3:9 ~ With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God Implications of the Image of God in Man 1. We must remember for what we were designed: An intimate relationship with the Lord and an earnest desire to reflect his greatness Psalm 16:11 ~ You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 27:4 ~ One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. Psalm 63:1-5 ~ O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. Psalm 73:25-26 ~ Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. In the fall of mankind, something ghastly happened. The image of God was severely tarnished. Our ability to mirror His holiness has been greatly affected so that now the mirror is fogged. R. C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, 132. 9 2. The image of God in man provides the basis for how we treat one another  Although man is sinful, there is still enough of the image of God in man that to murder or speak against another man is an attack on the part of creation that most resembles God  Fallen man is given the reality of the image of God as the basis for social conduct 3. Salvation through Christ is the means by which God recovers the marred image of God in man Romans 8:29 ~ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 2 Corinthians 3:18 ~ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 4. When Christ returns, the image of God in man will once again shine forth as He intended it 1 Corinthians 15:49 ~ Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. 1 John 3:2 ~ Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. A Concluding Caveat  Should being made in the image of God cause us to focus on our worth, value, and significance?  In a sense, yes…mankind is distinct from animals and this distinction should be emphasized  In a sense, no…it should never be emphasized to the point of deemphasizing God’s greatness…but we are still creatures

God’s Final Temple: ADAMANDEVEGODSFIRSTCHURCH.ORG New Jerusalem GOD AIMS FOR THE UNIVERSE - PLEASE NOTE THE BELOW IS A REPEAT FROM DAY ONE AS RETURNS IN REVELATION DAY 7 THE SABBATH - SHALOM

God created the universe and humankind as his temple; God and man were destined to be ‘at ease’ with each other. This paradisiacal situation changed after mankind went its own way, but through the liturgy of sacrifices, God could still be approached. God provided the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ, who in himself reconciled God and man. He became the perfect temple where we can meet with God. His  Churches, Ministries etcetera -  His Ambassadors and their Families and All His children of FAITH for without FAITH you will never see Him - and all those in the Church, are also temples of GOD - because what Jesus Christ is, they are. In the Church, that is, in the community of Christians, God can be found.

But this is not perfect yet. We still live in the time between the disobedience of mankind, and the restoration of our world to its God-intended status of perfection. The Church and its people belong to that perfect future of God, as we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. ‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation’, St Paul affirms.1 1. 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

PARADISE RESTORED: REVELATION 21:1-5 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” The apostle John receives a magnificent vision from God of the Christian hope; God will make all things new.

First, we notice the temple language. “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Second, the Christian hope is heaven and earth will be united fully again, as it was in the beginning. This is not because the earth will be destroyed but because heaven will ‘overwhelm’ the earth by coming ‘down’. ‘Throughout the entire Bible, the ultimate destiny of God’s people is an earthly destiny. [It ‘always] always places man on a redeemed earth, not in a heavenly realm removed from earthly existence’,The idea of a ‘heavenly Jerusalem’ was, by the way, not ‘invented’ by John. He used language that was rather common in Judaism in his days. In book 2 Baruch (1-2 century AD?) for instance, we read that God made the heavenly Jerusalem before he made Paradise, that Adam saw it before he sinned, that it was shown in a vision to Abraham, that Moses saw it on Mt Sinai, and that it is now present with God. The consummation of the Christian hope is supremely social. It is no ‘flight of the alone to the Alone’ but life in the redeemed community of the people of God. Interestingly, John in Revelation 21:3, says literally, ‘they shall be his peoples (plural + GENTILES)’. He changes the quote from the Hebrew Scriptures about Israel being God’s people, into a plural to include all Gentiles.

God will be in the midst of all nations. The New Jerusalem will come down from God, ‘prepared as a bride Dua Lipa adorned for her husband’. Israel, and later the Church, are described in the Bible as represented by the ‘bride’ of God and Christ. The New Jerusalem and the people of God are very intimately connected. “The heavenly Jerusalem is the multitude of Saints and Martyr Prophets Apostles who will come with the Lord, even as Zechariah said: ‘Behold, my Lord God will come, and all his saints with him’”, 

It is a city which is a family. The ideal of a perfect community, unrealizable on earth because of the curse of sin which vitiated the first creation, is now embodied in the redeemed from all nations.

​We ​then see Paradise restored: God dwells with humankind again. they will be his people, and God will be with them as their God. This community of people and the presence of God is the essential feature of the age to come.

 

NEW JERUSALEM AS PEOPLE OF GOD: REVELATION 21:9-16

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes.

The New Testament conceives of a heavenly Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God, the true homeland of the saints, and the dwelling place of “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:22; see Gal. 4:26; Phil. 3:20. While this heavenly Jerusalem is represented as the dwelling place of the departed saints, heaven is not their ultimate destiny, but only the temporary abode f the saints between death and the resurrection​. The twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. It seems that we now take a closer look at the New Jerusalem. The view is introduced with words that make explicit that this New Jerusalem is really the Church of God, ‘the bride, the wife of the Lamb’. Then we learn more about this New Jerusalem, as we read that it ‘has the glory of God’. Again, this is temple language. The gates have the names of the tribes of Israel written on them, while the apostles are the foundation of the walls. This indicates the unity of the people of God, and underlines that this New Jerusalem really is the people of God, the Church. 

 

THE NEW​ JERUSALEM IS A TEMPLE: REVELATION 21:22-27 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the 104 nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. There is no temple in the New Jerusalem, and for that matter, in the New World; a temple is no longer necessary. The Lord God and the Lamb ‘is the temple’. If they fill the earth with their presence, mankind has no need for any specific meeting place with God. Sun and moon are no longer needed, and lamps are not needed, because God and the Lamb are its light. The glory of God fills the place. The world has become a temple again, as it was in the garden of Eden. This description of the New Heaven and the New Earth and of the New Jerusalem is metaphorical. The fact that there seem to be nations outside the New Jerusalem, means that John’s vision shows how the metaphors of the Hebrew Scriptures, about a perfect world with no more war, is finally coming about: The Kingdom of the world has now become the Kingdom of God. Finally, all is well.

 

​THRONE OF GOD ON THIS EARTH: REVELATION 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The 105 leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Some more temple-details. The river of life is a reference to Ezekiel 47, which is part of the prophet’s long description (Ezekiel 40-48) of the expected eschatological New Temple.

This ‘river of life’ is also an echo of the river mentioned in regard to the Garden of Eden: “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.”8 Then, we read in John’s vision of the ‘tree of life’, also a reference to the Genesis-story. After mankind’s disobedience, access to this tree of life was blocked by cherubim: Then the Lord God said, […] Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

In the New Heaven and the New Earth, man has access to the tree of life again, as well as to the waters of life. Many theologians see these as references to the Holy Spirit and to Jesus Christ. 7. Ezekiel 47:1,12 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.[…] And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.” 8. Genesis 2:10 9. Genesis 3:22-24 106 The throne of God and the Lamb is mentioned once again; God himself is present and this ensures that there is no longer anything accursed in heaven and on earth. The curse of Genesis 3 has been reversed; all is well now. Adam and Eve were originally told to ‘subdue the earth and have dominion’ and they messed up. But in the New Heaven and the New Earth, the servants of God “will reign forever and ever”. And what the saints throughout the centuries have strived for, will become a reality: “They will see God’s face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” Even the great prophet’s of the people of God, were not able and allowed to see God’s face.10 We will have that privilege and joy one day.11 This sight of God is what causes the righteous to be forever happy. In the words of St Chrysostom: There are no words to explain the blessedness which the soul enjoys, the gain which he obtains once his true nature has been restored to him and he is able henceforth to contemplate the Lord.12 God’s ‘name on their foreheads’ may be an allusion to the inscription on the mitre of the high priest's forehead, "holiness to the Lord”. All believers participate in the eternal priesthood. And all will be standing - not one day each year but forever, in God’s presence. 

It is God’s people who have continued to extend the borders of the true temple throughout the church age, as they have been guided by the Spirit, as a result of the Father’s plan that was expressed in the redemptive work of the Son, who also consummates the temple building process.

 

BEFORE THAT DAY This world will become a temple when heaven joins earth again, as it was in the beginning. But before this moment of the ultimate reconciliation of God with mankind, it is interesting to see how the abode of God is described by John: After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.14 John is allowed a view of heaven, and what does he see? First, the throne of God. John proceeds to describe that ‘before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne were as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.’15 Around the throne, ’on each side of the throne' John sees ‘four living creatures […] each of them with six wings, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy’. These angelic beings remind us of the temple-scene in Isaiah 6, just as the whole description of John is a temple-scene. The throne of God is like the ark in the holy of holies, and the angels remind us of the cherubim that cover the ark; 13. G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission’ a biblical theology of the dwelling place of God ​the seven torches remind us of the candle with seven arms before the holy of holies; the sea of glass is the basin for washing that stood in the temple.16 John then sees the Lamb, ‘standing as if it had been slain’.17 The Lord Jesus Christ stands there as the reminder of the ultimate sacrifice in the heavenly temple. And just as in the earthly temple incense was sacrificed continually, we read of ‘golden bowls full of incense’ before the throne of God.18 We also read of an altar, possibly referring to the same altar for the incense in the temple.19 So when John had his vision of the heavenly abode of God, it was clear for him; he saw heaven as a temple. Remember that Moses was told to construct the tabernacle and its service ‘exactly according to the pattern that was shown to [him] on the mountain’ where God revealed himself and his laws to Moses.

 

WHAT JESUS DID The letter to the Hebrews explains how the earthly liturgy of the temple was just a dim reflection of the real heavenly temple: When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this 16. Exodus 30:18 17. Revelation 5:6 18. Revelation 5:8 19. Revelation 6:9 20. Hebrews 8:5, Exodus 25:40 109 creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation 110 of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

 

The death of Christ was a sacrifice to God; he secured our eternal redemption by coming with his blood before the throne of God in the heavenly holy of holies. In the heavenly temple, the reconciliation between God and man has been eternally secured, once and for all. In the words of G.K. Beale, Christ not only fulfills all that the OT temple and its prophecies represent but that he is the unpacked meaning for which the temple existed all along. Christ’s establishment of the temple at his first coming and the identification of his people with him as the temple, where God’s tabernacling presence dwells, is a magnified view of the beginning form of the new creational temple, and Revelation 21 is the most ultimate highly magnified picture of the final form of the temple that we will have this side of the consummated new cosmos.

 

It is this heavenly temple that descends to earth as the New Jerusalem. Just as presently, heaven can be called a temple, one day the whole earth will be God’s temple. But then, we no longer need all the metaphors, all the efforts to explain, all images to indicate. Then the earth no longer needs a temple, because humankind will be able to see God face to face. SOME CONCLUDING REMARKS We cannot do without metaphors when describing God and his dwelling place. The Hebrew and Christian Holy Scriptures are consistent in using the temple-metaphor for describing God, redemption, and eternity. 21. Hebrews 9:11-26 22.  Heaven, the abode of God, is like a temple; the temple in Jerusalem was modeled after God’s eternal resting place. In heaven we see references to altars, candles, incense, sacrifice, the ark of the covenant, etc. Eventually, the heavenly temple will descend and fill the earth. We will not build a new earth; the earth will be renewed when the New Jerusalem descends; then heaven and earth will be new. The perfection of the new earth entails that there is no more evil, and that God is all in all. A temple is no longer needed. There is free access to God for all people. The universe has become a temple again; Paradise has been restored. This renewal, this reconciliation between God and man is only possible because of the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who was not only perfectly human, but he also perfectly represented God. That is why he is the perfect expression of the heavenly temple. By looking at him, we know what God is like. What to do with all this as Christians today? First, we should unashamedly use sacrificial language when speaking of redemption through Jesus Christ. It is the ABC of biblical language. 112 Also, we can rejoice in the future: What the universe and mankind once were, they will be again: the perfect temple where God rests. And we will be so changed and perfect, that we will be able to ‘face God’. Finally, the ‘to be or not to be’ issue is how we can be sure we will participate in the coming New World. For that, today we need to be part of the New Jerusalem, that is, the people of God - the church.thee new temple - churches - ministries as ONE Heaven and Earth joined for all God's children equal and beauti - full individually and as `one Family - for I hold up my lantern of FAITH the light shining in the darkness to lead the way for my FAITH -FULL ones to join in  New Temple  wherever SHe goes and covers the Universe.tHE Body of God Christ and His Holy Spirit 

aMan aWoman peace and love - and I AM to make all my Creations - things new as it is written 

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The Bible is without doubt the most fascinating book in the world. Why? Because it is simply beyond reasonable inference to imagine that all of the intricacies woven into its fabric could have been concocted by human beings. From beginning to end, the language of the Bible is filled with surprises, deep insights, and tasty linguistic treats. None are more fascinating than the implications provided by the use of the verb hayah (to be, to become) - we discovered that there is a marvelous connection between the idea of God’s word becoming in Micah and the rest of the prophets. At the very least, this implies that God’s verbal instruction to His people manifested itself in the prophet. How that occurs is a mystery, but no more mysterious than another use of hayah, found here in the story of the creation of Man.

Man became nephesh (the Hebrew word that encompasses will, emotions, mind, body, and spirit – a total person ) The same creative manifestation demonstrated in God’s word showing up (somehow) in the prophets is at the bottom of what it means to be alive. God’s breath manifested itself in the dust-formed creature and ha.a.dam le.ne.fesh ha.yah (literally, “the earth-made a person was manifested”). It’s almost as though the text says, “Personal life happened in this lump of formed dirt.” How life came to be in Man is not essentially different than how God’s word came to be in Micah. 

We also learned that God’s personal name, YHWH (Yahweh) is also, at its core, the verb hayah. When God manifests His word in Micah, and when He manifests His life in Man, He merely makes tangible what He is. Take that thought and read John 1: 14 from a Hebrew perspective. “The Word hayah flesh.” The very essence of God, the I AM (Hayah) is manifested as basar (tangible body). This is not only saying that Jesus was born as a man. This is saying that the great “TO BE,” now happened in bodily form. The I AM now existed as the same kind of living being as all animal and human bodies. God’s mysterious hayah is demonstrated in yet another, unparalleled way.

Think about what this means for human life - for you and me.  What this means is that you and I are in some respect vehicles by which God is manifested in His creation. We are fully equipped to reveal His glorious hayah. Whatever it means to be created in His image, it at least means that God plans to use my nephesh hayah as a demonstration of His glory.

How far is God from manifesting Himself in your life? Take a breath. That’s how far.

THE 7 ORIGINAL and manifestations leading to Martyn and DUA LIPA are as follows -
the ONE AND ONLY TRUE ORIGINAL OVER ALL OTHER LESSER GODS AND GODDESSES = YAHWEH = FEMALE and MALE =

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God's personal name, YHWH (Yahweh) is also, at its core, the verb hayah. When God manifests His word in Micah, and when He manifests His life in Man, He merely makes tangible what He is. Take that thought and read John 1: 14 from a Hebrew perspective.

The Manifestations of God are appearances of the Divine Spirit or Holy Spirit in a series of personages, and as such, they perfectly reflect the attributes of the divine into the human world for the progress and advancement of human morals and civilization through the agency of that same Spirit. + in John 2:11 it says, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee." This verse highlights how Jesus performed miracles as a way to manifest Himself as the Son of God. Through these miraculous acts, Jesus manifested His true identity and displayed His divine nature.

1:YAH-WEH FEMALE - MASCULINE ASHORAH BECOMES ONE WITH YAH = FEMALE - WEH = MALES SEE Y
2:MARTINUS - ROMAN GOD OF MARS
3:ASHORAH - GODDESS OVER ISRAEL AND THE HEAVENS
4: GODDESS EVE
5: GODDESS MOTHER MARY
6: GOD ADAM AND AS SECOND ADAM YESHUA - JESUS ​​CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR KING OF KINGS
7: MARTYN AND DUA LIPA = ONE
SEVEN {7} = DENOTES COMPLETION PERFECTION IN THE BIBLE MY WORD - DUA = LOVE - lipa = beautiful - AND LEADING WITH PEACE AND LOVE TO ALL OUR FAITH - FULL ONES OUR FAMILY OUR TEMPLE OUR UNIVERSE - I AM LOVES HIS BRIDE AND WIFE DUI and are Godfather and Godmothers - parents and role models to all our God Sons and Goddess Daughters x x

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1:YAW-WEH - 2:MARTYNUS - 3:ASHORAH - 4: TWO AS ONE IN MARRIAGE = ADAM AND EVE - 5: MOTHER MARY - 6: YESHUA - 7: TWO AS ONE IN MARRIAGE = MARTYN AND DUA LIPA

Bible Verses About Seven