The very first verse in the Bible says so much. Not only does it show how the whole universe was created, such as universal laws, the physical world, and how all life began, Creation Thoughts and Creation Lessons, it also shows who created it all. But there is a secret hidden in the verse that many will never see. In English, the most common translation is of course, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth". As most sane people would know and understand, the Bible was not written in English. It's original language for the most (for we have to remember it wasn't all written at once) is Hebrew. So let's look at the text in Hebrew. Genesis 1:1
- Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'aretz.
Here is a breakdown of this verse:
- Beresheet means in the beginning. Time is referenced here. The beginning of all we know. And all we know starts at one point...in time.
- Bara means out of nothing. Absolute void. This is referencing the big bang. All of a sudden out of nothing comes everything.
- Elohim means God. But it is a plural noun with a singular (bara) verb. This is referencing the fact that God is omnipresent but also that God is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. There is a strong meaning here that emphasizes a Trinity.
- Hashamayim means heavens. Space is referenced here. This is a plural noun. All that is out there beyond our existence is hashamayim. Yes, that could also mean the place where God dwells. But in this instance it is talking about creation of a physical universe.
- Ve'et is translated as "and". This goes without saying what it means.
- Ha'aretz means earth. Matter is being referenced here. At first the earth did not have a shape and no dry ground was here. This means earth as in "not space". Our physical planet.
All of that has been referenced before and written about. Most Christians would understand all that has been said above, at least understand it. But there was one word that was skipped over. No one really ever discusses it. The word "et" is never talked about. The reason why is probably because it cannot be translated, until now. In Hebrew it is never translated in English. Look at this example: Genesis in Hebrew. In all references this word is never translated. Why?
The letters are et in English letters. But in Hebrew they are actually alef and tav. Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and tav is the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet. So why is it there and what does it mean? If we understand that this term is not a real word we can figure this out. Alef tav means the beginning and the end. Does that sound familiar? Jesus said in Revelation He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. That is translated from Greek. In Hebrew it is I am the Alef and the Tav, the beginning and the end. Jesus is right there in creation. But even more fascinating is the placement of the word.
If we understand the symbolism in the Bible, numbers are very symbolic. Such as 3 is unity, 5 is grace, 12 is completion and so forth. Seven is the number of God, perfection. That is why Menorahs have seven lamps. Revelation is filled with signs of sevens. Jesus told Peter to forgive 70 times 7. There are many other references to seven. Now go back and read the passage in Hebrew. There are seven words. The word in the middle is Alef Tav. Jesus is in the middle of creation. What's even more interesting is that if you go through all of the first chapter, each part that describes a piece of creation--light, animals, and plants, the word Alef Tav is in the middle of each verse!!!!
John 1:3:
- All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
15 comments:
I was studying the other day and found a reference in an old concordance. It said that Elohim was originally interpreted as "Holy Ones". What do you do with that? :-) You can imagine where my mind goes. What do you think?
What do I do with that? I embrace it.
That’s a very in-depth response.
I am stating that I agree with that. It most definitely could mean "holy ones". And that would fit with all that I have ever stated. It could also explain the part of the scripture that calls man elohim. We who follow Him are the holy ones, through the grace of Jesus.
I have to check it out first, but if I'm correct, I am leaning towards the belief that Elohim, The Holy Ones, point to one of two things.
1. God, being the Father, Son, Spirit, The Word of God, The Hand of God, created the universe. We don't truly understand that, but it supports Colossians 1:16-18.
or
2. In the same way, God enlists and empowers us to facilitate the furthering of his Kingdom, God also enlisted and empowered the angels, possibly others, in the creation process.
Your thoughts?
I do not like the second opinion...not at all.
Why? If God uses us to further the Kingdom of God, then why is it so hard to believe that he enlisted and empowered the angels to create the universe and all within. Isn’t opinion 1 and 2 the same thing? If God pronounce each day good, wouldn’t that mean that it had a potential to be bad? Therefore, that would mean others, who had a potential to make a mistake, were involved?
As you stated, 1 Corinthians 1:15-18, and also John 1:3. Clearly both of them state the Creator is Jesus. Again...Jesus being God the Father, one and the same, let's not go there.
My reasons based on the above scriptures are if man, even created beings called angels, were to help Him with creation then that would partly make us gods. Especially if it is a singular verb. If "we" are part of "us" then we are one with God, making us God and not part of creation. Can man create on his own??? Now if you're saying He asked man for his opinion about what to make...I would still say no. What you have said here, and forgive me, is really close to what Paul the Puritan would be close to saying, wouldn't it? God created, that's all Biblical.
Being called good is not necessarily meaning the potential creation could have been bad more along the lines of God ordaining all He did for us. Letting us know it was all meant for good for us. And then when we were created he called it very good, again showing us we were His best, moved loved of all creation.
I am in the middle of getting my lesson for class for tomorrow and we're studying Genesis. Let me to my last comment with this: Genesis 3:22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” If man took part in creating then why would God banish the man on earth? Who is the "us" in this passage? Would that be a different "us" than the ones in Genesis 1? I would say no. Notice He said THE man, not THAT man down there. There is a big distinction between the "us" and "man".
Genesis 3:22 should read as, "Yahweh (of the) Elohim (Holy Ones) said, Adam has become like one of us." That's what I'm trying to get across, but you allow traditional Christian teachings to get in the way. Also, there is no definitive article in the Hebrew, within that verse. Check it out. There is no The Man or That Man, just Adam. When you see Adamah, in the Hebrew, you must look at the verbiage to determine if it's Adam or Mankind.
By the way, those verses say that all things were created for and through the Messiah. That is exactly what happens in Genesis. All things were spoken into creation by the Word of God.
By the way, with the exception of the angel theory, this is how I've always interpreted. Back in 2009, I wrote a blog entry, that you actually commented in. I know that you think that I've changed. I have, but not much in this area. Check it out.
Genesis 1:1 - In The Beginning, Part Two
You didn't really clear up what you mean. Who are "us"?
I don't think you give me enough credit. I have never been exactly mainstream or traditional. I was raised in a Church of Christ but by the time I was 16 or 17 I was reading and studying on my own. I started listening to Christian metal, grew my hair long, and got an earring. Some in my church said I was interfering with my salvation. As the years went by I studied on my own. I was influenced by my dad in many ways. Trust me none of that is traditional. All things I say are from my own mind. What I read and study I feel is from God and what He wants me to know. You and I used to study with the CJB which is not traditional. I will leave it there. So, no....I am really not "allowing" traditional Christian teachings to "get in the way". Heck, I feel the opposite. I think I am changing them! :) Hallelujah :)!!!!
But with that said, don't throw away all what traditonalists say. Traditional says some will go to hell. Are you saying that some will not? (I know you're not saying that). Or did you let traditional Christian thinking get in your way? :) Traditional thinking says the soul and spirit are the same thing. I do not think that. Plus, some of our churches are getting away from many traditional thinking and adding the culture into the church, that to me is worse!
I actually did know that originally it is just adamah, meaning "man" with no article. I feel the article added though is correct and doesn't change the meaning if it means man or mankind since he was the only one here at the time. My point was adamah is different than elohim, otherwise why have two different words? Don't you think it would have been clearer if we were part of us?
All things for him and through him. Yes. I agree. That is what I said. All things spoken into existence by the WORD of God...In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God, The word became flesh----Jesus. We agree here right? I don't see where you're going. Help me out.
I liked that post in Genesis part 1. I agree with it. I believe God is multi (infinite) dimensional. But I am not saying a Trinity is limited by dimensions. He is infinite in His fathership. He is infinite in His Sonship. And He is infinite in His spiritship. He is infinite (there needs to be an infinity button on the keyboard)
I just can't see a created being helping in the creation itself.
What is the Counsel of God? Could you expand on that?
I'm no spring break in 3 weeks by the way.
1.
2. First of all, let me state that I never said that you were mainstream. I know you. However, I do believe that WE are all victims of traditional and erroneous beliefs and we allow those traditional beliefs to hamper our ability to grow close to God.
One of those beliefs is the unbiblical concept of the Trinity. If I am correct, then restricting the identifying characteristics of God to just three retards our ability to fully comprehend God, within our present and finite environment.
Another belief is when we allow the names and birthdates of pagan gods to be used within the Body of Christ, to take the place of what God has put into place. You can present it any way you want, but Easter and Christmas are just two examples of man usurping the Holy Days, which God had put into place for our edification. Genesis 1:4.
Again, let me state that these are not salvational issues. However, they are roadblocks to getting closer to the God of this Universe.
3. The "US" in Genesis, when referring to Elohim is that within his dimensionality, God is One. However, God actions appear to be multiple entities, within our finite 3 spatial + 1 time Space-Time. God appears as the Word of God, Spirit of God, The Committed Father, In the creation account, it appears that God Spoke (The Word of God) and he nurtured or formed his malleable creation elements (The Spirit of God). If we go forward into the time when Adam and Eve fell, then you see The Committed Father, The Word of God, The Spirit of God and the Righteous Right Hand of God at work. They are not different beings or individuals, but Space-Time interactionary perspectives of one God.
A good example of this could be an invading parasite, just biting into the skin of your body, if cognitive of it's surroundings. Your body immediately senses, not necessarily sees this invading parasite, and would began to send out signals to white blood cells, you hand to scratch and all other bodily reactions. The parasite would see this invasion as individual entities trying to attack it. In reality, it is the body reacting to an invading force.
Tying #3 and #4 together, I do not see Y'shua, as God, but as a space-time manifestation of God's Word, (By the way, that is what John 1 says, ) in the same way all creation came to be. God spoke and a human egg became miraculously fertilized within a virgin woman, when the Spirit of God rachaphed or fluttered over the unfertilized egg, like a mother hen. This is the same thing that happened in Genesis 1:2. The one big difference is that Y'shua, this physical space-time manifestation had the fullness of God, within him. This creation or manifestation (Colossians 1:15) had to be a man, not God, in order for the sins of humanity to be redeemed. Y'shua is a human body, mind, spirit and soul, with the Spirit of God fully within him.
Tying that into the "US" and looking at God in the same manner, would you worship the body of Y'shua, and not the mind, spirit or soul. No. In that case, why do we worship one aspect or manifestation of God, to the exclusion of the others? There is no way that you can tell me that most people worship Jesus and think about the Father. I don't buy it.
4. I didn't say to throw away all tradition. Only those traditions that are not supported by God's Word. I apologize if I haven't been clear about that.
5. As for the difference between Adam and Mankind, I'm addressing that in my comment to you on my blog.
Somehow I published my comment prematurely. Ooops.
6. I didn't say that created beings have to ability to create, by themselves, in the same way that we do not have the ability to further his kingdom without him.
7. You said, I believe God is multi (infinite) dimensional. But I am not saying a Trinity is limited by dimensions. He is infinite in His fathership. He is infinite in His Sonship. And He is infinite in His spiritship. He is infinite (there needs to be an infinity button on the keyboard).
That's exactly my point. Not Trinity, but Infinity. Don't lock God in a Box. I think I'll make up some t-shirts to sell with that on it.
Shalom, my brother.
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