I am now going to put my feet into deep water and broach a deep subject that is equally scary for Christian/Messianic polyagmists as it is for monogamists. As far as I know, we are the only Christian polygamists who believe in eternal marriage (which we call eternal echad marriage), or marriage beyond the grave. (Note: We do not believe in Mormon 'eternal' or 'celestial' marriage but in biblical eternal echad (oneness) marriage as I shall now clarify).
Yah'shua (Jesus) said to His disciples:
Then came unto him the Sadducees,
which say there is no resurrection;
and they asked him, saying,
Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s
brother die, and leave his wife behind
him, and leave no children, that his
brother should take his wife, and raise
up seed unto his brother.
Now there were seven brethren: and the
first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
And the second took her, and died, neither
left he any seed: and the third likewise.
And the seven had her, and left no seed:
last of all the woman died also.
In the resurrection therefore, when they
shall rise, whose wife shall she be of
them? for the seven had her to wife.
And Yah'shua (Jesus) answering said unto them, Do
ye not therefore err, because ye know not
the scriptures, neither the power of God?
For when they shall rise from the dead,
they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage; but are as the angels which
are in heaven.
(Mark 12:18-25, KJV)
How Yah'shua (Jesus) Was Misunderstood
Ignorance of the scriptures causes people to have a false understanding
pertaining to the things of Elohim (God). The Sadducees in the days of Christ did
not believe in the resurrection, because of certain theologies that were not
according to the writings of the Torah or the Prophets. Therefore, Christ said to
them that they they were seriously in error because they did not know the scriptures (Mark 12:24).
To understand scripture is to be able to show the true meaning from the
Word of Elohim (God) itself, otherwise we will err just as the Sadducees did.
The question asked by the Sadducees was whether there would be husbands and
wives in heaven. The questioning and reasoning they put forth to Christ
was totally erroneous as they did not back up their theory with sound
doctrine from Elohim's (God’s) written Word. Christ counseled that to understand
the mystery of whether there would be wives in heaven, one must
understand scripture.
Christ’s answer to the Sadducees was that once the dead are resurrected
into Yahweh’s Kingdom they will be as the Angels in heaven were at that time, neither giving
nor receiving in marriage. Christ is not saying that there are no marriages in
heaven - He is simply stating that they neither
give nor receive in marriage in the manner that marriages take place on earth. When a person in this
world wants to marry, the bride is given in marriage to the groom by the bride's father and covenants entered into before witnesses.
In Yahweh’s Kingdom, women will not be given unto men in marriage in this manner. There will be no marriage ceremonies, no weddings, no covenants entered into. The
question then is, how does a person in the Kingdom of Elohim (God) have a wife/wives
or husband, without being given to marry? In the Kingdom men and
women will not marry as in the way that marriage is conducted in this world. To understand this
mystery, you must understand scripture that you do not err pertaining
to the mysteries of Elohim (God).
The First Marriage: Not as Others
The first marriage that is recorded in scripture is found in Genesis 2:21-25.
Elohim (God) created Adam from the dust of the ground. Elohim (God) caused Adam to
name all the land animals in Genesis 2:20 but there was not found for Adam
a help meet (feminine mate). Yahweh knew it was not good for Adam
to be alone (Genesis 2:18).
Elohim (God) did not create Eve from the dust of the ground, as this would have
meant Adam would have been given a wife, a separate being
from himself in every way. However, this was not the case. Yahweh took a
rib from within Adam and made a female Adam called Eve. Adam
then said that Eve was bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh, an exact female likeness of himself (Genesis 2:22-23).
The only marriage that was created by Yahweh-Elohim personally was the marriage
of Adam and Eve. Eve did not BECOME Adam’s wife, because from
the first moment that Yahweh removed the rib from Adam, Eve was
NATURALLY his wife, having been literally brought forth from within
Adam’s body. She was him, and he was her. Those whom Elohim (God) joins, no man is allowed to separate (Mark 10:9).
When Adam died, Eve died also, as it was impossible for one to remain
alive while the other of the two was dead. The only perfect joining of two
(Adam and Eve), coming from the one (Adam), was the marriage that
was created in Genesis by Elohim (God). The day Adam died, Eve died also.
What Elohim (God) joins together let no man divide asunder.
The Two Types of Marriage
Let me recap and summarise. There are two types of marriage recorded in the Bible:
- (a) The Adam/Eve type of marriage which is eternal since they were always married. There were two separate forms but of one identical substance, Adam's substance. Eve is described as "Adam's rib". And though "rib" also has a symbolic meaning it is meant to be understood literally too. Please note that Adam had more than one rib, as do all men. We may therefore say that at least theoretically Adam could have had more 'eternal wives'. Though the Bible only mentions Eve (Heb. Hava), Jewish tradition also mentions another wife called Lilith who fell, yielded to evil, and to this day is a demon(ess). Another tradition mentions a third wife. These traditions are not, however, biblical.
- (b) Human/earthly marriages in which wives are 'given' to their husbands - it is these that Christ is talking about to the Sadducees. These marriages end at death.
The Mystery of Yahweh's Angels
Now I wish to draw your attention to the angels of Yahweh. Do angels have gender? Do they marry? There is a popular notion (a tradition, in fact) that angels have no gender. This cannot be entirely true. For one thing, the fallen angels (Watchers) described in Genesis 6:1-4, whose offspring are called the "nephilim" (giants, mighty ones), married the daughters of men and created a race of giants. You don't have children if you don't have gender and procreative powers. Though this does not necessarily mean that all angels have gender this incident at least proves that some do.
So if Christ says we will be like the angels in the resurrection, does that mean we will all be single for ever, or could it mean that we are married but not in the way that obtains in this sphere? I maintain that the latter is true - we shall be in a condition of marriage but like Adam and Eve and not as we are here today.
Is there any other scriptural evidence that angels have gender? There is. The Angels in heaven have two main titles: Seraph (six-winged; feminine; see Isaiah 6:2) and Cherub (four-winged; masculine; see Ezekiel 10:20,21). That there are male and female angels speaks volumes.
We are not qualified to say more than there are obviously male and female angels and that they have procreative abilities, witness the (wicked) deeds of the Watchers who wwere forbidden from marrying at that time. The fact that they had - and have - gender would suggest that they will marry one day. We may speak, therefore, of this period of time from Creation to the Resurrection (or possible after the Millennium) as the angels' equivalent of childhood as far as being celibate is concerned.
Different Laws, Different Marriages
A fellow believer from the USA, writes:
"There is only one scripture in the Bible referencing marriage after death [Mark 12:18-25 & synoptic parallels] and it has been completely misunderstood. Yah'shua (Jesus) responded to those who did NOT believe in the resurrection and was correct in saying that those under the Law of Moses will be single as the angels -- they are "dead" in Christ. But in the New Covenant promise, the power of Christ can bind men and women into an eternal partnership with the Lord Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ)" (The New Covenant Witness, No.59, January 1999, An Ex-Mormon Christian Asks About the New Covenant, p.37).
He continues:
"Eternal marriage is the principle of being married together in Christ. It is not patterened after the world but after the Spirit. Christ is eternal, and if two [or more] people are bound by His Eternal Spirit and become one in Christ, that union naturally continues after death -- it has become part of an eternal spirit" (Ibid., p.38).
Speaking of the heretical Mormon system he adds:
"The LDS Temple ordinances are external rites, performed by a bogus priesthood, and therefore have no eternal power to bind a couple together. Only Yah'shua (Jesus) can do this spiritually. Again, both husband and wife become one in Christ, and that eternal spirit continues. Being married in the world, even if in a 'church', has no power to bind eternally. Only the Light of Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) can do this, and these keys are 'internal' light given only by Christ Himself" (Ibid., p.38).
These insights lead us to understand that there is a fundamental difference between the outer, legalistic Mosaic Law and the New Covenant one. The Sadducees were coming from a Mosaic perspective in which contracts were only valid in this life. To this day the vast majority of Christians still subscribe to a Mosaic-type marriage covenant in which couples agree to be true to one another "until death do us part". The New Covenant comes with an altogether higher paradigm which states that marriages sealed by the Spirit of Christ are eternal because the Spirit is eternal.
The Pre-Earth Life
We must yet interject another factor in the equation of marriage and that is the question of a pre-earth life or 'pre-existence'. The Bible is ambiguous about this teaching, the passages that refer to it being interpretable in two ways, namely, that we:
(a) existed as spirits before being incarnated in the flesh (this is not, I hasten to add, the doctrine of reincarnation which is a lie of the devil); or
(b) we existed only in Yahweh's 'mind', being made 'for real' at the point of conception in our mother's womb, the doctrine accepted by the vast bulk of Christendom.
This doctrine becomes important in the eternal marriage question if we consider the possibility that our marriages were made in heaven before we incarnated here on life. What this means is that we were 'married' as spirits before we we born and it is these marriages that are the eternal ones if we find and accept Christ in this mortal probation. This ministry would therefore see in the marriage of Adam and Eve a physical type of these eternal marriages. If this were not so, why did Elohim (God) create Eve in this 'peculiar' way? Why not just make her like Adam and join the couple together like other marriages in this world? Because theirs is a type of a perfect, heavenly, Edenic and paradisaical marriage. Thus we would maintain that these are the only true marriages in the eternal sense, since only that which is eternal may be said to be finally true. That which is temporary passes away but that which is in the Spirit continues forever.
The Mystery of the Godhead
Let us now go ever deeper and talk about the Godhead. If you are a Trinitarian and have been taught that the Catholic Nicene and Athanasian Creeds are equivalent to Holy Scripture (which incidentally is contrary to the Protestant Sola Scripture rule as these creeds are not in the Bible), and if you believe - as Triniatrian Churches teach - that all those who oppose the Trinitarian dogma are 'cultists', then you should stop reading and exit this article. If, on the other hand, you are prepared to properly employ the 'Scripture Alone' rule and set aside man-made creeds and instead let Scripture speak for itself, then stay with me.
In the Chavurat Bekorot we preach the Echad Godhead Doctrine which in outline teaches that the Godhead consists of Yahweh the Father - Eloah or El Elyon (the Most High God), Yah'shua (Jesus) the Son, and the Sevenfold Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) who is/are our Heavenly Mother(s). All Three (or Nine) constitute the Elohim ('God') or Godhead. What is important is that we acknoweldge that Yahweh the Father is El Elyon and without equal, and that Yah'shua (Jesus) is His Only Begotten Son and subject to the Father, and that both, together with the Ruach haQodesh/Holy Spirit (however you may conceive this member of the Godhead) are together Elohim or God. This we call Echad Godhead Doctrine. As far as salvation is concerved, we preaches a simple Prototrinitarian doctrine which basically preaches that the Father (Yahweh) and the Son (Yah'shua) are fully Elohim (God). We don't believe that more is needed (for example, on who the Ruach/Spirit is) to be saved and born again.
So we take a non-dogmatic position regarding the composition of the Godhead, saying only what the Bible clearly and unambigiously teaches. Beyond Proto-Trinitarianism we acknowlege that the Bible only makes 'hints' at deeper things and that it is up to each individual to satisfy him- or herself as to the truth of what is ultimately probably unsearchable in mortality. Thus the Trinitarian formulation we would look upon as speculation for whilst it is certainly one possible interpretation of the Scriptures it goes far beyond what is actually written in the Word and owes as much to Greek pagan philosophy as to the Biblical revelation.
Identifying the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)
We believe that the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) is a female Personage and I shall now give the biblical reasons for doing so.
Karen Vaughan, reviewing the book Sophia in the Biblical Tradition (Harper and Row; 1986) by Susan Cady, Marian Ronan and Hal Taussig, writes:
"Sophia, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Hochmah is the feminine personification of Wisdom in the Pentateuch. She is neither a goddess nor a new age creation of feminist theologians. She was a real biblical person with more material on her in the Old Testament (with Apocrypha) than anyone in the scriptures, except God, Job, Moses and David...
"One reason we little consider Sophia, even in readings of the Old Testament, is that English translations usually translate the feminine "Sophia" into the abstract "Wisdom". Although the Greek and Hebrew words were fully feminine, the English is not. The fullest development of her is in the so-called "Wisdom Books" of the apocryphia in the Greek Pentateuch that were canonized into Christian Scripture and are still used by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Sophia dominates the first nine chapters of Proverbs and is found in both the Old and New Testaments.
"In the Hebrew tradition, Sophia was considered to have been with God from the beginning of Creation. In Proverbs 8:27-51, Sophia says:
When God [Yahweh] set the heavens in place, I was present,
When God drew a ring on the surface of the deep,
When God fixed the clouds above,
When God fixed fast the wells of the deep,
when God assigned the sea its limits-
and the waters will not invade the land,
when God established the foundations of the earth,
I was by God's side, a master craftswoman,
delighting God day after day,
ever at play by God's side,
at play everywhere in God's domain,
delighting to be with the children of humanity.
"Sophia, in the biblical creation was not a god, but was a divine being. It is not clear that she was uncreated like Jesus: the word used to refer to her creation also means "acquired" by God. Proverbs 8:22 - "God created me [acquired me] (Sophia) when God's purpose first unfolded." Ecclesiasticus 1:14 - "before all things, Sophia was created." She serves at the heart of the creative process, as Wisdom and as Teacher who was sent by God to save humanity. The book of Wisdom speaks to her divinity (7:25-26):
She is the breath of God's power and a stream of pure glory of the Almighty.
This is why nothing polluted enters her.
For she mirrors God's energy completely, and she images God's goodness."
Let me summarise what the Bible teaches about Sophia:
- (a) She is a created (more properly a divinely 'derived') Being;
- (b) She is Divine
Do we have any indications in the Bible of a similar creation process? We do. If we look at the story of Eve's creation from Adam we find a remarkable parallel. Eve was created out of/derived from Adam in the same way that Sophia was created out of/derived from Yahweh. Eve was created to be a helpmeet and co-ruler with Adam in subjection to him in the same way as Sophia was created by Yahweh from Himself to be a Helpmeet and co-Creator. We may therefore say that in the same way as Eve is the mother of the human race, that Sophia is the Mother of Creation as a Heavenly Mother along with Yahweh our Heavenly Father.
So I repeat: the creation/derivation of Eve from Adam as a helpmeet and companion is a simulitude of the creation/derivation of Sophia (or Hochmah) from Yahweh for similar reasons.
Are we at the Chavurat Bekorot feminists or New Agers? Abolutely not. We are merely acknowledging what the Bible teaches. We absolutely reject feminism and New Age paganism. The purpose of feminism is antithetical to biblical Christianity and the New Age worships a female deity in place of the Father - and whilst they assert this is 'Sophia', it is, in fact, a demon which goes under many names (e.g. 'Maia'). Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) may be said to be 'uncreated' in the same way as the Ruach (Spirit) since He is their Only Begotten Son and is fully Elohim (God). That distinguishes all three, who are immortal, from the angels and mankind (who are mortal).
Our assertion that the Godhead contains Female Deity does not undermine Patriarchy - it does, however, undermine gentile patriarchy which has virtually excluded the female altogether, except in the apostate Catholic Church where they have blasphemously elevated a mortal human being, the Virgin Mary, as the 'Mother of God', even claiming she is 'co-redemptrix', or co-saviour with Christ. We affirm the biblical doctrine most strongly, namely, that there is only one Saviour, Yah'shua (Jesus), whose Name means 'Yahweh Saves'. Thus Helenistic Christianity has removed the Divine Female from the original faith of the Hebrews.
What does this mean for us as Christians? It means a deep respect for the feminine as must of necessity be as we consider the subject further.
The ancient Hebrews knew of Sophia as SHEKINAH which literally means, 'the Divine Presence'. She was also known by the later Israelites as the 'Sabbath Queen'. Her name comes from the Hebrew word shakhan which means 'to dwell'. 'Shekinah' means 'He (Yahweh) causes to dwell'.
And now we come to another mystery and that is the Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh) which in Hebrew is written in Scripture as the Tetragrammaton, 
, or (from right to left): yod 
, hé 
, waw 
, hé . These four Hebrew letters (hence the Tetragrammaton) are very interesting if we examine them closely.
According to Hebrew tradition the four letters of the Tetragrammaton correspond to the members of the Godhead, viz. Father (), Mother (), Son (), and Daughter ().
An examination of Yah'shua's (Jesus') Name (
, meaning 'Yah saves') reveals some startling things. To begin with, the first three letters are or Father()-Mother()-Son() - sons always proceed from two parents. Thus Yah'shua () proceeds from Yahweh the Father () and Shekinah the Mother (), as we would expect. We will come to the two concluding letters (
) presently.
As is well known, not only do individual Hebrew letters correspond to numbers but also to words. Thus Yod () = 'hand' or 'sperm' and the number 10; Hé () = window and the number 5; Waw () = nail and the number 6.
A number of things strike us immediately. Firstly, the Father () is associated with sperm or male creativity; and biblically the number 10 represents completeness of order (as, for example, in the Ten Commandments or Decalogue). Secondly, the Mother or Shekinah () is associated with a window, the Holy Spirit being the window to the Father; and biblically the number 5 is Creation (4 - itself the number of God (3) + (1) a beginning) + 1 or a 'new beginning'. We begin our new life in Christ through a baptism of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit). 5 thus represents 'grace' or 'favour'. Thus the Father is the bringer of Law (Torah) (10) and the Mother is the bringer of Grace (5). Thus combined () they produce the Name YAH, by which God was also known in the Old Testament (e.g. Psalm 68:4, KJV, where the German "Jah" is used), being an abbreviation of Yahweh. Note that this is the name that is in Yah'shua's (Jesus') Name.
Thirdly, the Son () is associated with nail by which He was pierced and fixed to the cross, the sign by which He was to be identified in His resurrected state (John 20:25); and biblically the number 6 represents imperfection, the number of man, for Elohim (God) (perfect) became man (imperfect) as Yah'shua (Jesus) in order to redeem man from the fall. (Note that the mark of the beast in Revelation is 666 or representing an unholy trinity of man, for the beast will make man worship man as God as is already happening in the New Age movement).
YHWH as Applied to the Saviour as Creator and Redeemer
Fourthly, we come to the fourth letter, Hé (), whom I have associated with Daughter and to whom I must return later as other things must first be explained. Note that the letter is identical to the second, and there is a purpose for this. Indeed, on another level, they can refer to Yahweh's two wives, remembering that Yahweh was allegorically 'married' to Israel and Judah.
According to Hebrew tradition the four letters of the Tetragrammaton also have these associations:
which tells us, on one level, something concerning the dynamics of the Godhead. According to Hebrew division the final Hé () is the result of the first three letters acting as one. In other words, force + pattern + activity = form. Thus the fourth letter need not only necessarily refer to a Person but also to a RESULT, namely, the creation of the material Universe. This agrees with the biblical revelation which describes Father, Son and Holy Spirit as Creators. Thus though there are four letters in the Name of the Godhead, only three correspond to Persons per se at this level, as we know from Matthew 28:19 where the Saviour commands His disciples to baptise in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Why this order? Because the Father and Son are uncreated whereas the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) is 'created', that is to say, 'derived', remembering that the Ruach (Spirit) was made as Eve was made, and the Son (in the heavenlies) as sons are made in the earthly as the products of fathers and mothers. But more of this another time for there are greater mysteries than this secreted in the Divine Name .
We must now move on to the mystery behind the Name Yah'shua () which, in addition to the letters for Yah () contains two more: Shin () which corresponds to a tooth (=300) and Ayin () which corresponds to an eye (=70). I cannot say too much about these in this brief essay because one could write a book about them, especially Shin. Suffice to say the concept of an "eye and eye, and a tooth for a tooth" is a well known retributive clause in the Law of Moses (Exodus 21:24; Deuteronomy 19:21). More interesting at this level of discussion is the meaning of the Hebrew shua () which can either mean 'riches' or 'cry', or both (). In the light of Yahshua's mission to redeem mankind it is not difficult to understand where this applies.
As a number of readers have asked about the meaning of the logo on the scepter of the New Covenant Lion I thought I would explain that here and now as we are on the subject. It looks rather like a Russian or Bulgarian "zh" but is, in fact, two Shin's () back to back and somewhat stylised to give symmetry. This is the in the Name of Yah'shua (). The full meaning of this is given in other studies.
The purpose of this little exercise has been to sensitise you to other possibilities - to alternatives to traditional notions about such things as the Godhead. Common sense alone ought really to tell us that the Godhead contains both Male and Female for in the opening chapter of the Bible Yahweh says:
Let US make man[kind] (i.e. male and female) in OUR image, after OUR likeness...So Elohim (God) created man in His own image, in the image of Elohim (God) He created THEM; male and FEMALE He created THEM" (Genesis 1:26,27, RSV).
A Messianic Shocker
Our purpose today has been to explain the spiritual basis of polygamy and why eternal marriage is a biblical option by revealing something of the composition of the Godhead and the rather special marriage that was Adam and Eve's. For a study on why Adam could not have had more than one wife and how polygamy is nevertheless latent in the creation account of our first parents, please see Yesod haB'riah II: The Genesis Foundation of Creation. This is important as there are many Christian and Messianic polygamists arguing that Adam was a polygamist when he was not.
We will end this article by examining a Psalm of David that connects the Saviour Himself to polygamy in mortality. The following is a Messianic prophecy about Yah'shua (Jesus) though it is on the surface level talking about King David. It was such an embarassment to the King James translators and ALL subsequent translators that they fudged it in order to obscure the true meaning. So I am quoting from the Bible commonly in use before the King James team got their hands on it and replaced it with the one commissioned by the English monarch:
"All thy garments smell of myrre and aloes, and cassia, and when thou
commest out of thy youry [ivory] palaces where they have made thee glad.
Kings daughters were among thine HONOURABLE WIVES: upon thy right hand
did stand the Queene in a vesture of gold of Ophir. Hearken, O
daughters, and consider, and encline thine eare: forget also thine owne
people and thy fathers house: So that the King have pleasure in thy
beautie: for he is thy Lord, and reverence thou him" (Psalm 45:8-11,
Geneva Bible, London, 1599).
The 1636 Church of England Bible confirms the translation:
"Kings daughters were among thine HONOURABLE WIVES: upon thy right hand
did stand the Queene in a vesture of gold of Ophir" (v.9).
This verse is cross-referenced to a footnote which reads: "Though he had
many Kings' daughters among his wives, yet he loved Pharoah's daughter
best." (footnote h)
Isaiah wrote that Christ would sit on the throne of David (Isaiah 9:7), a
position the inhabitants of Jerusalem recognised when, as described in
Zechariah 9:9, Yah'shua (Jesus) came "riding upon an ass" and was literally "the
King", inherant to the rights of the throne of David.
Notice how in Psalm 45 this Queen is called to worship the King as her
Lord. If her husband were a mere man, she would not be told to worship him -- an evidence that the King here must be the Son of Elohim (God). Modern versions have obscured the original Hebrew by substituting in v.11 such
phrases as "bow to him" (RSV), "honour him" (NIV), etc.. The King James
says: "worship thou him".
The KJV substituted "wives" for "women" so as not to countenance
polygamy. Other versions write: "honoured women" (NIV), "noble ladies"
(NASV), "maids of honor" (Jerusalem Bible), "ladies of honor" (RSV, New
Oxford Annotated Bible), "the noblest of your women" (Oxford New
English), "King's daughters are among thy favorites" (Holy Scriptures of
the masoretic Text), "your precious ones" (Interlinear Bible), "your
concubines" (Lindsell Bible, Tyndale Bible), etc..
Therefore not only is this passage countenancing polygamy but the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) dared to point the reader to the Messianic King, Yah'shua (Jesus) Himself using polygamous language!
"Kings' daughters were among thine honourable wives"
These are not easy revelations for those programmed to read Scripture with a monogamy-only mindset. The truth, however, cannot be indefinitely suppressed.
Are you still a Bible-believer? Or maybe you only believe it 99.99% now?? I have challenged readers of this site in another article to honestly examine their belief-statements about the Bible - now is your chance to re-evaluate your integrity.
Establishing the Shekinah
The Godhead consists of Father, Son and Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit), the Ruach (Spirit) being the Shekinah or the Heavenly Mother. That the Ruach (Spirit), also known as Wisdom, is female is shown by the plethora of scriptures on Her.
Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: 'To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding. Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who have knowledge'" (Proverbs 8:1-9).
It is through the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) that Yahweh the Father communicates to us invisibly. Without Her we would have no access. However, She is not to be worshipped because She is not the head - Yahweh is the Head. Moreover, in terms of authority, She lies in Third place after Christ because her rôle, in relationship to Her Son, is to bear witness of Him as the Messiah. We see a perfect illustration of this divine order at Yah'shua's (Jesus') baptism:
"As soon as Yah'shua (Jesus) was baptised, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Ruach Elohim (Spirit of God = the Ruach haQodesh/Holy Spirit = Shekinah = Heavenly Mother) descending like a dove (the symbol of the Ruach) and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is My Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16-17, NIV).
Here the Ruach (Spirit) transmits the Father's voice, as the Father's Agent or Messenger, and bears witness of Their Son to those in and around that baptismal scene. Yah'shua (Jesus) commanded us in the Lord's Prayer to only pray to the Father and did not include the Mother who, inspite of Her high position, is a Created or Derived Being. Neveretheless She is honoured and regarded so highly that Yah'shua (Jesus) said that anyone who blasphemed Him could be forgiven but the sin against the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) was unforgivable (Mark 3:22-30; Matthew 12:31-32). You don't mess with a son's mother.
What kind of a Being is the Shekinah?
"I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear Yahweh is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power." (Proverbs 8: 12-14)
If Shekinah is the personification of Wisdom then it is quite possible that someone else is the personification of Prudence with whom She "dwells".
The phrase, "fear of Yahweh," which we often find in the Scriptures, does not mean fright or terror. It means a good relationship with Yahweh based upon reverence and respect. In the passage above the fear of Yahweh refers to righteous living. If we listen to the counsel of the Inner Voice that seeks to guide us, we hear the Father's Living Word of Truth and learn to live in accordance with His plan.
So we see that the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) identifies Herself in Scripture as "Wisdom." When we listen to the Voice of Wisdom,
- We make wise and prudent decisions.
- We possess knowledge and act discreetly.
- We release false pride and arrogance which leads to error.
- When we heed Her counsel, we gain understanding and power because we gain access to Yah'shua (Jesus). Then we shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make us free.
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full. (Proverbs 8: 17-21)
We have already seen how the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) identifies Herself as Wisdom, but do the scriptures identify Wisdom with the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)? They do:
"Yahweh brought me forth as the first of his works, before His deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before He made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. I was there when He set the heavens in place, when He marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when He established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when He gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when He marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was the craftswoman at His side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in His presence, rejoicing in His whole world and delighting in mankind." (Proverbs 8:22-31)
Who was with Yahweh before the world began?
"In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Ruach (Spirit) of Elohim (God) was hovering over the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2)
"Then Elohim (God) said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...' So Elohim (God) created man in His own image, in the image of Elohim (God) He created him; male and female He created them."
(Genesis 1: 26-27)
"By wisdom Yahweh laid the earth's foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place." (Proverbs 3:19)
We learn further that the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) is a divine teacher or instructor which I can see might upset some men with darkened minds who, through misreading the scriptures, do not even allow their women to open their mouths in Church:
"But it is the ruach (spirit) in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding" (Job 32:8).
"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue" (Proverbs 31:26).
"Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favour from Yahweh. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death" (Proverbs 8:32-36).
"For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul" (Proverbs 2:10).
"Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding" (Proverbs 4:5-7).
Prior to the birth of Christ the Shekinah/Ruach haQodesh/Holy Spirit was the divine intercessor with the Father. The Scriptures also make plain in the light of the above that women have leadership rôles in the Messianic Community. In saying this, though, I am not advocating identical leadership rôles but parallel ones. We saw earlier that the second (female) letter Hé () in the Godhead had a different activity to the first (male) letter Yod (). We saw, indeed, that She represents pattern as opposed to force. We also saw, on the second level, that She represents form as the fourth letter Hé () as opposed to activity which is the property of the third (male) letter Waw ()
This is important and if we don't strictly adhere to it we will end up as the feminists in the liberal churches whose work has been so destructive of true patriarchy leading to serious compromises with homosexuality and lesbianism (amongst other things). Accordingly there are different priesthood orders for men and women in the true Assembly of Yahweh (Churh of God).
Yet us first see the characteristics of the Ruach haQodesh's (Holy Spiris't) leadership rôle in the Godhead for this will give us some idea of true women's priesthood rôles here in the earthly Church/Assembly. The following summary is courtesy of Evan Randolph:
1. WISDOM IS VERY POWERFUL -
- "for she is the breadth of the power of God"
- Septuagint, Wisdom VII; 25
"For God (Elohim) loveth none but him that dwelleth with wisdom" - Septuagint, Wisdom VII: 28
- "wisdom reacheth from one end to another, mightily; and sweetly doth she order all things."
- Septuagint, Wisdom VIII: 1
- "The Lord of all things himself loved her. For she is privy to the mysteries of the knowledge of God (Elohim), and a lover of his works." - Septuagint, Wisdom VIII: 2
2. WISDOM WAS INVOLVED IN CREATION-
- "God (Elohim) by wisdom founded the earth" - Septuagint, Proverbs III:19
- "And wisdom was with thee: which knoweth thy works, and was present when thou madest the world" - Septuagint, Wisdom IX : 9
- "And God (Elohim) said, Let us make man according to our image (plural) and likeness.. .And God made man, according to the image of God (Elohim), he made him, male and female he made them." - Septuagint, Genesis I: 25, 27
3. WISDOM PROVIDES SALVATION-
- "For so the ways of them which lived on the earth were reformed, and men were taught the things that are pleasing unto thee, and were saved through wisdom." - Septuagint, Wisdom lX:18
4. WISDOM PROVIDES SANCTIFICATION-
- "and in all the ages entering into men's souls, she maketh them friends of God (Elohim), and prophets." - Septuagint, Wisdom VII: 27
5. WISDOM PROVIDES RECREATION -
- "she maketh all things new" - Septuagint, Wisdom VII: 27
6. WISDOM PROVIDES ETERNAL LIFE-
- "moreover by means of her I shall obtain immortality"- Septuagint, Wisdom VIII :13
- "how that to be allied unto wisdom is immortality" - Septuagint, Wisdom VIII :17
7. WISDOM PROVIDES FULFILLMENT-
- "honour Wisdom, that ye may reign for evermore" - Septuagint, Wisdom VI: 21
- "All good things together came to me with her, and innumerable riches in her hands. And I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom goeth before them: and I knew not that she was the mother of them." - Septuagint, Wisdom VII: 11 - 12
- "If riches be a possession to be desired in this life; what is richer than wisdom, that worketh all things?" - Septuagint, Wisdom VIII: 5
- "and in the works of her hands are infinite riches"- Septuagint, wisdom VIII: 18
- "They that serve her shall minister to the Holy One: and them that love her the Lord (Yahweh) doth love---and he that attendeth unto her shall dwell securely" - Septuagint, Eccles. IV:14-15
- "Behold with your eyes, how that I have had but little labour, and have gotten unto me much rest. Get learning with a great sum of money, and get much gold by her." - Septuagint, Eccles. LI : 27
8. WISDOM PROVIDES PROTECTION-
- "But wisdom delivered from pain those that attended upon her." - Septuagint, Wisdom X : 9
- "She defended him from his enemies, and kept him safe from those that lay in wait." - Septuagint, Wisdom X :12
(Wisdom during Exodus) "Guided them in a marvelous way, and was unto them for a cover by day, and a light of stars in the night season; brought them through the Red sea, and led them through much water: but she drowned their enemies, and cast them up out of the bottom of the deep." - Septuagint, Wisdom X: 17-19
9. WE SHOULD SING THE PRAISES OF WISDOM -
- "And refrain not to speak, when there is occasion to do good, and hide not thy wisdom in her beauty. For by speech wisdom shall be known" - Septuagint, Eccles. IV : 23 - 24
- "I learned diligently, and do communicate her liberally: I do not hide her riches. For she is a treasure unto men that never faileth." - Septuagint, Wisdom VII: 12 - 14
10. WISDOM - HOLY SPIRIT GAVE JESUS (YAH'SHUA) POWER:
- "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and power,a spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord" - NEB, Isaiah xi. 1,2
(ref Jesus) "he is the power of God (Elohim) and the wisdom of God (Elohim)." -NEB, 1 Corinthians 1.24
- "You are in Christ Jesus (Yah'shua the Messiah) by God's (Elohim'ä) act, for God (Elohim) has made him our wisdom..." -NEB, 1 Corinthians i. 30
11. YAH'SHUA (JESUS) SAID THE HOLY SPIRIT (RUACH HA'QODESH) WILL TEACH US:
- "... your advocate, the Holy Spirit (Ruach haQodesh) whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will call to mind all that I have told you..." -NEB, John xiv. 26
- "..you will receive power when the Holy Spirit (Ruach haQodesh) comes upon you..." -NEB, Acts of Apostles i. 8
12. DO NOT SPEAK AGAINST THE SPIRIT:
- "Any man who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit (Ruach haQodesh), for him there is no forgiveness, either in this age or in the age to come." -NEB, Matthew xii.32
- "For into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter: nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin. For the holy spirit (Ruach haQodesh) of discipline will flee deceit,.... For wisdom is a loving spirit; and will not acquit a blasphemer of his words: ... For the Spirit of the Lord (Yahweh) filleth the world: ..." - Septuagint, Wisdom I : 4-7
13. WISDOM IS NOT FOR ALL-
- "She is with all flesh according to his gift, and he hath given her to them that love him." - Septuagint, Eccles. 1:10
- "She is very unpleasant to the unlearned: he that is without understanding will not remain with her. She will lie upon him as a mighty stone of trial; and he will cast her from him ere it be long. For wisdom is according to her name, and she is not manifest unto many." - Septuagint, Eccles. VI: 20 - 22
- "But foolish men shall not attain her, and sinners shall not see her. For she is far from pride, and men that are liars cannot remember her." - Septuagint, Eccles. XV : 7
I wish to point out here that the apocryphal book, The Wisdom of Solomon, is one of the deutero-canonical books we use. Our basis for acceptance is multifold but one of them is the fact that the writers of the early Messianic Community/Church used to quote it as being of equal authority with the Old Testament. One such writer was Origen. It is so similar in content to the Book of Proverbs that it is likely both books had the same author, traditionally believed to be Solomon.
Conclusion
I have opened quite a lot of boxes here in the hope that you, the reader, will begin to ask questions. From here on I think it would be better to let the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) lead in assembling the pieces. We make no claim to have 'solved' the Godhead question: we only believe it is time we started examining more closely. Though we are unlikely ever to know the fullness of the mystery of the Godhead in this life we can at least use the facts we know about it to illuminate other important facts, and especially about women whose true rôle has been maligned throughout the centuries. There are many questions which I challenge you to think about. How, for example, do we explain the messianic prophecy about a married Christ with many wives? Were these wives He had whilst in mortality or were they something to do with the mysterious 'Daughter' that we have not really discussed? Is Sophia, in fact, a Person, or just an allegory? Is the whole idea of female divinity just bunkum or is there a biblical case for it?
My purpose today has not been to convert you, the reader, to my view of the Godhead (which could admittedly be viewed as speculative) but to sensitise you to the possibility of marriage after death - or eternal marriage. I firmly believe in it. The idea that Yahweh would abruptly end it makes no sense to me. Yahweh's blessings.
Also see my response to a critic of eternal marriage.
Further Reading
On the Pre-existence:
On Eternal Marriage:
On the Godhead:
Author: SBSK
