In His Image and Likeness pt 1 - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

When YHVH created man, He created him in His Image and Likeness. For He said, “And Elohim said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ So Elohim created man in His own image, in the image of Elohim created He him; male and female created He them. And Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26-28) So we are a representation and model of YHVH. Stop and think that mankind was designed to be a representation and model of YHVH. When you have a model airplane, you have a smaller version of the original. Although the model does not have all of the capabilities of the original, it does look like the original and functions the same in certain ways. For some children, playing with a model airplane is simply the shadow of things to come, for they will grow up to actually fly the original. Our lives, and our marriages are the model and representation of YHVH and our marriage to YHVH. By understanding the original, we can understand the model. By following the original, we can operate the model properly. And by properly operating the model, we then are able to see clearly the original, of which the model is the shadow of the original. The tabernacle and the Temple were a copy of the original that was in heaven. That is why YHVH told Moses when Moses was going to build the tabernacle, “According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” (Exodus 25:9) Moses was shown the original, and told to make sure and make the model according to the original of which he was shown. We too, are models of the original, and this is what Paul was talking about in Ephesians. And here is where we are to begin our in-depth study of marriage being the model of the original which is YHVH and being the body of the Messiah. “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of YHVH is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to YHVH; giving thanks always for all things unto YHVH the Father in the name of our Adon YHVH the Messiah; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of YHVH. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto YHVH. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as the Messiah is the head of the called out: and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore as the called out is subject unto the Messiah, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as the Messiah also loved the called out, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious group of called out, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as YHVH the called out: for we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning the Messiah and the called out. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” (Ephesians 5:17-33) Before we go to anything else, let us go back to verse 32, for Paul tells us that what he is talking about is a great mystery. To those who do not have the understanding, this seems as something that is hidden or a secret. But Paul begins to unlock the mystery or secret here, and when you go back and forth from here to Genesis, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and even Matthew and First Corinthians, you can easily see how the mystery is fully revealed, and YHVH, we shall do that. The first few verses that was quoted are not normally associated with the rest of the passage. It is because that men through time added the verses, and even the subject headings into the copies of the Scripture that you use. Now in proper language arts class, whether it is English, French, Spanish, Greek, Aramaic, or even Hebrew, you do not end or begin a paragraph in the middle of a sentence. There are times this does happen, but in this case, what we have here is the continuation of a theme that Paul was putting forth to his readers. The theme goes all the way back to verse 17, which says, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of YHVH is.” As members of the body of the Messiah, we are not to be unwise, but rather we are to understand the will of YHVH. As we are the wife of YHVH, we are to intimately know Him, and His desires for us. How can we intimately know Him if we do not understand our relationship with Him? We can not, so we must then discover the beauty of our relationship with Him, as well as the Son’s relationship with the Father, so that not only will our relationship with Him be blessed, but also our physical marriage with our spouse will be blessed. Now to make sure and cut something off before it begins to bud, submission is not a licence to abuse. Rather, it means that we put our wants, needs, and desires secondary to the person we are submitting to. YHVH submitted to the will of YHVH, and as such, left the throne of glory to suffer and die a horrific death, because we were so precious in YHVH’s sight. That is the Scriptural definition of Submission, and in this passage in Ephesians chapter 5, you see that definition spelled out. So no, if a man uses this word to demand strict obedience from his wife, this is not showing the love that YHVH exemplified. Once again, by not understanding this mystery that Paul is talking about here, people have used this passage to either abuse others, or justify rebellion. By people being unwise to the will of YHVH, as we are told in verse 17 not to be, there are many who have erred and caused great harm to others in harming. Both the Chauvinist and the Feminists have wrongly used this Scripture to further their abuse of the opposite sex, and so are equally guilty for the wrongs that they have committed. Now, everyone is familiar with the passage the man, who is known as Adam, said about his wife. Even YHVH quoted this passage in Matthew chapter 19. She is his flesh and bones, and so shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. However, here in Ephesians, we have Paul using this same quote, but not about a physical marriage, but about our spiritual marriage to YHVH. “For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” (Ephesians 5:30-31) When we accept YHVH as our Savior, He becomes our spiritual husband, spiritually entering into our bodies, and becoming one with us. We become a part of His body, just as all those that have come before us into union with the Messiah have. To understand this point, let us go back to the first and second chapters of Genesis to see how exactly that this passage states our relationship. What you will see is that things are not exactly as you have been taught they were since you were born, because man has a corrupt knowledge on this matter. It is hard for mankind to look at these passages and see them through the eyes of the Mystery that Paul refers to, since most of the time we relate to things from the physical and not from the spiritual. “And YHVH Elohim caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which YHVH Elohim had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:21-24) Let us take this now one step at a time. To be honest, Adam is not a name per se, but rather a title. Adam means mankind, it also means red or ruddy as referring to the red clay that he was formed from. So YHVH caused the human being to fall into a trance - or a coma - (tardemah HSN 8639 a lethargy or [by implication] trance), and so while the human was languid (yashen HSN 3462 to be slack or languid, i.e. [by implication] sleep [figuratively, to die]; also to grow old, stale or inveterate) - so by using sleep here, you are saying that he died - YHVH took what all the versions and the Jewish and Christian worlds know as a rib from the human. But not so fast. When is a rib not a rib? When that is not the appropriate meaning of a word. Rib is the Hebrew word tzela’ (HSN 6763) and the definition of tzela’ is a rib (as curved), literally (of the body) or figuratively (of a door, i.e. leaf); hence, a side, literally (of a person) or figuratively (of an object or the sky, i.e. quarter); architecturally, a (especially floor or ceiling) timber or plank (single or collective, i.e. a flooring). So based on this definition, is it referring to a rib or a side? Let us go back to the word one just before the word tzela’. The Hebrew word for one here is the word echad (HSN 259). This is not the Hebrew word for the number one, but rather this word comes from achad (HSN 258). Achad is a verb meaning to unify, and echad is the past tense version of this verb meaning unified. A passage using this word is known in Hebrew as the Shema. “Shema Yisra’el YHVH Eloheinu, YHVH echad - Hear, O Israel: YHVH is our Elohim,YHVH is one”. (Deuteronomy 6:4) In this verse, YHVH is our Elohim, and YHVH is unified. Now look back in Genesis chapter 1 and verses 26 through 28. “And Elohim said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ So Elohim created man in His own image, in the image of Elohim created He him; male and female created He them. And Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’” So we have the word Elohim, of which in English is translated “God”, which we are going to look at here. Elohim in Hebrew (HSN 430) that is the plural of Elo’ah (HSN 433) which is the feminine of the Hebrew word El (HSN 410). Remember YHVH used El’oah when He quoted David in asking, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” The first thing that should come to your mind is that Elohim is plural, not singular. But when you look at the rest of the passage, you will see that the plural and singular are used interchangeably throughout. Elohim said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”. But in the next verse, Scripture records: “So Elohim created man in His own image, in the image of Elohim created He him; male and female created He them.” Elohim created the human being (Adam) in the image and likeness of Elohim. Elohim is a title, and it means Mighty Ones, and is not His name, but rather YHVH is His name. So in Deuteronomy 6:4, it tells us that YHVH is our Mighty Ones, and YHVH is unified. But this is not the only time echad is used. Look back in Genesis chapter 2 and down in verse 24, where Scripture says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” The word again for one is echad, meaning unified. So from Genesis chapters 1 and 2, we see that the human being was unified, then YHVH separated them, and then through marriage - i.e. sex - the two shall be unified again. But that brings in something that is incomprehensible to the mind accustomed to seeing via the flesh. In the one human being were both the male and the female.

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