One Creator or Many?—The Nature of God and "the Gods" in Hebrew Tradition, Part Two
Report Topics:
- Old Testament word studies of the names Elohim and El and their many variatons and descriptive applications
- Further evidence we are dealing with two distinctive types of deific beings
- Examples of the direct intervention of the Elohim, particularly the entity calling itself Yahweh, into the historical affairs of the Hebrew nation
- The enigma of the Genesis and Hebrews character of Melchezidek, who was never born and never died, yet was present at the anointing of both Abraham and Jesus that took place two thousand years apart
- What is the Elohim connection with the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man?
Full Report:
Word Studies
When we look at the multitude of references to God throughout the Old Testament, we discover that only in later Hebrew literature—from circa 1000 B.C.E. on—do the terms El for one God and Elohim for many “gods” become interchangeable. Before this time, however, particularly in the Pentateuch writings of Moses, there is a clear distinction between the two.
As we noted in Part One, from the very outset, in the first verse of the first book, Genesis 1:1, we are introduced to the plural Elohim or many gods, and the initial word used, bereshith, can be translated to mean “the created six.” These six beings had a definite “beginning”—they had been brought into existence by El, the original eternal Deity, yet who were given the ability to “create the heavens and the earth,” as well as Adam and the human race. Subsequently, whenever these Elohim creators appear and interact with humankind, they are given very anthropomorphic characteristics.
This in sharp distinction to El, who is without beginning and without end, has no form whatsoever, exists everywhere, and was regarded as the ultimate and unique Singularity beyond time, space and matter, as well as the primary source of all time, space and matter.
El provided the essential primordial foundations of our universe, then produced the Elohim to complete the process by finishing creation into its present form. As we also noted in Part One, the purpose of humanity’s creation by the Elohim is to now become the new creators who will take creation into its next level of perfection.
By doing an in-depth word study, we can better see the working relationship among El, the Elohim and humankind. El the Eternal is still active within creation, but works through the Elohim who perform the Divine biddings within the material universe. Part of this work is to instruct the Adam race and guide them to fulfill their destiny in the meta-creation of a new universal reality.
As we shall find, in the vast majority of cases it is the form Elohim that is used for “God,” while in far fewer instances El and other deific titles appear in the early Hebrew texts. However, in each of their usages are preserved a number of subtle yet revealing insights into the ever-continuing creative process between the two sets of Divine beings.
Very significantly, the first mention of El does not appear until the fourteenth chapter of Genesis, when Abram (later to be renamed Abraham) receives the blessings of the ”Most High God” (El) from a mysterious high priest named Melchezidek. Concurrent with this event, the first patriarch raised his hand in honor “to the Lord” (Yahweh). The fact that El and Yahweh are not the same deity is made clear in verse 22, where reference is given to “God Most High (El), possessor of heaven and earth.” The word translated as “possessor” is the Hebrew qanah, which has the initial connotation of “creator,” as it is presented in Proverbs 8:22.
Yet it also has the deeper meaning, “to acquire, to receive, to set up,” which implies the interaction between two entities, one to the other. As seen in other later contexts, the all too human-like Yahweh is definitely an Elohim, and here it is revealed that this being received heaven and earth from El, to be “set up,” formed and finished in a final act of creation. This is further indicated by an even deeper connotation for qanah, “to be possessed by,” to be instilled, embedded, pointing to the spirit-seed of El as contained within all existence, through which Yahweh as a creator then completes all things.
Furthermore, only after the blessing with the power of El and the awakening of the same creative power as the Elohim within him, is Abram/ Abraham then contacted by the Elohim who is identified as YHWH and Adonai (the plural form of Adoni). Events are then put into motion for the miraculous pregnancy of the patriarch’s wife, Sarai/ Sarah, and the birth of their son, Isaac. This was also the birth of the Hebrew people as a nation, and the beginning of their deep impact on world history.
The terms Adonai and Adoni appear in numerous places strongly linked with both the Elohim and Yahweh. Its earliest use is in Genesis 2:4 - 7, within the primary creation story, with reference given to Adoni Elohim, “Lord God(s).” In Genesis 24:7, Adoni Elohai ha-Shamyin is translated as “Lord (of the) God(s) of Heaven,” and portrays the Elohim who dwell in the rest of the physical universe. In Exodus 6:3 we find Adoni YHWH, “God Almighty,” suggesting that Yahweh is a designation for the chief among the Elohim. In Isaiah 6:3 is Adoni Ts’vahot, “Lord of Hosts”—again, a chief of the collective Elohim, by which “the earth is filled with (their) glory.” In Isaiah 44:6 are these words, “This is what the Lord(s) (Adonai, plural) said—I am the first and I am the last.” Thus the Elohim have a finite existence. They had a definite beginning (Genesis 1:1) and will have a definite end (or did they already?).
In Isaiah 51:13 Adonai as the plural form is again presented, the verse translating as “Lord(s) our Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth,” identifying the Elohim as the creators of the present physical universe and our own planet. This thought is reiterated in Jeremiah 10:16, where Adonai again appears as “Lord(s) Almighty, the Maker(s) (finishers) of all things.”
Zechariah 14:5 refers to Adoni Elohi, saying, “Then the Lord of my god(s) will come, and all the holy ones with him.” Is this a prophesied return of the Elohim—and have they already accomplished this in the invisible spiritual planes? (see Part One). A few verses farther along, in Zechariah 14:9, we find the statement, Adoni Ekhad Osh’mu Ekhad, “The Lord is One.” The context here is that the Elohim, through El, act as One together. Ezra 7:24 offers Adoni Elohai Ahvi-taynu, “Lord of our Fathers.” Here, fathers are not only those among humankind, but can also point to the fathers among the Elohim, who had their own children, the “Sons of God(s) mentioned in Genesis chapter six.
The Psalms make several additional noteworthy references—Adonai (83:18) “Most High Lords (plural form) over all the earth” (limited to this physical sphere), Adoni Osaynu (95:6), “Lord Our Maker (identifying the Elohim as the creators of humankind), Adoni Elohaynu (99:5), “Lord of our God(s),” and (147:5), “Great is our Lord (Adoni), and mighty in power, his understanding has no limit” (greater intelligence).
One usage that appears to be an exception is found in Joshua 22:22, where Adonai El Elohim is given as “Lord God of gods.” The plural form of “Lord” indicates there is more than one subject here, and the title is applied to El within the context that El is above the Elohim.
There is definitely a connection between these Old Testament titles and one that appeared a millennium later in the Christian canon. We have tried to keep our focus on exclusively Hebrew sources for our study, but the apostle John’s Book of Revelations, written in the first century, contains such a rich heritage of Hebrew symbolism in its prophecies that it is hard not to include it here. In Revelations 19:16 are the words Adon ha-Adonim which, through the Greek, is translated as “Lord of (the) Lords.” By this title, as John applied it to Jesus as the “Son of God(s),” was he prophesying that the Nazarene is destined to become the new head of the Elohim, in the spiritual realms?
Going back to the Genesis story of Abram/ Abraham, it was here that we previously met with an enigmatic person named Melchezidek who gave a special blessing of the powers of El to the patriarch in the form of an anointing. He is described as the “priest of the Most High God” (El) and king (ruler) of the city of Salem (“place of peace”), which later became Jerusalem (“place of peace for the Jews”). Except for his role in the actual anointing process, this is the sum total of information the Genesis texts offer us about Melchezidek.
Not until many centuries later, in the Christian writings of the Book of the Hebrews, are we given deeper insights into this pre-Israelite character. Who, exactly, was the author of the book remains unknown—all we can say for sure is that it was not Paul or any of the other major apostles. Biblical scholars point to the polished style and peculiar Greek vocabulary as suggesting that the writer had been a member of the early church in Alexandria, and may have been an associate of the apostle Mark who founded the first Christian communities in Egypt. The fact that the subject matter was directed toward both orthodox and converted Jews—the reason for which it became known as the Book of the Hebrews—implies the author had also been a Jew. Very likely he had been a former member of the large Jewish quarters that had existed in Alexandria for a number of centuries.
The esoteric themes depicted also suggest that the writer had access to obscure historical and spiritual documents of ancient Hebrew origins, from which he gleaned now lost information about the earliest days of his peoples’ past.
In particular, Hebrews 5:10, 6:20 and all of chapter seven refer to Melchezidek, which in the Greek is rendered as Melchisadee. He is described as having been a “king of righteousness” or a “divine king who is righteous.” According to the author, Melchezidek anointed not only Abram/ Abraham but also many others to form a pristine priesthood called the “Order of Melchezidek.” Throughout the history of the Israelites, this secret priesthood, because it had been established first, had precedence even over the priests of Levi who officiated in the Hebrew Tabernacle, and later the three Temples of Jerusalem. Implied within the text is that the earlier Order was not a physical priesthood, but one of the soul, each candidate declared, “You are a priest forever to the Order of Melchezidek.” Thus it involved a karmic responsibility that was to last from lifetime to lifetime.
Significantly, the author of the Book of the Hebrews revealed that Jesus of Nazareth was secretly anointed into the Order, and thus completed and fulfilled the inherited line of the priesthood extending all the way back to Abram/ Abraham. Like Abram, Jesus also received the power of El, plus the creative energies of the Elohim were likewise awakened within him.
Going further, Hebrews 7:3 makes this amazing statement: “Melchezidek was without father, without mother, without genealogy (no offspring), having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God (theos), remaining a priest continually (always).” The rest of the text then compares Melchezidek with Jesus, and his claim to be a “Son of God.”
Noteworthy, in Biblical Greek theos (or theon) can refer in general terms to a single god or object of worship. But tracing this word back to its historical source in ancient Greece, we find that in the context of its more classical language usage, theos was originally understood to stand for more than one god. As in the Greek pan-theon, it was the closer equivalent to the Hebrew Elohim, representing a group of deities.
But unlike the “Sons of God(s) (Elohim) in Genesis chapter six, or Jesus as the “Son of God(s) (theos) in the New Testament, Melchezidek is described as not having been born through a human mother—he had no parents, either physical or spiritual and no offspring. This can only mean that he was a member of the original Elohim generation, created by El, one of the first (six) creator beings described in Genesis 1:1, who was somehow instantaneously manifested into material existence. He appeared, did his anointing work of creating a perpetual priesthood, then disappeared—like Enoch, Elijah and Jesus—”translated” or “transfigured” back into the heavenly Elohim fold.
The verses imply further that this being came and went repeatedly, being solely responsible for each and every anointing process into his Order over a very long period of time. In other words, the same person who anointed Abram also anointed Jesus over two millennia later.
Right after this, Melchezidek and the rest of the Elohim vanish from human history. Jesus had completed and finished the work of the Order, which was now superceded by the initiation and work of his “holy blood-line.”
Was Melchezidek alone, or had there been other primary Elohim who materialized from time to time and then later also vanished, leaving their indelible mark on human spiritual development?
In the era of Abraham and afterwards, among his immediate descendants, references to El continue to be instilled in the scriptural writings:
Genesis 17:1 offers it as “Almighty God,” with the additional title “Lord” as Shaddai, a name of uncertain derivation.
It is also found as El Shaddai in Genesis 28:3, 43:14 and 49:25, plus also in Numbers 24:4.
In Psalms 91:1 occurs a slight variation, El Shadi.
The descriptive El likewise appears in these other texts:
*Genesis 21:33—”Everlasting God (eternal existence)
*Exodus 15:11—”Who is like you Lord God among the gods (Elohim)
*Deuteronomy 10:17—”The Lord your God is God (El) of gods (Elohim) and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome (omnipotent)
*Joshua 3:10—”living God” (always existing)
*Joshua 22:22—”The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods (repeated twice, as if being recited by more than one entity)
*First Samuel 2:3—“The Lord is the God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed” (karmic responsibility is determined)
*Nehemiah 1:5—”Lord God of the heavens (infinite space), O great and awesome God”
*Nehemiah 9:32—”the great, the mighty and awesome God”
The Book of Job was considered to be the most ancient book, existing long before the works of Moses. In the genealogies of Genesis chapter eleven, Job is identified with Jobab, one of the immediate descendants of Noah, and is thought to have lived several thousands of years before Abraham. True to form, in the vast majority of citations, God is given as El. However, there are a few notable exceptions. Job 1:16 and 2:1 describe how the “sons of God(s) (Elohim) came before the Lord” (Yahweh), the two being of the same spiritual origins. Job 1:16 recounts that, “the fire of God (Elohim) fell from heaven (the sky),” burning up Job’s sheep and servants. In Job 38:7, the hapless victim of the testing of the “gods” asks, “Who laid its (the Earth’s) cornerstone (at creation), when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God (Elohim) shouted for joy?” The “morning stars” are other created beings in the universe. The verse shows that the Elohim were having offspring even before the creation of the Earth, when other inhabitants were being created on other planets.
In Genesis 46:2,3, the Divine speaks to the patriarch Jacob, telling him, “Here I am…I am God (El), the God of your fathers,” Abraham and Isaac. A few generations later, when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, once more El announces the Divine Presence to Moses using the same words, in Exodus 3:14, 15:11, 12, “I AM sent to you…I AM WHO I AM,” which in the Hebrew is given as Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh.
This phrasing has many fascinating levels of connotation. It implies, first of all, that El is above everything and is therefore unknowable. El is above time, space and all matter, who is everywhere in the same instant and eternally present. El is the only existing Reality of Realities that comprehends all of creation at the same moment forever. El is the God who sees everything, because El is already there, everywhere.
El is eternal, sufficient unto itself, alone. All things, all beings exist through this First Being. Nothing else existed before, and nothing else will exist after all creation is re-absorbed back into El, the Source of sources. “I am who I am” can also be translated, “I will be what I will be.” El contains all the possibilities of creation past and future. Without El there would have been no creation, no past. And everything that could possibly be thought, God (El) has already thought. The creation of the physical universe—bounded by time, space and matter—allows the Divine Thoughts to be manifested, experienced and fulfilled by the rest of the self-aware universe over vast cycles of existence.
Yet it is also made clear that, to complete the materialization of creation, El works and speaks through the Elohim to humankind. In Exodus 6:2 - 4, El informs Moses that the First Deity once spoke to Abraham and Isaac, but now comes to him and the children of Israel under a different name, YHWH, by which “I am not known to them,” that is, no longer remembered. As we noted in an earlier time, in Genesis 15:2 Abram addressed God as both El and as an Elohim—
the entity YHWH, also known as Yahweh or the Latinized Jehovah.
In Exodus 15:11, Moses recognizes, “Who is like you (El) among the gods (Elohim),” thus distinguishing between the two, while also acknowledging that the One predominates over and communicates through the others.
This distinction is further emphasized several times, in Exodus 20:3, 34:14, Deuteronomy 4:25, 5:9, 6:15 and Joshua 24:19, where it is revealed that “the Lord your God am a jealous God…you shall worship no other god(s), for the Lord whose name is Jealous (qanna), is a jealous God.” What we have here is a prohibition that only El was to be worshipped, but not any of the “gods” (Elohim). In other words, the Elohim were to be honored, respected and listened to as ruling spiritual beings—their instructions and teachings (including commandments) were to be followed to the letter—but they themselves were not be be idolized as supreme deities. Only El was to be so regarded.
In these same verses, what is translated as the oft-repeated title “Lord your God” should actually be given as two separate entities, with “Lord” as Yahweh and “God” as El. This is further seen by the use of qanna for “jealous,” which can also mean, “zealous, active.” This is directly related to the word qanah, which we saw earlier means “to acquire, to receive, to set up,” and refers to the interaction between two groups of beings in the process of completing creation—El giving primordial matter to the Elohim in order to “set up,” finish, fulfill the universe to its present state.
Still other texts offer us more hints as to the hidden natures of both El and the Elohim, and their relationships to one another:
In Genesis 16:33, reference is made to El Ro-yi, “the (One) God Who Sees All.”
In Genesis 21:33, Abraham calls upon El Olam, translated as “Everlasting God,” which in the context here can have the deeper meaning of “One who exists beyond the cycles of time.”
Genesis 31:5 offers Elohai Ahvi, “God(s) of my Father,” pointing directly to the Elohim having been the created “offspring” of their Father, El. This is a primary example of the early distinction made between the two classes of deities.
Numbers 16:22 mentions “God(s) (Elohim) of the (many) spirits.”
Deuteronomy 33:27 speaks of the “Eternal God” (Elohai Kehdem) with everlasting arms.” This is one of the very few verses that suggests that some of the Elohim (but not all of them) are going to have an infinite existence into the future.
Job 33:4 invokes the name Ruah El, the Spirit of God (El), given elsewhere as Ruah ha-Kadosh, the Holy Spirit. The differentiation is made here from Ruah Elohim, variously translated as the Spirit of God(s) or the Breath of God(s) exhaled into Adam in the Genesis creation.
Joshua 3:11 speaks of “God(s) (Elohim) of all the earth,” who are also associated with the Ark of the Covenant as the instrument of their physical powers.
Psalms 18:12 reveals, “He (El) makes darkness his veil.” This is reiterated in Psalms 30:8, “He hides himself,” and again in Psalms 91:1, “He dwells in the secret place, in the most high (heavens, dimensions), in his shadows he remains there.” The imagery here is that the “darkness, shadows” as well as the “secret place” all refer to the vast black inaccessible expanses of the universe (Dark Matter? Dark Energy?), where the ultimate nature of an Eternal God remains unknown and unknowable, because it is infinite, eternal, above the limiting aspects of time, space and matter.
In Psalms 29:3 we are introduced to the “God (El) of glory” (energy, power) “who thunders,” having a greater sound (vibration) than “mighty waters” cascading. The imagery here is of an all-pervasive energy (omnipresent) that fills the universe.
Psalms 33:6 offers, “By the word of Yahweh (chief Elohim) the heavens were made and all their hosts by the breath of his mouth.” The deeper meaning gives “their” (belonging, dwelling in) “hosts” (other physical inhabitants, creatures living on other physical planets), were created by means of the breath-spirit of life (Ruah Elohim).
Psalms 48:14 states, “For this God(s) (Elohim) is our God(s) forever and ever, (they) will be our guides to the end.” The word used for “forever and ever” is olam, which does not mean eternal but instead refers to a “period of long duration.” More specifically, it designates “lasting for an age, for the time length of the present world.” This contrasts with ad, meaning “everlasting” or “continuity”, which is used to depict the eternal existence of El. Here, it is not just humankind’s physical existence that is limited, but so also is that of most of the Elohim themselves. As the verse says, they are destined to “be our guides to the end“—their own as well as ours. When their purpose as creators is finished, they will move on and leave us behind, to inherit their powers. Because we are no longer witness to their physical presences in the world, it would appear that the transcendence of the Elohim has already happened.
In Psalms 57:2 we discover the very revealing title Elohim El-yon, the verse translated as “God Most High who fulfills Divine purpose through me.” In other words, El works through the Elohim on behalf of their created human offspring. Again, this is a good example of the distinctions made to the types of entities which once existed and their relationship.
Psalms 68:4 speaks of Yah, “he who rides in the clouds” (a decidedly anthropomorphic activity), the name being a shortened version for Yahweh, one of the Elohim.
In Psalms 72:17 we are told that “His (Elohim) name (energy vibration) will endure forever (olam, a duration of finite time), continuing as long as the sun.” Today we know that our physical sun will last for several more billion years, but then it will come to an end.
Psalms 77:14 reads, “You are God (El) who performs miracles (acts above and beyond time and space), and you display your power (physical manifestations) among the people” (that is, through the Elohim). Elsewhere, El is given the parallel designation Kivyakhol—”Who makes the impossible possible.”
Psalms 80:7 describes how “O God(s) of Hosts (Elohim Ts’vaot), your face(s) shine.” Are these the same as the “Shining Ones” portrayed in the Book of Enoch?
Another significant title appears in Psalms 84:2 as El Khi, given as “Living God.” The Hebrew Khi is directly related to such words as Qi or Chi, found in several Eastern philosophies and disciplines as the name of the primordial Life Energy which animates all things. In the verse here, El is identified as the ultimate source of this primary living force.
In Psalms 89:26, God (El) is given the additional designation as Ahvi or Father, with the implication of being the original Creator of everything. This was later reflected in the New Testament Book of James, in which the apostle wrote concerning Ahvi ha-M’orot, “Father of the heavenly lights.” This does not refer to the starry skies but rather to the spiritual lights or other dimensional beings who also inhabit the universe, including the Elohim.
Psalms 99:8 describes God as El No-say, which means “the God who forgives.” Ultimately it is the Eternal Deity who has the power to release an individual from karmic responsibility, and thereby change the flow of time itself.
Second Kings 19:15 identifies the “God(s) (Elohim) as being “over all the kingdoms of the earth.”
Isaiah 6:3 notes, “His (singular, El) presence (spirit) fills the earth.” The thought here is repeated in Jeremiah 23:24 which reveals, “For I (singular, El) fill both heaven and earth.” The word “fill” here is mala, which means “full, fulness, complete.” This implies the singular eternal nature of El, being alone and by itself, for only one thing can fill everything.
In Isaiah 7:14 is the prophecy concerning the future birth of a child whose name shall be Immanu-El, meaning God (El) is with us.” As noted previously, in Part One, Jesus as the “son of God(s)” was born to Mary by way of the Elohim Gabriel, who instilled the Divine Presence (Gabri-El) into his mother to establish a new blood-line of special guides among humankind. This prophecy is further expanded a few verses later, in Isaiah 9:6, which reads, “Unto us a child is born, to us a son is given.” The text goes on to describe how the Elohim will “place the government” (ruleship, guidance) “upon his shoulders” (through his seed or blood-line) “and he will be called” (or through him will work) “the Everlasting Father” (Ahvi Ahd or El), “the prince” (progenitor) “of peace.” The role of the Elohim in this endeavor can be found in the New Testament writings of the apostle John (1:29) where we find the title given to Jesus of She ha-Elohim, the “Lamb of God(s) who takes away” (forgives, transforms) “the sins” (karmic responsibilities) “of the world” (humankind). As we saw above, in Psalms 99:8, only El can “forgive” and change the flow of time. So the power of not only the Elohim but also the power of El was embedded into the life and works of Jesus of Nazareth.
In Isaiah 40:28, El is offered the additional title of Bo-ra, which is given as “Creator.” This contrasts bara-shith in Genesis 1:1, who are the “created creators,” the Elohim. The text here reads, “Everlasting God the Creator of the ends of the earth” (primordial form, its etheric structures), “who does not grow weary and tired” (ageless), “and whose understanding no one can fathom” (omniscient).
In Isaiah 57:15 appears the term Ka-dosh, “Holy One,” given for El as found in the verse’s message, “For this is what the high and lofty One says, He who lives forever, whose name is Holy.” This is related to Ruah ha-Kadosh, the Holy Spirit of El.
Jeremiah 10:10 offers the title Elohim Emet, “True God(s),” in association with another title, Melekh Olam, translated as “eternal king.” As we noted earlier, in Psalms 48:14 (see above), olam in its more specific sense refers to a “duration of time,” an “age”, a finite period of existence.
In Jeremiah 32:27 is the title Elohai Kawl Bahsar, “God of All Humankind”, pointing to the Elohim as the creators of the Adam race.
Not until we get to the time of King David and King Solomon, about 1000 B.C.E., does the distinction between the use of El and Elohim for God become somewhat muddled. For example, in the Book of the Psalms, El begins to be described with the anthropomorphic attributes of the Elohim: Ps. 7:11—God (El) is angry, Ps. 10:11—God forgets and hides his face, Ps. 10:12—God lifts up his hand, Ps. 18:47—God avenges, Ps. 52:5—God threatens to destroy, Ps. 68:24—God travels, Ps. 94:1—God is vengeful. We also find in the Psalms that Elohim is mentioned over El by almost three to one.
The same can be said of the writings of the later prophets, from Isaiah through to Malachi. Confusing the issue further is the introduction of a third word, elah, which regards God as merely an “object of worship.”
Clearly, in these later Hebrew writings, while the pronouncements of God remain spirited and passionate, the actual language references to God were transformed into vague poetic expressions, and El and Elohim were used interchangeably along with other terminologies.
Here and there, however, the usage of El pointing to a supreme infinite Deity did manage to shine through. Here are some textual examples:
*Psalms 18:30—God whose way is perfect (infinite, eternal)
*Psalms 19:1—The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament (infinite space) is his handiwork
*Psalms 77:14—You are God who works wonders (miraculous events outside of time, space and matter)
*Psalms 90:2—From everlasting to everlasting (with no beginning or end) you are God
*Psalms 136:26—Thanks to the God of heaven (infinite space) who endures forever (eternal existence)
*Isaiah 9:6—Mighty God, everlasting (eternal)
*Isaiah 14:13—God who is above the stars (exists beyond the physical universe)
*Isaiah 40:18—To whom can you liken God or compare him to? (nothing exists that is higher)
*Isaiah 43:10, 11—Before me there was no God found, nor shall there be after me—I, even I, am (omnipresent)
*Isaiah 43:12, 13—I am God, before the day was (before time came into existence) I am he (I was here)
*Isaiah 45:15—You are God who hides yourself (exists beyond the physical universe)
*Isaiah 45:22—I am God and there is no other (eternal singularity)
*Isaiah 46:9—I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like me (eternal singularity)
*Jeremiah 32:18—The Great, the Mighty God whose name (being the original source) is the Lord of hosts (who brought all other beings, including the Elohim, into existence)
*Daniel 11:36—God (above) the gods (El who created and rules over the Elohim)
*Hosea 1:10—You are the sons (created offspring) of the living God (who has always existed)
*Micah 7:18—Who is a God like you? (infinite singularity)
*Malachi 2:10—Have we not all one Father (the original source)? Did not one God create everything? (source of everything)
One of the most unusual descriptions of “heaven” and its inhabitants was given in a vision to the prophet Daniel, as recorded in the Book of Daniel, chapter 7, verses 9 - 10, 13 - 14. Here, “God” is identified as Atik Yomaya, the “Ancient of Days.” He sits on a throne among many thrones, wears garments like white snow, and has hair like lamb’s wool. His throne is composed of tongues of fire, and wheels of blazing fire, out from which flow rivers of fire. The deity is attended and served by thousands upon thousands of other beings who constantly surround him. He spends his time officiating over a judicial court, reading from books and pronouncing judgments.
In many ways Daniel’s vision is similar to that of Isaiah, who in 6: 1 - 8 portrays God dwelling in a heavenly temple, has a face and legs, wears robes, speaks, and is covered by beings called Seraphim. In a parallel vision by Ezekiel, these are also called the Hayot, or holy creatures who hold up God’s throne.
In all these instances, the many human-like attributes given point to the divine entity in question being an Elohim, and certainly not El. Daniel’s title for him, “Ancient of Days,” confirms this on two counts. First, the reference to “days” or day-cycles suggests someone who is bound to the constrictions of time. Second, his appearance as being “ancient,” with whitened hair, is indicative of a person who is ageing over time, growing older. Also, the word usage for the other beings who “attend, serve” this deific character implies he is surrounded by family members or offspring—in other words, these are the children of the Elohim.
Following this portrait, Daniel then focuses his attention on a second entity who makes an appearance before the Ancient of Days. The prophet saw “one like a human being coming with (into) the clouds of heaven.” To him the ageing Elohim gives “dominion (predominance), glory (power) and kingship (rulership),” declaring “all peoples and nations and languages must serve him.” Furthermore, it is said of this mysterious person, “his dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship shall not be destroyed.”
When we analyze this description in detail, we find these elements: “One like a human being” must be someone who is representative of the Adam race of humankind. “Coming in (through) clouds of heaven”—in the present tense, this depicts a person who has ascended from the physical dimensions and is now passing through the higher dimensions (clouds) to meet face-to-face with a member of the Elohim. Subsequently, the individual in question does not depart and return to the physical world, but remains in the presence of the Ancient of Days, presumably at his side.
Jewish Gnostic writings, in commenting on this vision, suggest that what is happening is that all humankind is being enthroned as a second deity, and are offered equal creative powers as the Elohim. But they are given dominion only over the purely terrestrial realms of the Earth—which is inclusive of “all peoples, nations and languages.”
More importantly, the verb “coming” can also be interpreted in a future tense, with the transcendence from the physical to the spiritual realms being an ongoing and continuous process.
The question remains, however, is this merely a generalization for all of humankind, or is this transfigured person someone specific?
The earliest recorded account of this phenomenon having taken place involved the Antediluvian patriarch Enoch. Genesis 21:24 tells how “Enoch walked with God(s) (Elohim), then he was no more (he did not die but was translated), for the God(s) took him.” Some of the later versions of the Book of Enoch describe how Enoch was “taken unto heaven” where he was eventually transformed into “a fiery angel”—an Elohim named Metatron, who is depicted, most interestingly, as “a lesser Yahweh.” Other possible transcended individuals include Moses and Elijah, the latter having been transported to “heaven” in a “fiery chariot.”
Christian advocates of course immediately point to Jesus of Nazareth as their one and only likely candidate. He claimed to be a “son of God(s),” was born as the result of a direct Elohim intervention and established his “holy blood-line,” then was finally “translated” back to his “Father(s)” into the “heavens.”
Thus, Jesus never was nor was he ever a part of the “Holy Trinity Godhead,” as is now espoused by present traditional Christian doctrine. Rather he was “deified” to become a member of the Elohim family, being part Elohim himself. He now resides, according to New Testament texts, on the “right hand of the God(s)”—just as it is implied in Daniel’s vision.
[Copyright 2009. Joseph Robert Jochmans. All Rights Reserved.]
