Are humans “gods”?

You’ve all seem some scriptures that suggest humans are “gods” (Elohim), so it is important to remember that “we” are NOT God or even gods. We must look at the CONTEXT of passages such as these:

Psalm 82: …5They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6I have said, “You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High. 7But like mortals you will die, and like rulers you will fall.”…

John 10:34 Jesus replied, "Is it not written in your Law: 'I have said you are gods'?

Ezekiel 28:2 "Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Your heart is proud, and you have said, "I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea." Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.

Because YHWH has made humanity in His Image (Genesis 1:27) and we have been imbued with intellect to run the entire earth, many tend to THINK they are basically “little gods” walking around. Many forget that “being made in His Image” means we are to reflect His Holy Image (character), His Essence, and to be a “light” to the nations (Isaiah 42:6). We were also meant to represent Him in the stewardship of His good and wonderful creation (Genesis 1:28-29).

Not even Yeshua ever said he was YHWH ELOHIM - so what makes us mere humans think WE could ever be "gods"?

John 10:24. And the Yehudeans surrounded him and said to him, “How long will you hold our souls  if you are the Mashiyach?  Tell us openly.”  25. Y’shua answered and said to them, I have told you and you do not believe!  And the works that I do in the Name of my Father they testify concerning me.  26. But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep, just as I have told you. 

27. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they come after me.  28. And I give to them life that is eternal and they will not perish and no man will ever snatch them from my hands.  29. For my Father who gave them to me is greater than all, and no man is able to snatch them from the hands of my Father. 0. I and the Father are one.

31. And again the Yehudeans took up rocks to stone him. 32. Y’shua said to them, Many pleasing works from the presence of my Father I have shown you. For which of them do you stone me? 33. The Yehudeans said to him, “It is not because of the pleasing works that we stone you, rather because you do blaspheme and that while you are a Son of man you make yourself Elohim!”[1]

34. Y’shua said to them Is it not written in your Torah that “I have told you that you are Elohim.”[2] 35. If those people he called Elohim because the Miltha of Elohim was with them and Scripture is not able to be broken 36. To him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world you say, “You blaspheme!” concerning that I had told you that “I am the Son of Elohim.”

37. Unless I do the works of my Father, do not believe me. 38. If, however, I do them even if you do not believe me, you believe the works that you may know and believe that my Father is in me[3] and I am in my Father. (AENT)

NOTES:

[1] Truth is, Yeshua never said he was YHWH! He said that the Ruach of YHWH is within him, (Isaiah 11:1-2, Zechariah 12:10). He taught that while his nefesh (soul) would die, YHWH would reanimate both his neshama (human spirit/ruach) and nefesh. Yeshua never claimed his nefesh was anything other than human and that as such, it would die….

[2] Reference to Psalm 82:6. People tend to think of themselves as “gods”. Psalm 82:6 My decree is: ‘You are elohim [gods, judges], sons of the Most High all of you. ⁷ Nevertheless, you will die like mortals; like any prince, you will fall.’”(CJB)

[3] In Isaiah 22:20-25 a priestly father is named Hilkiah (my portion is YHWH) and his son is Eliakim (Elohim raises) which foreshadows Mashiyach (Messiah) whose “portion” is YHWH, and who is raised up by Elohim.

Mashiyach is the first begotten of YHWH who suffers, then is raised up and then is given governance over all nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples as foreshadowed in verses 21-22:

“And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”

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Did you know that Yeshua had a God?

Did you know that Yeshua had an ELOHIM (YHWH) to Whom he prayed? And did you know that Yeshua actually never accused YHWH of “forsaking” him?

It’s true! Take a look:

John 20:17. Y’shua said to her Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I ascend to my Father and your Father and my Elohim and your Elohim. (AENT)

NOTE – “I ascend to my Father and your Father and my Elohim and your Elohim.” WOW! Yeshua constantly deferred to his ELOHIM, and constantly spoke with, and prayed to Him!

Now, take a look at this:

John 17:1. Y'shua spoke these things and he lifted up his eyes to Heaven and said My Father the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that your Son might glorify you. 2. Just as you have given him authority over all flesh that whomever You have given him, he will give to him life that is eternal. 3. Now this is life that is eternal, that they might know You, that You are the Elohim of Truth, and he alone whom You have sent, the Mashiyach Y'shua. (AENT)

Notice – Yeshua knew who he was while walking the earth. He was the MESSIAH, embued with the Divine Spirit of YHWH. He never suggested that he, himself, was YHWH. He remained focused on his ELOHIM unto death….

Matthew 27:45. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46. And about the ninth hour, Y’shua cried out with a loud voice and said, My El! My El! [Lemana shabakthani] Why have you spared me? [1]

47. And some of those men who were standing there when they heard it were saying, “This man calls to Eliyahu.” 48. And immediately, one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed, and was offering a drink to him.[2] 49. But the rest were saying, “Let him be. Let us see if Eliyahu comes to save him.” 50. Then again Y’shua cried out with a loud voice and gave up his spirit.[3] (AENT)

NOTE that YHWH Himself wasn’t the One who died! It was His human Messiah, who was both “born” and “died” … and then the Spirit of Yeshua (who was the Word, John 1:1, 14) and the “Arm” of YHWH (Isaiah 53:1) then eventually rejoined the Spirit of YHWH….

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Y’shua was not necessarily quoting Psalm 22, although the imagery of the Psalm is certainly intended by Matthew. Greek is transliterated Eli, Eli lama sabacthani, but Peshitta and Psalm 22 read: Eli, Eli lama azbatani. Many Bibles read “forsaken” from which came a false teaching that the Father left Y’shua destitute (Marcionite thinking).

Isaiah 53:4 indicates that “we” reckoned him smitten of Elohim, but it is not YHWH who tortured His own son, but men motivated by religious tradition. Psalm 22 references those who scorned Y’shua for his Faith in YHWH and called him a worm (detested), but Father YHWH does not forsake the righteous, nor does He at any time “forsake” His own Son – see Psalm 9:9, 10; 37:25; 71:11; Isaiah 49:14-16.

Y'shua says "Eli" (my El). He is in great physical pain after being brutally tortured; those around him were confused about whether he was saying "Eli-yah" or "Eliyahu". If Hebrew eyewitnesses were not sure of what he was saying, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Greek transliteration was also wrong, putting "lama sabacthani" rather than "lemana shabakthani".

Perhaps the reason Y’shua says "why are you sparing me" is because he has proven his commitment by laying down his life and has already endured about six hours of the execution! So, it’s not a matter of being "forsaken" but that he literally means, "Father, I'm ready, why can’t we finish this?" In a matter of moments from saying this, he dies, which fully supports this interpretation.

[2] Psalm 69:21,22

[3] Referring to Luke 24:43 - "And Y’shua cried out with a loud voice and said, My Father, into Your Hands I place my spirit!" (See also Psalm 31:5 (6))

Don't let YOUR prayer be "an abomination"....

This meme should be an eye-opener for those who believe that "prayer" will solve everything. YES, we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:16-18), but there is a specific way to pray properly, and it does not include praying in a way that suggests ADONAI is your personal servant or "fairy godfather" granting your every wish. There is SO much more to "prayer"; most of it depending upon each individual being wholehearted and obedient to YHWH's Divine Instructions...

EXAMPLE: Myriads have been busy been praying for the healing of our nation.

No one ever asks, WHY God should pay attention to that request, when (1) Scripture tells us that these things MUST happen before Yeshua's return; and (2) most of the nation consists of willfully ungodly people ... atheists, agnostics, satanists, witches, Yeshua haters, Torah haters, and the multitudes of "lukewarm" pretending to be religious and holy, while committing all kinds of secret sins; and purposely ignoring God's "forever commands" as provided in Torah.

Furthermore, why should God heed the prayers of a nation that kicked Him out of all schools and government buildings, etc., back in 1962? We've been receiving fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and diseases of all kinds BECAUSE we're in a fallen world where disobedience and decadence has reigned since the very beginning!

As shown in the meme below, prayers of Torah-less "believers" are an abomination! Regardless, these things MUST happen:

Matthew 24:5-7 - You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. (CJB)

2 Timothy 3: 1-2 - But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy.... (CJB)

Mark 13:7. But when you hear of wars and rumors of revolutions, do not have fear. This is bound to happen, but is yet not the end. 8. For nation will arise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places. And there will be famine and uprisings. These things are the beginning of sorrows. (AENT)

Jeremiah 51:7 Babel was a golden cup in the hand of YHWH, making drunk all the earth. The nations drank her wine, that is why the nations went mad! (ISR)

Zephaniah 1:18 - Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of YHWH. And by the fire of His jealousy all the earth shall be consumed, for He makes a sudden end of all those who dwell in the earth. (ISR)

All this wouldn't be happening if Adam and Eve hadn't sinned. But since they did, and WE continue to disobey and disappoint our Creator, YHWH and His Divine Messiah, Yeshua, we are stuck with the consequences. We are reaping what we sowed (Galatians 6:7-9).

If everyone was a Torah obedient believer, there would be NO murders, racism, adultery, divorce, fighting, coveting, cheating, lying, hatred among brethren, or stealing, rioting or looting, etc Our governments would all run smoothly, and we would surely have taken better care of the ecology and our environment.

But, we haven't, and so here we are.

Anyway, here's how we are to pray, according to Scripture:

Matthew 6: 7. And when you pray, you should not be chatterers like the pagans, for they hope that by many words they will be heard. 8. Therefore, do not imitate them[1] for your Father knows what need you have before you ask Him.

9. Therefore, you pray like this: Our Father in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. 10. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. As in heaven so on earth.[2] 11 Give us the bread of our need this day. 12. And forgive us our offenses as we also have forgiven those who have offended us. 13. And not bring us into trial,[3] but deliver us from the evil one, for Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. (AENT)

[1] Prayer is a dialogue with Heaven, not a monologue. Y’shua’s teaching stands as the demarcation between relationship with YHWH rather than a religion about Him. Prayer is meant to establish and maintain an intimate relationship, and accountability between each individual and YHWH.

[2] Heavens always come before the earth in terms of the creation order, importance and having heaven’s laws rule on earth (Job 38:31-33).

[3] YHWH does not lead His people into “temptation”, but He does test and prove them. Deut. 13:3; Job 1:7-12; James 1:14.

LUKE SAYS IT THIS WAY:

Luke 11: 2. Y’shua said to them, This is how you will pray: Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as so in heaven. 3. Give us the bread of our everyday need. 4. And forgive us our sins for we also forgive all who have offended us. And lead us not into trial but save us from the evil one. (AENT)

BOTTOM LINE: Pray without ceasing, but make sure you're praying the right way. Ask YHWH to open the spiritual eyes of all those He knows ARE or WILL be His so they can become who they need to be in HIM; and learning to become good citizens of the Kingdom, and then teaching others to do the same.

Our land can only be healed when everyone is on the "same sheet of music," doing things according to ADONAI's commands.

Why can husbands void a wife's promise to YHWH?

READER QUESTION:

Wondering why husbands can void a wife's promise to YHWH? (Numbers 30)  Also wondering WHY a wife would tell a husband about a promise she is making to YHWH??

OUR RESPONSE:

Respectfully, the problem I think you are having is that you are understanding Numbers 30 with your English language mindset of our day (naturally!) These verses, regarding the husband's authority to nullify a vow made by his wife seems disturbing to us.

But, to understand Numbers 30 we really need to invoke what a Hebrew of that time understood about the supreme importance of vows and oaths and how the family unit was designed by YHWH to function. The way YHWH established the family and expected it to operate is not at all like we manage families in our time. Similarly, we only have our experience and understanding of the meaning of a vow or oath, which is quite different than that of the Biblical times.

According to YHWH, when a man makes a vow, he is obligated to keep it. Period. It is that important. Numbers 30:2. This is also true of a woman who is not a wife, Numbers 30:9. But when the family unit is involved, here is where the family hierarchy established by YHWH enters the picture. The hierarchy is this: A child is to submit to their parents, the wife is to submit to her husband, the husband is the authority over the family - and he submits to YHWH.

The husband, of course, is supposed to be honorable and in good-standing, and a man of YHWH, so this YHWH-given authority is not meant to be permission to abuse his wife or children. Put in a way that is a little less disconcerting to our modern western society, a wife is under the covering and authority of her husband, and the husband is under the covering and authority of YHWH - thus so is the wife. Nevertheless, we find in scripture that the man is the head of the household and has the authority to nullify any vow made under his roof by his wife or children.

Realize that Numbers 30 also permits the husband to accept any vow made by his wife, so we need to look at what these verses mean to imply since the intent of the vow is not addressed in Numbers 30. It's not that the vow might be an evil vow or an irresponsible vow that cannot possibly be kept. It's that in Biblical times, (just as we do today), we sometimes plead with YHWH and make a vow to Him, often unthinking and rash: "Oh, Lord, I'll not do that again", or "I promise to never cuss again", or "I'll never ask you for anything ever again".

Vows like these obligate the person (and may obligate the household), and in the case of the wife, the husband can, and should nullify them if necessary. But a vow made by the wife which is righteous, and honorable, and can be kept, the husband can let it stand (Numbers 30:7, 11, 13-14). This would be the way a good, Torah obedient household would have operated.

As to your concern "wondering WHY a wife would tell a husband about a promise she is making to YHWH?", I'm not sure how to respond. A righteous household, I think, would not encounter situations where the wife felt she should make a vow or an oath without her husband's knowledge. She has, after all, submitted to her husband's authority. (Remember to think ancient Hebrew mindset, not modern western mindset). This family structure is important to YHWH, but is lost on society today.

And finally, let me add that there is a distinct difference in the Bible between an oath and a vow. An oath imposes an obligation upon the one making the oath. A vow is by definition a conditional promise.

Oaths usually are made in the Name of YHWH. The Hebrew term is: "nishba 'be-YHWH", and is an oath made in YHWH's Name, for example an oath between two people. But an oath made TO YHWH is: "nishba 'le-YHWH", which is literally "swear TO YHWH".

Both forms are obligatory but they can both be made between people, or directly to YHWH. Today, we don't take oaths and vows as seriously as YHWH intended them to be. That is rather sad. In days of old, one's word was his bond. It's not so in our time. In or western society, no one is taught the importance or difference between an oath and a vow, and we just "do what is right in our own eyes."

An explanation as to why we, at The Refiner's Fire website, often refer to Y'shua as "Arm of YHWH"...

Scripture uses many metaphors to explain a concept, and the word "arm" promotes a vivid image of God's strength and power. The arm (from the shoulder down to the fingertips) is an EXTENSION of the body - a vital part of the body, DOING things such as lifting, grasping, punching, holding ... its every action controlled by the brain.  We humans "lift up our arms" to praise ADONAI...

The arm only moves according to the signals sent from the brain.  Without the brain, the arm could do nothing. In Isaiah 59:16 and 63:5, the prophet tells how YHWH will save his people by his "own arm"; and in Isaiah 53:1 we see this amazing prophetic picture of Y'shua:

"Who believes our report? To whom is the arm of Adonai revealed?" and then it goes on to describe a human man - a description that perfectly fits Y'shua in every way!

Y'shua is "the ARM of YHWH" because YHWH caused His Divine Messiah (His"arm") to be born as a human being (someone humanity could identify with and understand), and grow up to preach the Kingdom, do everything His FATHER commanded, and then to offer/sacrifice himself on our behalf, thus eliminating the need for animal SIN sacrifices. 

(NOTE:  Y'shua did NOT abolish the need for any other sacrifices, such as the ones we see in Leviticus 7:37 - burnt, grain, sin, guilt, consecration and peace ofeerings. We cannot do them today because there is no Temple, but they will be reinstituted again, once the Third Temple is built.)

It is imperative to understand that the "arm" doesn't control the "brain"; said another way: Yeshua never suggested that he came to replace YHWH/the "Father" in  any way! He came to do everything the Father TOLD him to do...

Luke 4:43 "But he (Yeshua/Jesus) said, "I must  preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also,  because that is why I was sent."

Luke 8:1 And it happened after these things that  Y'shua was going around in the cities and in the villages and was  preaching and declaring the Kingdom of Elohim.

As you know, Messiah Y'shua was different from any other human because he was the "Arm" of YHWH (Isaiah 53:1, AND the "Word" John 1:1 and 14).  As such, he was a "divine" and indelible part of YHWH, which maked him ONE with YHWH. (A "part" of the body belongs to the WHOLE body, and is a vital part of that body.)

BOTTOM LINE:  In the case of Y'shua, the Ruach (Spirit of YHWH) was encased in the  flesh of the SON, and it is that flesh which was pierced.  YHWH Himself was never pierced; YHWH Himself was neither born nor died - for, had that been the case, He would have been no different from humans ... and a mere human CANNOT be ELOHIM.

But His "arm" - His ARM /POWER/ STRENTH - represented by the human being named Y'shua (which is Hebrew for "YHWH is Salvation"), the ONLY Heavenly being who has the actual NAME of יהוה (the Hebrew letters "Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey") within his own name, reached out to humanity to show how to be "set apart" from a lost world where sin and death rule, so that we may be found "clean" in body, soul and spirit and thus receive the gift of Eternal Life (Genesis 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Matthew 10:28; Ecclesiastes 12:7; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 John 5:20, etc.).

John 17:1.  Y’shua spoke these things and he lifted up his eyes to Heaven and said My Father the hour has come.  Glorify your Son so that your Son might glorify you.  2. Just as you have given him authority over all flesh that whomever You have given him, he will give to him life that is eternal. 

3. Now this is life that is eternal, that they might know You, that You are the Elohim of Truth, and he alone whom You have sent, the Mashiyach Y’shua.  4. I have glorified You on earth.  The work that You have given to me to do I have finished it.  5. And now glorify me my Father with You in that glory that I had with You from before the world was.  6. I have made Your Name known to the sons of those men whom You had given to me from the world. (AENT)

A great message for Believers to cling to during these trying times….

In these trying times, it's hard to tone down our anger against those who perpetrate violence to "get their messages" across (especially those who don't even have a "message"; but simply enjoy being destructive).

But being angry and wanting to retaliate avails nothing, because Scripture tells us that vengeance belongs to YHWH....

So, here is a great message for Believers to cling to:

Proverbs 4:14 Don’t follow the path of the wicked or walk on the way of evildoers. 15 Avoid it, don’t go on it, turn away from it, and pass on. 16 For they can’t sleep if they haven’t done evil, they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining ever brighter until full daylight.19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; they don’t even know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I am saying; incline your ear to my words.

21 Don’t let them out of your sight, keep them deep in your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to their whole being. 23 Above everything else, guard your heart; for it is the source of life’s consequences. 24 Keep crooked speech out of your mouth, banish deceit from your lips.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,fix your gaze on what lies in front of you. 26 Level the path for your feet, let all your ways be properly prepared; 27 then deviate neither right nor left; and keep your foot far from evil. (CJB)

Deuteronomy 32:35 Vengeance and payback are mine for the time when their foot slips;for the day of their calamity is coming soon, their doom is rushing upon them. (CJB)

Romans 12: 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but try to do what everyone regards as good. 18 If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all people. 19 Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God’s anger; for in the Tanakh it is written, “Adonai says, ‘Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay.’” (CJB)

THE FOLLOWING IS A RUMOR ABOUT A THING CALLED LAMININ that has been passed around congregations and here on Facebook for many years. It’s time to put a stop to it…
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THE RUMOR:
The molecule, Laminin is the protein that holds human beings together. Do you notice its shape? Isn't it amazing that God would think so far in the future, and make the very thing that makes us think of Jesus, make up and play a crucial role in how we are formed? God formed you to not only live as an image of Christ, but to never escape the fact that you are HIS! We are branded by the Cross! He is before all things, and in him all things hold together... Colossians 1:17

THE RESPONSE:

Although very interesting, comparing the shape of laminin to God’s Messiah is a bit of a stretch - for several reasons: 

(1) The cross was never a “symbol of God” – GOD cannot be born or die! It was merely a death device used by the Romans, upon which His Divine Messiah was crucified. (If Yeshua had been put to death by hanging, would we be willing to wear nooses around our necks or hang them on our walls?)

(2) We don't know for sure that Yeshua died on a "cross" (the NT translates it "stake"), and if you Google "cross" you'll see that the shape of the modern Christian cross is from the Latin which looks like a lower case t while other "crosses" look like a capital T, a capital X and also a plus sign....So what WAS He actually nailed to? 

(3) The only symbol YHWH Himself ever designed and told us to make according to HIS instruction was the menorah (Exodus 25:31-40). (I would be impressed if laminin was in the shape of a MENORAH!) HOW Yeshua died is not indicative of the "stuff of life" that holds us together.

We don't have life because "the human Messiah" died; we have life because his Father, YHWH, created mankind. However, belief in the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua at the cross affords us "eternal life"... (Note also that GOD cannot be born or die, which means there's a whole lot more to the YHWH-Yeshua relationship than most realize!) 

Yeshua was the Word (John 1:1, 14) and the "arm of YHWH" (Isaiah 53:1), which renders him indelibly ONE with YHWH, but He never replaced YHWH or came to pass himself off as ELOHIM, or bring a new religion called Christianity - and YHWH certainly did NOT implant the method of his gruesome death into our DNA....

Believers get to have eternal life because Yeshua was our Redemption; but the hideous death device upon which he suffered and died, has nothing whatsoever to do with a molecule in our bodies that is coincidentally shaped like the latin "cross".... 

The pastors who push this "laminin" thing like to suggest that Colossians 1:17 says, "all things holding together" 

The Aramaic reads: Colossians 1: 15. who is the likeness of the invisible Elohim and the first-born of all creatures: 16. and by him was created everything that is in heaven and on earth, all that is visible and all that is invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; everything was through him and was created by [1] him: 17. and he was prior to all, and by him everything exists. (AENT) 

NOTE: The literal Aramaic reading is “by him”; whereas Greek and English texts have “for him.” Mashiyach is the creative Word through which everything was made (Psalm 33:6, John 1:1-5, Hebrews 1:1-5). 

The common Aramaic idiom here and in John is "through his hands" meaning as the Word, Mashiyach crafted all things according to YHWH's blueprints. Yeshua emerges as the Word from YHWH's breath and command and, as such, was with Him in the beginning (John 17:1-11).