Earlier this summer, the Episcopal Church posed the question “Is God male?”.  Apparently, this set off a firestorm of debate and each argument was presented from a human, secular point of view, reasoning that since the language of “God” was written as Father, King and Lord, then it’s self evident that “God” [Elohim] must only be depicted as male.  Here was their discussion.

From the article: “…the church is debating whether to overhaul that prayer book — in large part to make clear that God doesn’t have a gender.”

Oh, really?  What other enlightened discoveries can the oracles of the Episcopalian Church show us?

They continue: “…We can’t define God. We can say something profoundly true about God, but the mystery we dare to call God is always bigger than anything we can imagine.”

I have to marvel at the fact that this entire discussion, with all of its nuances, including the reference to female or gender-neutral versions of “God” are all argued  from the text of the King James Bible (or its equivalent) and they refuse to read the original text as Moses wrote in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis.

One of the facts that I often cite on this blog is the importance of allowing the Bible itself to explain these questions, not try to interpret its meaning through human reasoning, logic and education.  The answer can be found in Genesis, by reading the original text of what Moses wrote, not what some theologian wrote in 1579.

Gen. 1:1–“In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth.”  This is how verse 1 reads in English, but it is not how it read in the original Hebrew text.

Hebrew: “בראשית ברא אלוהים את השמים ואת הארץ.”  These seven words exactly translate as “Beginning created Elohim [a silent word “את”] heavens and earth.”  The EXACT transliteration is better rendered “[in] Beginning HE created….” 

From the very first verse in all of scripture, Moses has introduced us to our heavenly father with two descriptions.  First, the word Elohim is a plural word, so we already know that more than one person is included.  Second, the verb “he created” is deliberately masculine.  It requires no further debate.  Moses did not err is specifically telling us “he created”.

The suggestion that “God” is gender neutral is partially defeated in this one verse, but that is not the last word that Moses had to say about this subject.  In Gen. 1:26, Moses amplified the plural description of Elohim and something very interesting is revealed.

Gen. 1:26–“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.  ²⁷ So Elohim created man in his own image, in the image of Elohim created he him; male and female created he them.”

These two verses are very important, but only fully understood if we once again read the Hebrew text to convey the true meaning of the words.  And, if the Episcopal Church would have paid attention to them, they would have no reason to keep brainstorming this idea.

In verse 26, where we read “Let us make man in our image….”, it already loses the impact of the Hebrew text.

Hebrew, v. 26–“הבה נעשה את האדם בתמונה שלנו.”  The English equivalent = “…we shall make human in image of us…”  Pay close attention to the fact that Moses did NOT write “we shall make MAN in image of us….”.  Rather, he used the Hebrew word “adm”, or literally “human”, with no gender bias at all.

This is an important distinction.  Elohim is about to create “human(s) in “his” (plural) image(s).  Does Moses reveal what those images could have looked like?  Absolutely!  And you already read it in verse 27 above.

Elohim created HUMAN(s) in HIS (more than one member of Elohim’s family) image.  MALE AND FEMALE CREATED HE THEM.

When Moses wrote these words, he was not telling the reader that “Oh, hey!  As long as Elohim was going to make a “MAN” in his (singular) image, what the heck–he might as well go ahead and make a female equivalent while he’s at it!”

Bible believers and religious people of all faiths are often too rigid in their beliefs to even pause and consider the simple truth that Moses revealed to us in Genesis.  And that simple truth is, when Elohim created male and female humans on earth, those two genders were mirror images of the various Elohim members of his heavenly family already.

To some, this might seem like a “eureka!” moment, opening their eyes to something they had never considered.  If so, hopefully, they’ll continue seeking the truth of the Bible without their former blinders.  But, I suspect that most will dismiss this as the ramblings of a spiritual lightweight and lunatic.  I don’t blame them.  Bedrock beliefs are not easily chiseled away.  Sometimes, new truths are hard to accept even if they seem plausible.  For those skeptics who find this to be impossible–that Elohim already had male and female members of his heavenly family with him prior to creation in Genesis 1, here’s one other thing to think about.

The book of Revelation describes how and when Satan was cast down to the earth, in chapter 12.

Rev. 12:7–“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon [Satan]; and the dragon fought and his angels,  ⁸ And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.  ⁹ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Since this passage is found in book of Revelation, most readers assume it’s a prophecy, describing a time in the future when Satan will finally be defeated and confined for 1,000 years.  They would be wrong.

In this passage, the verb “fought” is from the Greek words Πολέμησαν “egeneto polemos”, literally meaning “battle OCCURRED”.  In other words, the battle that John wrote about is a battle that had already happened, not the future battle to come when Satan will be banished for 1,000 years.

This original battle occurred in heaven PRIOR TO THE TIME OF CREATION, and after it occurred, where did Satan and his angels go?  Verse 9–“…cast out into the earth….” where they’ve been for over 6,000 years wreaking havoc on mankind and desperately trying to thwart Yahweh’s master plan for humanity–that is, to become members of his heavenly family.

Most readers (I would dare say “all”) do not understand this passage.  It’s appearance in Revelation makes it seem logical that it HAS to be a prophecy about the future, not a recitation of the past.  Again, John wrote that this battle happened, past tense, and Satan was cast down to earth.  But because the very next verse, v. 10, says “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our Elohim and the power of his Anointed….” and this passage is easily recognized as the pivotal moment when our Messiah returns to rule on earth, it is easy to confuse that the event in verses 7-9 aren’t chronologically linked to the event in verse 10.  They are two completely different moments in time.

The Bible does this all the time.  Often there are breaks of time in the middle of a verse, a chapter or a book that are invisible to the reader.  But you CAN understand that this break exists when you read the Bible in its entirety.

Verses 7 to 9 speak of the time prior to creation when Satan lost his battle for power in heaven and was cast down to earth.  Another time will soon come when he is removed from influencing events of earth for 1,000 years, but THAT event isn’t described until chapter 20!

Rev. 20:1–“And I saw an angel come down from heaven [Yahshua himself], having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  ² And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,  ³ And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

Now, in THIS passage, John wrote that the Devil will be “cast into the bottomless pit”.  The Greek verb for “cast” is ρίξ ‘ “ebalen”, literally meaning “he casts”.  This is a present-tense action verb, very different from the former past-tense verb above that said “battle occurred”.

In the first instance, John has told us how and when Satan lost his high, heavenly position and was cast down to earth.  This happened prior to Genesis 1:1.  Soon, he will be cast down again, only this time it will be to remove him from earth, not from heaven, and he’ll be confined for 1,000 years.

The reason I mentioned this matter about Satan in context with today’s blog post is to emphasize that there were multiple spiritual beings in heaven prior to creation.  It wasn’t just Satan and his evil angels.  It was Elohim and HIS entire family, male and female–as Moses wrote–which will soon grow in exponential numbers after the arrival of our elder brother Yahshua Anointed in the near future.

We have no way of knowing the actual number of spiritual beings that comprise Elohim’s family or Satan’s angelic army.  And since Moses specifically tells us that we were made male and female in Elohim’s image, one would have to put all common sense aside to think that all of those spiritual beings were of one gender.  Plus, you’d be calling Moses a liar.

Do you think the elders in the Episcopalian church will want to read this?