The Spiritual Realm - Part 4
Notes
Transcript
Handout
In review, we looked at the terms for the five spiritual realms, the five terms of nature for spiritual beings, eleven of the twenty-three terms of status for Yahweh, and have begun our journey of dispelling misconceptions and understanding our place in God’s family.
The current realms are the third heaven, the earth, Sheol, Tartarus, and Hell.
The five terms of nature are: spirit (ruah) (pneuma), god, gods (el) (elohim) (theos) (theoi), heavenly ones (samayim), stars (kokab) (aster), holy ones (qedosim) (hagios).
The first eleven terms of status for Yahweh are: LORD God (Yahweh Elohim), LORD (Yahweh), Lord GOD (Adonia Yahweh), Spirit of the LORD (Ruah Yahweh), I AM (Hayah) (Ego Eimi), Father (Abi) (Patera), Ancient of Days (Attiq Yomin), Everlasting God (Olam Elohim), Creator (Bore) (Ktisantga), Most High (Elyon), Almighty (Shaddai) (Pantokrator).
This week, we will continue to cover the terms that describe the status of Yahweh. The ten that we will cover today are: Lord of lords (Adonai adonai), God of gods (Elohim elohim), Holy (Qados), God, the God of Israel (El-Elohe-Israel), Holy Spirit (Qados Ruah), Spirit of God (Ruah Elohim) (Pneuma Theos), Spirit of Christ (Pneuma Christos), I am the First and the Last (Ani Rison Ani Aharon) (Ego ho Protos kai ho Eschatos), Cloud Rider (Hamehallek Abim), Word of the LORD (Debar Yahweh).
Lord of lords (Adonai adonai)and God of gods (Elohim elohim) are the first two terms of status; some examples are Deuteronomy 10:17; Revelation 19:16.
17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Holy (Qados) is the third term of status; an example is in Isaiah 57:15
15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
“Holy” here means separate. Yahweh is wholly other, and yet he chooses to dwell with the contrite and lowly in order to restore them.
God, the God of Israel (El-Elohe-Israel), is the fourth term of status in Genesis 33:19-20
19 And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent.
20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
Jacob returns to the Promised Land and wrestles with God all night, at the end of which he is renamed “Israel.” Then he builds an altar, naming it “God, the God of Israel.” This reminds us that Yahweh is the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac, and thus the God of the nation of Israel.
Holy Spirit (Qados Ruah) is the fifth term of status; some examples are Isaiah 63:7-14; Ephesians 4:30
7 I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
8 For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.
9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.
11 Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit,
12 who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name,
13 who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble.
14 Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
As we trace the Holy Spirit of God through the Scriptures, we see his individuality as a person, but we also see that he is given the same status as Yahweh.
This, and the angel of the Lord, who is identified here as “the angel of his presence,” had Jews in the first century creating the doctrine of the two powers in heaven. It is from this concept in Scripture that the Trinity is formed - the idea that there are three persons and one God.
Spirit of God (Ruah Elohim) (Pneuma Theos) and Spirit of Christ (Pneuma Christos) are the sixth and seventh terms of status; some examples are Genesis 1:2; Romans 8:9
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
We continue the theme of individuality of the persons of the Trinity, but also ambiguity in their identity as Yahweh and as Christ.
I am the first and the last (Ani Rison Ani Aharon) (Ego ho Protos kai ho Eschatos) is the eighth term of status. Some examples are Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:8; 22:13.
6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
We clearly see Jesus and Yahweh sharing this title of status as Yahweh.
Cloud Rider (Hamehallek Abim) is the ninth term of status. Psalm 104:1-3; Daniel 7:13; Revelation 1:7 are good examples.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.
3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
We again have the blending of status with Yahweh and the Son of Man, both riding on the clouds. This is also an argument against the pagan god Baal, who was supposed to ride on the clouds.
Word of the LORD (Debar Yahweh) is the tenth term of status. Genesis 15:1; Jeremiah 1:4-10; John 1:1-3, 14 are good examples.
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.”
9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Often, when we read in the OT the word of the LORD came to a prophet, we think of an audible voice that is probably not visible. However, this view is not true to the text in Genesis 15:1. He comes in a vision, which implies sight. This is further confirmed in Jeremiah’s encounter with the word of the LORD, who takes his hand and touches Jeremiah’s mouth. I think this word of the LORD is the same Word that John writes about Jesus, the unique Son of God.
Yahweh is one God in three persons who wants to connect with his creation. Will you receive his invitation? He has gone to great lengths to do so - through his death and resurrection, through sending the Spirit into our hearts, crying Father, through promising us that he is coming again as Cloud Rider. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
