Chapter 7a

If You could be God?

What would it be like to be God? Even for one day. To be able to actually put your feet into His shoes and breathe the same air that He breathes.

In this chapter we will play a little "what if" scenario, a sort of role play similar to what children might play. This will help everybody see and comprehend the most fundamental issues—issues that go right to the bedrock of the cosmos and all of creation.

Most importantly, these include the critical issues having to do with God creating other beings in His very own image and likeness. And what motivated Him to do it. Issues that have everything to do with relationship—our own personal relationship to the very Creator Himself. Why would God seek to create other beings just like Himself, and then grant them the privilidge of having individual will and consciousness, and also become free moral agents—having the power to chose between good and evil?

Floating in Space

Picture the following… long long ago, and far far away.... perhaps before there was even space and time.

Somewhere out there in the universe there floats a conscious living being of some sort. For practical purposes we will call this being "God."

Nothing exists. No stars. No galaxies. No worlds. No life forms, no plants, or animals. No people. Nothing at all.

No one truly knows where this Being came from, or even how He came into existence in the first place as the very "first cause." Most Christians believe that He always has been and always will be.

It should be immediately obvious that these kind of issues are incomprehensible to mortal man. Here no attempt will be made to discover when or how God came into existence (this is something God would have to personally reveal, obviously). The Bible does not explain these sorts of questions. It only declares God's existence as objective fact.

In any event, at some point in time, this majestic Being must have surely decided to create all things. This original creation design and process no doubt took place long before our own planet came into existence in the milky way galaxy, even before what astronomers call the "big bang." In fact, it has been recognized that God may have very well created both space and time itself during the "big bang," or even before then perhaps.

Should I, or Shouldn't I?

When God decided it was time to create other beings just like Himself, with the same potential intellect and powers, He must have certainly faced a formidable decision, asking Himself… "should I or shouldn't I do it?"

If time were a factor, He has had millions and billions of years to think through all the implications and ultimate outcome(s) of His decision. God is the Master of cause and effect, He oversees the big picture and always knows the beginning from the end. Nothing is beyond His reach and nothing is out of His control. (He wouldn't do it any other way or else He would cease to be God).

"Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb 4:13).

The Bible teaches us that God is omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present everywhere at once by His Holy Spirit), and omniscient (knows everything).

A Plurality of "Gods"

When the Bible says that God created man in Genesis 1:26, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," most Christians interpret this passage to mean, that the triune Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) decided to create man. While that may perhaps be true in certain aspects, the text does not specifically mention trinitarianism. There are other possible interpretations.

Now here is an interesting fact that very few Christian people know about. The Hebrew word for "God" (EL-OHYM), is the plural form of the word. The singular form for "God" is simply the little word EL. The plural form of ELOHYM is also translated in a number of passages of the Bible as the word "angels" (see Psalm 8:5), and ELOHYM appears far more often in the Old Testament than the singular usage EL. The interesting fact is that it can actually mean a "plurality of divinities." Or it could also be translated as "the God of angels."

So when the Bible says "let US make man," could this possibly be referring to a group of the highest angelic beings (under the heavenly Father's or Jehovah's direction of course), somehow creating an infant class of angels just like themselves? While many fundamentalists would argue vigorously against such an idea, the clear language of scripture lends itself to that possibility—the word Elohym can cover a broad spectrum of meanings. It is no doubt a fact that the highest angels must have certainly been involved, in some fashion, in administering the creation process—both of the newly created angels in heaven and subsequent man cast down and placed upon earth. All through the Bible angels are mentioned as being God's deputies who perform His sovereign will.

It should be understood that we are dealing here with subjects and mysteries which would be ludicrous for anyone to claim they have a complete and correct understanding of. Fundamentalists tend to view the Bible through a peep hole instead of a wide angle lens. The plural word "gods" is also used throughout scripture 244 times in the King James Bible, mostly to do with idolatry. The fallen angels of course believed that they were gods (see John 10:34,35, Act 14:11, 1 Cor 8:5). And that was the lie that the serpent whispered into Eve's ear in the garden, that she too could become as God(s). The entire religion of Mormonism is based upon the premise that men can become gods, and that the universe has evolved into billions of "man/gods."

According to the scriptures, the un-fallen angels worship the Father only and do not regard themselves as independent Gods of any variety (see Rev 7:11).

Also, it should be pointed out that the actual sacred name from the Old Testament is YAHWEH, or "Jehovah," translated as "Lord" in most all English translations. This is obviously in reference an individual person (although it may be used figuratively or as a generic expression in some instances).

The Formidable Question

So the big question God had to ask himself is this. How could He possibly create additional beings, with independent will and consciousness, just like Himself, giving them the potential of God like powers, and yet at the same time protect His own sovereignty? And yet being assured that these newly created beings—billions of them—would not seek to eventually stab him in the back, run off and declare their own independence, and start franchising out the universe (the Mormon doctrine), thus turning against the Creator who was their very source of life.

It goes without saying that it must be a pretty risky affair for God to start creating clones of Himself, knowing full well that these creatures created in His own image and likeness, have the POTENTIAL to become equally as smart as He is and perhaps even "do away with Him" in the end.

Ask yourself this question. If you were God, would you ever allow yourself to be in a position of weakness where something like this could happen? Would you ever allow others, whom you personally created with your own breath and in your own image and likeness—revolt against the divine plan and heavenly righteousness, and subsequently scuttle the order of the universe that you had discovered and established—attempting to become little tin "gods" themselves? Even to the point, eventually, of attempting to crucify the Lord of glory and do "away with Him?" (Note: The Bible clearly teaches that everything was created by Jehovah God, who is personally the Lord Jesus Christ, i.e. the theophanies).

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and FOR THY PLEASURE they are and were created" (Rev 4:11).

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph 3:9).

"For by him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Col 1:16,17).

So when Jehovah God decided to create additional beings with independent will and consciousness, it was a decision that required the utmost in care and planning. It should be immediately apparent to any thinking person; Jehovah must have certainly thought through the implications of His decision, knowing full well the inherent risks involved. God did not leave a single stone unturned to make sure it was done right and all possible outcomes were well known in advance. He obviously had to both know and be able to control the beginning from the end. Of course that was entire possible, because God thoroughly understands space time and He lives and moves outside the realm of linear time. So nothing can occur in time that will ever transgress the independent realm of the eternal.

Relationship vs. Risk

A true relationship involves risk. The basis of relationship is mutual free choice, and mutual honor. The only genuine love that can exist between two parties is when they WANT to love each other. To love God, was something God could never force upon His creatures, even if it was the first great commandment in the law.

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment" (Mark 12:30).

In creating man with the freedom of choice—to either love His Creator or reject Him—this carried a tremendous risk for God. The list of complications and possibilities for confrontation were virtually endless. It does not need to be said that God did indeed understand the risk in creating the angels and allowing them to have a free will. On the one hand, He wanted man as a co-equal companion and friend in order to enjoy a true and honest relationship for all eternity. On the flip side, this also exposed God to the risk of losing man to sin.

God never had the relationship with the former angels that He will ultimately have with man (and those loyal angels that remained obedient—see Luke 15:29-31). Man is God's ultimate creation and desire, not angels. Before Jesus came and died on the cross, no angel apparently ever had the privilege of referring to God the Creator as their personal friend or loving heavenly Father. Yet all of this changed with Abraham (see James 2:23 and 2 Chronicles 20:7. Also John 15:14). Prior to Abraham, the idea of referring to God as a "Friend" would be preposterous. No Muslim would even dare think of calling Allah their personal or casual friend.

This new basis of relationship is both profound and precious—to think that we can honestly have an intimate relationship with Jehovah God and be a personal friend with our Creator—to refer to God as "our heavenly Father." This is the glorious end of the Gospel and Christianity, and it will cause us in heaven to sing praises throughout eternity.

The Inevitable Must Happen

The Creator also knew, that in order for His new creatures to understand the dangers of sin and evil, they would have to see and experience those deficiencies first hand—in order to ultimately perceive and understand right from wrong. That is why God allowed this world to exist and for the fall from heaven to inevitably take place. That is why He has allowed every evil sin and vice (such as abortion, gay rights, and all the porn on the web), that exists in the world today. That is why He allowed the Natzi holocaust to take place and the terrorist attack on 9/11.

When we get to heaven at the end of time (see Rev 10:6), we will no doubt over the eons, watch instant replays of all histories vast events, as well as the events in each person's life. Everything that happened in this world, in space and time, was predestined by God to be our school master. For those who make it safely to the celestial city, this time on earth was our spiritual boot camp. This earth and its history is destined to become an eternal object lesson.

The failure of the angels and their being kicked out of heaven was also predestined by God. Please understand that God did not make this happen, He did not originate the evil which WE created within ourselves. But He set things up in such a manner, because He knew it would happen, and it had to happen. The fall was invaribly part of His master plan. Before there could be spiritual gain there had to be physical pain. And that is what the cross and suffering of Jesus is all about. He bore our spiritual sins in His body on the tree. He died in our stead.

There is a line that has been drawn a line through the ages. On that line stands the old rugged cross. Nothing will pass into eternity future unless it goes through the cross. That is why in this lifetime, each and every one of us need to learn what it means to die to ourselves and take up our own cross daily (Mar 8:34-36).

One thing that this website and theomatics will prove, is that evil did not begin with Satan or a fallen angel from heaven. Evil was created within our own hearts when we listened to the voice of the serpent. There is an entire chapter on this website concerning this (the serpent is obviously symbolical—see Chapter 9a). Theomatics completely destroys the popular fundamentalist/evangelical concept that evil began with one individual (or fallen arch-angel named Lucifer—see Chapter 4c on the literalness of Satan), who camouflaged his identity to Eve, and then all evil spread from there to everybody else. What theomatics will clearly and abundantly prove, is that each person is responsible and will be judged for THEIR OWN actions, not somebody else's.

Created in the "Image of God"—What Does it Mean?

Man obviously did not create himself. Neither did he evolve by accident. Scripture declares unequivocally that the angels (and man) were created by the direct action of God.

"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (Psa 33:6).

"And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen 2:7)

And they were created in the image of God.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them… (Gen 1:16).

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him." (Gen 1:27).

"This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him" (Gen 5:1).

"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man" (Gen 9:6).

"And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col 3:10).

"Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the likeness of God" (Jam 3:9).

What does it mean to be created in the image or likeness of God? First, we must understand that God is a spiritual Being, not a physical being. Jesus is probably the only physical being we will ever "visibly" see in the Godhead.

Even though we as humans live and manifest ourselves in physical bodies, in actuality we too are spiritual beings. When our physical body dies, we will go right on living in another dimension—as the same identical person we were before we came into this world.

Birth does not change a person from their former rebellious state. The events of this lifetime do not change a person. Death and the afterlife will never change a person. The only thing that will ever change a person is the supernatural power of God by giving us the gift of His Holy Spirit, and placing it within us.

So when the Bible says that God created man, it is important to point out that this is refering to much more than just his physical body during his sojourn on planet earth. It is the spiritua/eternal being that God is talking about. The real you inside of you! And right now we have all been separated from God because of a disease called sin. And unless that sin is forgiven, and we are changed and transformed during this lifetime, nothing but the second death and lake of fire awaits a person in the life to come.

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Rev 20:12-14).

Theomatics shows that "according to their works," is talking about the rebellion of the angels that took place in heaven—that is what each individual on this earth will be judged for. It states above that the works were "written in scrolls," and in Rev 6:14 heaven itself is described as a scroll being rolled up, i.e. the works were written in heaven.

A Carbon Copy of God?

Theologians have debated for centuries what it means to be created in God's image. While many Bible students will disagree on this point, I believe that God's plan is that when everything is said in done, we will in heaven be "equal" to God in virtually every aspect.

Throughout the gospels, Jesus refers to those who believed on Him, simply as "his brethren." As the firstborn Son of God He came to bring many sons to glory (Heb 2:10). In John 17, he constantly prayed that all would BECOME ONE with both Him and the Father.

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one" (Joh 17:21-23).

Right after he rose from the dead, Jesus said the following words to Mary Magdelene.

"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God" (Joh 20:17).

And then, Jesus confirmed the following.

"For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known" (Luk 12:2).

That is why in eternity, there will be no secrets. There will be nothing hidden behind the torn veil. As the bride of the Lamb, we will be joined to our Lord and savior for all eternity. No secrets will exist between the man and His wife. We will be one with our Lord and Saviour.

"But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor 6:17).

If we are all one spirit, it would be impossible for God to have knowledge and secrets that would be hidden from the "other half" of the "one spirit," otherwise there would be two spirits.

That is ultimately what it means to be created in the image of God, to actually become one with God as our Father—where our hearts, minds, and spirits, become united with the Godhead. God's ultimate plan for all eternity, is that all the fulness of the Godhead will dwell within the Body of Christ, which consists of all those who belong to Him.

Important Comment: There is one book in this author's library, that I would highly recommend. It is one of three or four most valuable books that I have ever read. It is called Spiritual Union and Communion by Arthur Pink, Baker Book House, 1976, ISBN 0-8010-6893-2.

This discussion on our eternal union and communion with God is so huge, and theomatics sheds such a tremendous amount of light on the subject. Here, it is important to simply point out the fact that God's ultimate and intended purpose is that we become one with Him so that we become just like Him, think like Him, breathe like Him, have his same intellectual powers and capabilities. In otherwords, putting it in modern day lingo, we are God clones.

Be forewarned. This does not imply in any way that we can become little gods ourselves. No created being in heaven will ever be able to say that he is a God. Absolutely not! It simply means that our spirits and God's Holy Spirit become so united in an eternal love relationship and fellowship, that we ultimately can experience the same relationship and closeness that Jesus has with His own heavenly Father (John 20:17). Every being, including Jesus Himself, submits and must bend the knee to the Father (Eph 3:14,15).

Dying to Ourselves

Another important fact that should be pointed out. God's purpose in uniting us as one with Himself—this does not in any way destroy us as individual persons. God will always give us freedom to have preferences and make choices. He is not creating robots or automatons. Yet the work of the cross in our lives here on earth, is intended by God to do away with our individuality as independent self will. God wants to subdue our individuality, but enhance our personality. There is a big difference between individuality vs. personality. One is the cocoon of self, the other the freedom of God's beauty manifested through us. Every person God creates is unique and beautiful in their own way (look at all the variety of flowers and butterflies).

Before we will ever be allowed to eat of the tree of life and live forever, we must during our lifetime on earth learn what it means to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. We must learn what it means to die to ourselves and our individual self will. We must take up our cross and follow our Lord and Saviour, dying to ourselves and our individual selfish tendencies. We must understand the full meaning of baptism—to be baptized into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

At the epicenter of everything, the most precious truth in all the universe, is God's gift of the Holy Spirit. When God gives us of His Spirit, He puts his very mind and thoughts into us. Without the Holy Spirit we have no life whatsoever (see Chapter 7e of this section).

The Tree of Death

We all know the story of the original sin that took place in paradise, when our first parents ate the forbidden fruit. God in Genesis forbid the angels (Adam and Eve) to partake of the tree in the center of the garden, lest they receive a sentence of death.

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen 2:17).

The final results are no secret. Every sin, every failure, every tragedy that man has ever encountered over the centuries, can all wind its way back to this one disobedient act (we will discuss this in much more detail—see Chapters in Section 10). For this is the very sin that caused all the angels to be kicked out of the heavenly paradise (Rev 12:4).

The Tree in the New Testament

Here is an astounding fact that very few Christians realize. Did you know that the very thing God forbid our first parents to do, the one thing that would bring upon them certain death—that very thing—we as Christians today, are actually admonished and commanded by God to do. The exact opposite! In fact, God actually insists that we eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Here is proof.

12 Ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, EVEN THOSE WHO BY REASON OF USE HAVE THEIR SENSES EXERCISED TO DISCERN BOTH GOOD AND EVIL.

6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection (Heb 5:12-6:1).

This is positively an amazing passage! When God did create independent beings, how could they ever fully function adequately, without a mature knowledge of good vs. evil?

The angels were originally created in a state of innocense, just like Adam and Eve are portrayed. They must depend upon their Creator to tell them right from wrong. Adam and Eve were babes who were limited to drinking milk. It was only when the "doctrine of Christ" came in its fulness through the hidden mystery of the Gospel, and God revealed Himself through His only begotten Son, that everything changed from Genesis. What this means is that those who are mature in Christ and "by reason of use have their senses exercised," they can now eat meat and go onto perfection. They are able to "discern both good from evil."

Again, this fact is incredible to realize. That God right now, and in eternity future, gives us the ability to eat of the tree of knowledge (and simultaneously partake of the tree of life). This is perfectly understandable, because only those who know how to discern good and evil CAN truly eat of the tree of life and live forever (see Gen 3:22).

Immediately after man fell, God protected the tree of life with the guardian cherub and the circumference of a sword pointing in all directions—lest the man "put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever" (Gen 3:22). Yet throughout the New Testament God promises eternal life to all who accept Christ and are born again. To cap it off, Jesus in Revelation says:

"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the middle of the paradise of God" (Rev 2:7).

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life" (Rev 22:14).

What we learn from all of this, is the fact that God indeed wants us as children of God to achieve everything our first parents were not allowed to do—eat of the tree of knowledge and eventually the tree of life.

A Final Solemn Fact

God also had to create billions of beings, who by their own free will chose to rebel and eventually ended up annihilated in hell, in order for those few who were redeemed, to realize that their own existence was a privilege and not a right. Those who are granted eternal life will be on the basis of God's goodness, not their own. That is why the twenty four elders (obviously symbolic) fall before the throne and worship in the book of Revelation.

"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Rev 5:8,9).