Mosaic and Nazarene Teaching Concerning God

Phanerosis is a compilation of these articles

John Thomas, M.D.

Preface

The little work herewith presented to that portion of the public which does itself the honour of seeking to "know the living and true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, has been styled by the Author Phanerosis. This is a Greek word in an English dress, and may be found in the lexicons in this form; and occurring in the phrase th fanerwsei thv alhyeiav the manifestationof the truth."  

Phanerosis originated in the following circumstances. Two Jews, converted from Rabbinical Judaism to Protestant Gentilism, commenced a meeting in New York City, for the purpose of convincing their "brethren according to the flesh," that the "Jesus preached" and believed in by Protestants and Papists is the Christ promised in the prophets to their fathers. The meeting was numerously attended by Jews, among whom was a certain Portuguese Jew, Dr. de Lara. He boldly and justly disputed the claims of what he styled "orthodox Christianity" to a divine origin. His acumen and arguments were too astute for their treatment, so that they were put to shame before the Jews they sought to proselyte. In this emergency they applied to the Author for aid against their persistent and indefatigable opponent, who had attacked the weakest part of their position. The author agreed to attend their meeting, and to examine the ground occupied by de Lara. He found that the philosophical Israelite was impregnable in his position against popular Christianity. When Epstein, the Jew converted to Congregationalism, and since returned to Judaism, after making considerable capital by his hypocrisy; and his companion, Lederer, since also apostate from the principles he professed, though still a distributor of Protestant tracts among the Jews at a certain annual stipend; when these two worthies enunciated their platitudes, they were riddled by the shafts of their adversary, amid the laughter and contemptuous ejaculations of the Jews. Calm being restored, the Author was invited to speak. He told them that he did not present himself for the defence of popular Christianity, for which he had no more veneration or admiration than they. Popular Christianity, he continued, is as different from the ancient and original faith of Christ preached by Jesus and the apostles, as is modern Judaism from the institutions of the Mosaic law and the testimony of the prophets. He had not a word to say in defence of such an unscriptural system, condemned alike by the Old and New Testaments. He advocated the doctrine set forth in the "form of sound words" employed by Jesus and the apostles, and attested by the law and the prophets. The New Testament, as originally delivered, perfectly agrees in its teaching with that of the Old. These Scriptures, and not the clerical creeds and symbols of popular credulity, are the authentic and authoritative records of the faith expounded by them. Dr. de Lara was, therefore, beating the air; for while he was assailing something he styled "orthodox Christianity," he was not touching ancient New Testament Christianity at all! The Author was, consequently, under no obligation to meet Dr. de Lara's arguments against Jesus as the Christ founded upon Protestant and Catholic misconceptions of his relations to Deity, and so forth. He would, therefore, leave him in all the glory of his conflict with "orthodox Christianity," so called, and proceed to show them "a more excellent way."  

Having addressed the Jews upon this for an hour or more, in showing them what Moses and the prophets teach concerning the Christ, and to what extent it was fulfilled in Jesus -- how that he was to be a sufferer, and on the third day rise from the dead, and afterwards ascend to the right hand of power, when he is to come again, and "revive his work in the midst of the years," the consummation of which will result in their acknowledgment of him as their king, and their consequent restoration to their land and national independence and glory. Having set these and other things before as peaceable an assemblage of Jews as could be desired, he concluded, exhorting ,them to a candid and dispassionate study of Moses and the prophets; for that the testimony for Jesus was the spirit of prophecy, which left no doubt that he was the Prophet like unto their great law giver, whom Jehovah promised to raise up to Israel, as "His salvation to the ends of the earth."  

But though the Jews, before so turbulent, heard the Author with marked and respectful attention (and one of their number declared that "if the Jews could hear him they would all become Christians"!) the manifestation of approval kindled the indignation of Messrs. Epstein and Lederer, who had invited him. They determined, therefore, to silence him, which they did effectually, by decreeing that no one should speak longer than five minutes.  

    The door of utterance to the Jews thus being closed in their meeting, the author invited them to hear him at another time and place. Some of them accepted the invitation, and among them, Dr. de Lara, who, as the author was about commencing his address, caused to be put into his hand the following epistle addressed to the Author:--  

Dr. de Lara's letter seems to have been originated in a spirit of astonishment, incredulity, and candour; of astonishment at our statement concerning the entire and absolute harmony of the teaching of the two Testaments, in the face of the dogmas of' "Orthodox Christianity" referred to; of incredulity, because of the unphilosophical and irrational character of the facts testified in the New Testament; and of candour in seeming, though by education hostile to the Nazarene, to desire a fair examination into "the stone of stumbling" presented to the Jewish mind in "the things concerning His name."  

We can easily appreciate the astonishment under which he seems to labour. Our declaration, which we here admit, of the entire and absolute harmony of the teaching of Moses and Jesus, is calculated to excite astonishment, confounding astonishment, in the mind that has no other idea of the teaching of Jesus and the apostles than the parody thereof exhibited in the old wives' fables of what Dr. de Lara styles "orthodox Christianity." But, we do not affirm the harmony of "orthodox Christianity" interpretations, or rather "imaginations, high things, and thoughts" (2 Cor. 10:5), with the teaching of God, in Moses and the prophets: we are, therefore, under no obligation to attempt the impossible task of reconciliation. We do not believe in the self-styled "orthodox Christianity" of the world. It is not the Bible teaching of tile Spirit of the Christ which was in Moses and the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles. Admit what Nehemiah and Peter testify, that one and the same spirit was in them all, and that that Spirit was God's, "in whom is no darkness at all"; and it follows, of necessity, as we have affirmed, that the doctrine of the Old and New Scriptures is entirely and absolutely harmonious and uncontradictory (1 Pet. I :11; 2 Pet. 1:21; Neh. 9:20,30). We believe in the doctrine of God, in the deep things of God, revealed by His spirit (1 Cor. 2:6-16), not through disobedient fanatics, or a clergy, Jewish or Gentile, infidel thereof: but revealed by His spirit in the Spirit's own words, through the holy and faithful heroes of the faith, to whom, under God, we are indebted for the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. This is the Christianity of our faith which we are prepared to state, illustrate, and prove, in opposition to modern Judaism, Jewish rationalism, and Gentile perversions of the truth.  

Dr. de Lara appears incredulous. He is reported to have said, in one of his speeches at Centre Street, he cared nothing for Moses and the prophets. He may, perhaps, care more than the report of his words gives him credit for. We rather think that he meant he did not care for their testimony as proof of the Messiah having appeared; for we find him saying, in a certain periodical, "he did not care if fifty prophets had prophesied the coming of Messiah, unless the facts can be adduced to prove that the Messiah had come." From the letter before us, it is difficult to determine with certainty whether he is "a devout Jew," "an enlightened Jew," "a Rabbinical Jew," or "a philosophical Jew." We suspect he is in feeling a Jew, archaeologically devout, unfettered by Rabbinism, and giving credence only to what "the thinking of the flesh," untutored by revelation, approve. From these elements seems to be generated the spirit of the letter before us. A Jew incredulous of those oracles committed to his nation's care, is a hard and slippery case to deal with. We feel no interest in arguing with such a Jew; for he has lost his Jewishness, and disappeared in the bottomless pit of nations -- the undistinguished multitudes of earth. In the midst of uncertainty, then, we have preferred to view Dr. de Lara as a professed believer in Moses and the prophets, too enlightened therein to be hoodwinked by Rabbinism, but not sufficiently so to see into their attestation of the righteousness of God in Jesus as the Christ -- the Jehovah-tzidkainu. We will not think of him as a rationalistic or philosophical Jew. Rationalism and "philoSophy" in religion may do for Gentiles, but are highly unbecoming in a Jew. A Jew ought to be a man of faith, and not a mere rationalist or fleshly pietist; but, unhappily, and generally speaking, they are true to the character given to them by Moses, in whom they glory, who says: "They are a very froward generation, children in whom there is no faith" (Deut. 32:20), really as faithless of Moses as of Jesus, if faith is to be measured by conforming to the obedience it demands. A Jew faithless of the Mosaic teaching must necessarily be a rejector of Jesus of Nazareth, apostolically displayed. Moses spoke of Christ; and, therefore, Jesus inquired: "If you believe not Moses how can ye believe me; for he wrote of me." This is the secret of Jewish incredulity; not that the testimony for Jesus is insufficient for faith; but because of their extreme frowardness in making void the word of God by Moses and the prophets, through the corrupting influence of their traditions.  

There is a candour about Dr. de Lara's letter that is quite attractive. Its points are distinctly stated, and the views of its writer boldly averted. This is according to our taste. We like a man to stand out in his true character, and not to appear one thing and be another. Moral honesty and moral courage are virtues which few possess in this age of sham. Neither Jews nor Gentiles are pre-eminent in these respects. The former fear one another, and have not lost their terror of the Gentiles. Many, as of old, do not confess Jesus for fear of losing caste, of being cast out of the synagogues, or denied sepulchre among Judah's dead; while Gentiles confess a Jesus, but know not the true doctrine, or fear to bear the cross, lest the clergy should blow upon them. Between the two there is nothing to rejoice in. The world is wilderness, and its oases desert. Bold and sterling honesty of purpose and principle is the desideratum of the times. Sham and swindle everywhere abound, and few remain to do battle for the truth at all hazards against the world. Candour and courage are exceedingly scarce.  

On the evening upon which Dr. de Lara's letter was handed in, we had perused it, marking its points with pencil as we proceeded and then answered them in general terms before the audience. After we had finished, Dr. de Lara rose and apologised for having afforded us no time for examination, and hoped that we would believe that he did not design to extort an advantage by taking us at unawares. We graciously accepted the apology, being satisfied that such was not his policy; but that he really desired the information indicated in the concluding paragraph of his epistle. This being the author's conviction, and recognizing the importance, the primary importance, of the subject, on the great question at issue between the disciples of modern Judaism and the writers of the New Testament, he announced, that on the following Sunday evening he would lay before the audience the  

The vital importance of understanding the Bible revelation of God will be manifest to those who admit the authority of the New Testament in matters of faith and practise, in considering the testimony of Him "Who proceedeth forth and came from God"; and who, in "giving to the disciples the words which the Father gave him," said: "Thou givest to Thy Son jurisdiction of all flesh, that everything which Thou hast given to him, he might give to them aionian life. And this is the life of the Aion (h aiwniov zwh) that they should understand Thee (ginwskwsin se) the only true God, and Jesus Anointed whom Thou sendest" (John 17:2,3). From this testimony we learn,  

1. That the life of Messiah's Aion is not for all mankind!  
2. That the life is for those specially donated to the Son; and  
3. That the attainment of this life by those specially given to him, is consequent upon their intellectual enlightenment concerning what constitutes "the only true God," and the relation to Him of Jesus in his begettal and anointing.

The apostle John, who heard the utterance of this teaching, and who had delivered the same to the Jews and Gentiles whom he and his co-labourers were sent to enlighten with the light of life, reproduces the same doctrine in his first epistle, saying to them, "We have comprehended (oidamen) that the Son of God is come, and hath given to us discernment that we might understand the True One, and we are in the True One, in His Son Jesus the Anointed. This is the true God, and the life of the Aion (he zoe aionios).Little children keep yourselves from the idols" (1 John 5:20).  

This intellectual comprehension of the True God is renewing, and capable of developing the likeness of His moral or spiritual image in the illuminated. This is clear from many passages of Scripture. Jesus, the image of the Invisible God, in addressing the Father said: "I have given them (whom Thou hast given me) Thy word: sanctify them through Thy Truth:Thy word is Truth" (John 17:8,9,14,17). And again, "Ye are clean through the wordwhich I have spoken to you" (15:3). And John says: "the Spirit is the testifier, because the Spirit is the truth" (1Jo 5:6). And Paul alluding to the transforming efficacy of God's revelation of Himself comprehended and believed, tells obedient believers of the word, that they had put offthe old man with his deeds, and put on"the new," made new again by exact knowledge (eiv epignwsin) after the image of Him creating him (Col. 3:9-10). Here are two characters, or moral natures, in relation to one and the same animal man. Ignorant of the true God and Jesus the Anointed whom He has sent, the man A.B., is "alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in him" (Eph. 4:18): and is invested with "the body of the sins of the flesh" as with an apron of fig leaves. He is then in the Old Man state, and stands before God naked as Adam and Eve in Eden, obnoxious to the anger of offended Deity. He does not know or comprehend the Almighty. He thinks He is altogether such an one as himself, fickle, inconstant, mutable and false. He is as ignorant of His character, or Name, as he is of His hypostasisor substance. In the fulness of the ignorance he turns " philosopher," and presumes to discourse of God, and of soul, and of the ground of acceptance with Him! The presumption of this Old Man of the flesh, laden with sins and superstitions, is marvellous! He has filled the world with his lucubrations, or skotifications rather, and calls them "wisdom," "theology," "divinity," "philosophy," and so forth. Adam habited in fig leaves under the inspiration of the Serpent, is the incarnation of them all. He was "the Word of the Serpent made flesh"; the Federal Patriarch, or Chief Father, of all who walk in his steps:, the type, or representative pattern of all clerical and philosophical Jews and Gentiles who, "with the flesh," or its reasonings and gospel-nullifying traditions and practices, "serve the law of sin."  

Now of the clerical or rabbinical wisdom, and philosophy of this Old Man, the "wise men and scribes" whom the Jehovah Spirit sent to Israel, speak in very contemptuous terms. Concerning the rabbinical and philosophical Jews of all times, to say nothing of the Gentiles who have plundered their tradition, they say, "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness" (Job 5: 13). "Forasmuch as this people (Israel), draw near with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men",their traditionizing and philosophizing rabbis; "therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, a marvellous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from Jehovah, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay, for shall the work say of Him that made it, He made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of Him that framed it, He has no understanding? Is it not yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field and the fruitful field shall be esteemed a forest"? Thus testified the Spirit of Christ in Isaiah, concerning the 'wise and prudent men of Israel (ch. 29:13), who professed to know God, but in their works denied Him. Their wisdom and understanding have shrivelled and perished from off the land, in which they took counsel against Jehovah and His Anointed, to burst their bands asunder, and to cast their cords away (Psalm 2). The stately cedars of Lebanon have been hewn down, and their fruitful fields are a forest; and all because "they knew not the true God and Jesus the Anointed."  

But, as the Spirit of Christ in the same prophet, and in the same place, also testifies, although Jehovah has poured out upon the staggering guides of Israel the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed their eyes, and covered the prophets and rulers, and seers; and the vision of all is become as the "words of a sealed book," which the learned confess they cannot explain; yet "the deafhear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blindsee out of obscurity and out of darkness; the meekalso increase their joy in Jehovah, and the pooramong men rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." How literally this began to be accomplished in the day when Jehovah cut asunder his staff, Beauty; for whom, as the Spirit of Christ in Zechariah predicted, Judah and Israel's rulers weighed out to the traitor Judas, thirty pieces of silver; and afterwards cast the blood money to the potter for the purchase of his field (ch. 11:10-13). In that day, when "the poor of the flock were waiting upon Beauty," the deaf were made to hear, the blind to see, the meek to increase their joy, and the poor to rejoice in the broken staff Beauty, in the hand of the Holy One of Israel. "The poor had the gospel preached to them." When the deaf and the blind were cured, they rejoiced in what they heard. They embraced it as the wisdom of God, confirmed to them by Him with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and by the resurrection of Jesus, on the reunion of the fragments of the broken staff he had severed in his hand; "So," says the prophet, "the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of Jehovah."  

But the rich and the powerful of the flock did not know, and do not know to this day. They are still the deaf and the blind, with all their "vast learning" (!) and philosophy. We go to the Holy Land, the arena of Zion's controversy, and we inquire with Isaiah and Paul, Where are the wise? Where is the scribe? Where the disputants of the Mosaic Aion, who withstood "the truth as it is in Jesus"? The standing answer is, that "God hath made foolish their wisdom"; yea, the wisdom both of Jews and Greeks; for, says Paul, "the world by wisdom knew not God." They had wisdom but He pronounced it "foolishness"; and James steps in and adds his testimony, that their wisdom was from beneath, being a lie against the truth, and earthly, sensual, and demoniac (Jas. 3:14-15).  

Such is the wisdom of the Old Man of the Flesh. It can rise no higher in conceptions of God than the zenith of its own halo. He thinks as he feels, and his feelings are only blind. Being a creature of earth, and sense, and sin, his conceptions of God are earthly, sensual, and demoniac. He proclaims Him to be an incomprehensible existence, without body or parts. Having assumed this, he deposits Him in every created thing, and theistically worships Him in men, birds, beasts, creeping things, and their images. In this assumption, the philosopher, the theologian, the idolator, all meet together upon common ground. This is their "One God," whom they represent as fierce, vindictive, cruel, and implacable; who, but for some more benevolent being, interposing between Him and men, would increase His own glory and.enjoyment, and satisfy His eternal justice, by tormenting them in fire and brimstone endlessly. This is the God created and worshipped by the Old Man of the Flesh; worshipped, not because he loves Him, or sees anything in Him to admire, but because he is afraid of Him. Hence, all the fancy superstitions he has devised are an based upon one common error of the brain, namely the necessity of the worshipper doing something to placate the Deity. The prescriptions extant in the Old Man's dispensary for the purpose are multitudinous. Some of the most notable with which the world is empiricized and overspread, are those of cutting the flesh with knives after the manner of Baal; of causing children to pass through the fire after the manner of Moloch; of "covering the altar of Jehovah with tears, with weeping and with crying out," after the practice of the priests in the days of Malachi; of straining at gnats, and paying tithes of mint and cummin in the fashion of hypocrites; of self-immolation under the fervid wheels of Juggernaut; of voluntary martyrdom, after the manner of the disciples of the Nicolaitanes, Balaams, and Jezebels of the early centuries after Christ; of papistical penance in afflicting the body for its commendation to God; of many long "prayers" or rhapsodical rants, weeping, and cryings out for religion, after the manner commonly witnessed at the camp meetings and revivals of the names and denominations which now fill the unmeasured court of the Gentiles (Rev. 11:2). These, and ten thousand other absurd practices of the temple, the synagogue, and church, are all expressive of the common error referred to above, and indicate the total ignorance of Jews and Gentiles, both of the Mosaic and Nazarene teaching concerning the Holy One of Israel.  

Now, it is to exorcise A.B. of this Old Man,to deliver him from him, to cast the demon out, to "put off theold man and his deeds"from A.B.; to strip him of the fig leaves, and to put onthe sacrificial victim's skin, the garment appointed of Jehovah Elohim, to hide or cover his sin or shame, that "the knowledge of God,"or system of divine truth hath been devised. The Old Man of Sin's Flesh, who is the Devil, cannot be converted. His destiny is destruction; "for this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the worksof the Devil," or the works of the flesh, which are the same things: and "forasmuch also as the children (of his Father) are partakers of flesh and blood, He (the Son) himself, likewise, took part of the same;that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil"(1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14). Hence the Old Man of the Flesh and his deeds are doomed to extirpation from the earth at the hands of Jesus and his brethren. The Devil and all his superstitions of temple, synagogue, and church, whether dissentient or established, are all to be destroyed. Clergymen and Rabbis, philosophers and fools, will not indeed "go to the devil," but far better will vanish with him from the earth, which will remain emancipated and blessed for the "meek" whose heritage it is.

But if the Old Man cannot be coverted, A.B. may. Our friend A.B. may "be taught of God," not by direct spirit-afflation, according to the Old Man's theology, but by the direct operation of the heavenly ideas of God upon his brain-flesh. These ideas are the living spirit, the divine agent in conversion, which, when understood and believed, inscribe upon the tablet of A.B.'s intellect and affections "the Law of the Spirit of the life in the Anointed Jesus,"which "Spirit," as he himself hath said, "it is that makes alive," and "the words which I discourse to you is spirit and is life" pneumu esti kai zoe estin.That is, spirit isthe words, and life isthe words discoursed. The spirit or power of the words is in the ideas they represent; and those ideas generate intellectual and moral, that is, spiritual life; which life having been fully developed in a character approved of Him from whom the ideas originate, is permanently manifested in "the crown of life," the reward of righteousness, which is received by the resurrected and transformed made incorruptible and immortal, or deathless, by "the Lord the Spirit."  

Here, then, is a New Man created by the Spirit, who is the rival and deadly enemy of the Old Man, generated of blood, of the will of the flesh, and of the will of man. The germ of the New Man is the ideas of God.These ideas are aggregated in what Peter terms "the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." If A.B. have this knowledge in him, God's seed is in him; "The Word of the Kingdom" is there; he knows the True One, and his knowledge leads him into the True One ,into His Son Jesus the Anointed; and he comes to know that "this is the true God, and the life of the Aion."  

When A.B. knows God, and Jesus the Anointed, apostolized, or sent; in other words, when he has believed intothe true God, in believing the gospel of the Kingdom, and obeying it; in the act of obedience, styled by Peter "the obeying of the truth," he puts offthe Old Man of the Flesh with his deeds, and puts onthe New Man of the Spirit. He is still A.B.; but he is no longer A.B. invested with fig-leaf devices. He is A.B. in a new character. Instead of thinking with the Old Man in his wickedness and folly he thinks with the Spirit. That is, God's thoughts and ways have become his. He understands, believes, and loves what God has spoken by His Spirit in the prophets in Jesus, and in the apostles; so that this thinking is now no longer "the thinking of the flesh," which is always wrong, when speculating upon divine things; but "the thinking of the Spirit," which is always right, so long as the seed of God abideth in him.  

Here, then, are two men, each of whom set up rival claims to A.B., The Old Man of Sin's Flesh, or the Devil; and the New Man, the Spirit, or the likeness of the Image of God. The likeness is Jesus Christ in A.B. dwelling in his heart by faith working by love of the truth (Eph. 3:17; 2 Cor. 13:5; Gal. 2:20; 5:6). It is "A New Creature," or creation within him; and upon whom the Old Man of the Flesh is incessantly seeking to impose the yoke of his traditions. Being a great theologian and philosopher, he is ever labouring to bring the New Man into bondage, and to turn him from "the simplicity which is in Christ." For this purpose he sets Moses against Jesus, prophet against prophet, Old Testament against New, and the New against the Old; puts them into his crucibles, for he is a great alchemist, and transmutes them into Rationalism, Transcendentalism, Natural Religion, into any- thing, in short, to suit the occasion and the times -- and dignifies them with the titles of philosophy, science, and "the higher law." But the New Man of the Spirit is free, looking searchingly into the perfect law of liberty, and having no respect to "the philosophy and empty delusion," and antitheses of gnosis,or "oppositions of science," falsely so called, in which the flesh delights. He troubles not himself about Trinitarianism, or Antitrinitarianism, Unitarianism, Arianism, or Socinianism. He has no more deference for these than for any other of "the works of the Devil," or for the Old Man himself. He does not commune with him in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, whom He has sent, The Old Man judges after the flesh; the New Man after the Spirit, in Moses and the prophets, among whom are included John the immerser, Jesus, and the apostles. The spirit of the Old Man is the spirit that exhales from the flesh, and is known as the "nervous fluid," "animal magnetism," "vital electricity" and so forth. It is secreted from the blood by the secerning system of vessels and membranes, supplied with the raw material by the process of digestion and respiration. This spirit of the Old Man of Sin's Flesh is the spirit which his disciples's say "accompanies the word, and applies it in the conversion of the soul." The word, or letter, saith this hyperbolical sinner (kay uperbolhn amartwlov) killeth, but the spirit giveth life; by which he means, that the simple word itself, the doctrine, the testimony, and the commandments of Jehovah, are not perfect, converting the sou!; are not sure, making wise the foolish; are not pure, enlightening the eyes; but that what the Old Man or the Devil, calls "the spirit," is necessary to give them efficacy and power. "The Word," saith he "is a dead letter." True, it is dead as far as its ability to convert the devil is concerned; yea, and kills him, too. He feels this; and, therefore, speaks experimentally. This dead and devil-deadening word has power, nevertheless; for it never ceases to enrage him, especially when the New Man of the Spirit rejects the dogma of vitalizing the idea words of God, by the animal magnetism of the flesh, as blasphemy.  

The New Man of the Spirit is the mental likeness of God in Christ photographed, so to speak, on the fleshly table or sensorium of A.B., by the Holy Scriptures, "which," as Paul says, "are able to make wise to salvation, through faith, which is by the anointed Jesus." It is only the A.B.'s thus enlightened that are "taught of God," and know Him. None else are made alive by the Spirit; and, consequently, none others "know God"; for He, and all the deep things pertaining to Him, are "spiritually discerned."  

Furthermore, the high importance of this great subject, that, namely, of knowing the true God understandingly, is manifest from the magnitude of the evil consequent upon not understanding Him. Thus, in writing to the Thessalonians, Paul testifies, that the Lord Jesus shall be apocalypsed or revealed from heaven; and that in that apocalypse he will inflict condign punishment upon them "who know not God," and who obey not the Gospel of Jesus the Anointed.Surely here is incentive powerful enough to induce A.B. to study God's revelation of Himself, and to obey the unadulterated word of the kingdom. Is A.B. wise? Is he mighty? Is he rich? Then thus saith Jehovah to him: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I, Jehovah, do exercise mercy, judgment, and righteousness on the earth; for in these I delight, saith Jehovah."

In our January number, we introduced this subject to our readers, showing the importance of understanding it. In this number of the HERALD we propose to set forth some of the things extant pertaining to the subject itself  

But in turning to the Bible, which we regard as the only reliable source of information concerning God, we are met by the inquiry of Zothar, the Naamathite, saying, "Wilt thou find out ELOAH by searching? Or to perfection. wilt thou find out SHADDAI? The height of the heavens, what wilt thou do? Deeper than the grave, what wilt thou know? The lengthening out is more than earth's measure, and broader than the sea," Job xi, 7-9. The subject is indeed great, for God is great; and when we come to contemplate it aright, we are led with the apostle to exclaim, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who knows the mind of the Lord? Or who becomes his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed to him again? For out ofhim are all things. To him be glory for the Aions. Amen," (Rom 11:33-36).

To Zophar we reply, that "by searching" through the height of the heavens, or the depth of the unfathomed abyss, we cannot find out Eloahh Shaddai. "That known of God is made manifest among men; for God makes manifest to them: (for His invisible things from the creation of the world being understood by the works, are discerned, both His ever-existing (aidios) power and deity) that they may be inexcusable" (Rom. 1:19). But to discern this by a contemplation of the heavens, earth and sea, is not to "find Him out to perfection." They proclaim an "EVER-EXISTING POWER" and that this power is superior to "corruptible man," and, therefore "incorruptible (Theos), incorruptible power; or, as we say, "God." But while they proclaim this, they do not reveal the mode of His existence, the place of His throne, His mode of thinking, His character, purpose, and so forth. The wisest of men, who have speculated upon these apart from a written revelation, have only become vain in their imaginations; and, though professing to be wise, become fools. They have thought to define the Deity; and in so doing, have imagined that He was such an one as themselves. But all their speculations have been stamped with the seal of His reprobation; for both Old and New Testaments testify that "the world by wisdom knew Him not" (Ps. 14:1, 2; Rom. 3: 11 ).  

God delights in stimulating the intellect of His creatures. In revealing Himself, therefore, to them, He manifests Himself mysteriously. "It is the glory of Elohim," says Solomon, "to conceal a word, but it is the glory of kings to search out the word." A word is concealed when it is enigmatically expressed; and it is the glory of those whom God has chosen for His kings in the future government of the world, to search out the wisdom He hath hidden from the wise in their own conceit. "The world by wisdom," saith Paul, "knew not God but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, 'the hidden', which none of the chiefs of this Aion knew; for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 1:21; 2:7, 8). Paul was sent to turn the Gentiles to the knowledge of the true and living Deity, and in so doing taught them the mystery which it was the glory of the apostolic proclamation to explain or reveal. Hence their preaching came to be styled, "the Revelation of the Mystery," and is thus alluded to by Paul (who taught "the gospel which God had promised through His prophets in the holy Scrip tures") in Rom. 16:25 -- "To him that is of power," says he, "to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus anointed; according to the revelation of mystery concealed dur ing Aionian times (chronois aionios) but now made manifest also through the prophetic writings according to the commandment of the God of the Aion (tou aioniou Theou) for obedience of faith made known.to all the nations: to God only wise, through Jesus anointed, to him be the glory for the Aions. Amen."  

This mystery, which as we see, was the burden of the apostolic preaching, was a great enigma -- an enigma, dramatically, as well as doctrinally, explained. "Without controversy," says Paul, "great is the mystery of godliness -- GOD MANIFESTED IN FLESH, God justified in spirit, made visible to messengers, preached among nations, believed on in the world, received again to glory"(1 Tim. 3:16).  

It would be premature to go into the consideration of these six points of godliness.It is sufficient just now to bear in mind that they exist; and constitute integral parts of "God-manifestation" as far as at present developed.  

We proceed to remark that Paul, as well as Moses, declares, "there is no other God but one"; and having so said, proceeds to remark: "For though there be that are called gods, whether in the heaven, or upon the earth (as there are gods many, and lords many), but to us there is one God the Father, out of whom (ex ou) all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Anointed, on account of whom (di'ou) all things, and we through Him. Howbeit the knowledge is not in all. (1 Cor. 8:4-7).  

Here then, we have good authority for saying, that in the universe there are many gods and many lords; but that over and above them all is "One Supreme," who is styled "the Blessed and Only Sovereign, (monos dunastes) the King of kings, the Lord of lords; the only one having deathlessness, inhabiting light unapproachable, whom no one of men hath seen, nor is able to
behold" (1 Tim. 6:15). He is God of gods, whose existence He Himself admits in saying to Israel' "I am Jehovah, thy Elohim ...." "There shall not be to thee other Elohim above me." ynp-le  

Thus far Moses and Paul are in agreement. They both teach one supreme Deity, and the existence of others beside; but that these others were not to be made objects of worship by dwellers upon the earth.  

Now Jesus of Nazareth is perfectly Mosaic in his teaching upon this subject. When a certain scribe asked him: "Which is the chief commandment of all"? He answered in the words of Moses, so often referred to by the Jews of our day, when disputing the claims of Jesus, and by Dr. de Lara among the number: "the first of all the commandments," said he, is, "Hear, O Israel; 'Jehovah' our 'Elohim' is 'one' Jehovah. And thou shalt love 'Jehovah', thine Elohim, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like; as, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." "Well, Teacher," said the scribe, "thou hast said the truth; for there is one 'Deity' (hoti els estin Theos) - and there is no other but of him -ouk estin allos plen autou" (Mark 12:29-34).  

But at this stage of our inquiry it behoves us to pause and to look into the signification of certain words brought before us in these and other passages of the sacred writings. This is the more necessary, because the names of God which occur in the Bible are not arbitrary sounds; and one of the chief imperfections of the English authorised translation, or rather version, is the slovenly manner in which all the names by which God has been pleased to make Himself known to His people, have been rendered, after the fashion of the Septuagint, by the two words, "Lord"and "God."  

These words do not convey the ideas of the Spirit in its use of terms. Lordis of Saxon origin, and signifies monarch, ruler, governor, something supreme or distinguished. The word to which it answers in the Septuagint and New Testament is kyrios. kyrios.Under this word Parkhurst says: "Plutarch informs us, that kyrios. the name of Cyrus, who in Isaiah 44:28; 45: 1, is called vrwk koresh, did in Persic signify the Sun."This name," then continues Parkhurst, "seems an evident corruption of the Hebrew orx , the sun; and as the sun is manifestly the great ruler in material nature, and the idolators of several nations accordingly worshipped Him under the title of klm meleck, the King, and leb Baal, the Ruler, Lord; so from the same word, vrwk, may, I think, be deduced the Greek kuros kuros, authority, and kurios kurios, lord; and even the word kuro, to exist; for it was a heathen tenet, that the sun was self-existent. Thus, for instance, the Orphic Hymn, Eiv `Hlion 1.3, calls him Autofuhv ,self-born."  

But, if this be the radical idea of kyrios it fails to represent the meaning of la ail, hwla eloah, myhla elohim, mds shaddai, hwhy yehowah,for all of which it is often, or rather, most frequently, and almost generally used. The word Adon is properly enough rendered by Lord, or kuriov in the singular; but not the other words, for which it should never be used. Elohim, Shaddai and Adonai, are plural names of Deity, and require terms of the same number to express them.

The common use of God in the English language, is as little justifiable as that of the word Lord. "God" in Saxon, signifies good: a meaning which cannot possibly be extracted from any of the names recited above. God is indeed good, exclusively so, as we are taught by Jesus himself while in the mortal state. In this sense, he refused to appropriate the word good, saying to one who styled himself so, "Why callest thou me good? No one is good except one, that is God" (Matt. 19:17). Jesus was free from personal transgression, and therefore in character good; as he did not refer to character, he could only have had reference to nature, or to God as substance. He is good in the sense of being deathless or incorruptibility itself; which, when Jesus refused the term, did not define the nature the Spirit was tabernacling in, and was encumbered with. "In me, that is, in my flesh," says Paul, "dwells no good thing." God, then, whether in the sense of moral, or of material goodness, while it is a term expressive of the truth, is not a translation of any of the words before us; and where used in their stead, leaves the mind in the dark concerning the things they were intended to convey.  

To Melchizedec and Abram the alone "Good One" was known as Nwyle la, Ail Elyon "Most High Ail," which teaches by implication that there were Ailim of inferior rank, station and power. Melchizedec, King of Jerusalem, was the priest of the Highest Ail, whom he understood and proclaimed to be konai, "Possessor of the Heavens and Earth." In Gen. 14:22, Abram is made, by transcribers, to call the "Most High Ail" by the name Jehovah; though we are expressly told in Exodus 6:3, that Abraham did not know Him by that name. He knew Ail, and he knew Shad-dai; but with any superior or divine being of the name "Jehovah," he had no acquaintance (See additional Note in Appendix.). The name has no doubt been substituted for Adon, Lord or Ruler, which the Most High is by virtue of His being the owner or sole proprietor of the heavens and the earth. The use of the word Jehovah is evidence that Genesis was compiled at least 430 years after the events of Chapter 15.  

Abram, the Hebrew, spoke the language of Moses. This is evident from the narrative, and the name applied to altars and to God by his immediate family. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, all called upon the Possessor of the Heavens and Earth, by the word Ail-Shaddai, which in Gen. 17:1, He bestowed upon Himself, saying ani-ail-Shaddai- "walk before Me, and be thou perfect"; and in verse 3 it says, "and Elohim talked with him": and Ail told him through Elohim that He would be to him lai-lohim, "for Elohim and to his seed after him" (verse 8).  

As often as this word ail passed before his mind, the idea of POWER, might, strength, would stand out in bold relief. "It always," says Gesenius, "presented to the Hebrews the idea of strength and power." Nebuchadnezzar is styled in Ezek. 31:11, Ail Goyim, the Mighty One of Nations; and in Isaiah 9:5, Messiah is termed Ail Givbor, the Mighty Warrior.  

Shaddai is plural, and comes from the root shadad, to be strong or powerful. Shaddai signifies mighty or powerful ones. Several appeared to Abraham, and three of them at one time condescended to partake of his hospitality. Their power is tremendous when they choose to exert it upon the wicked, as in the instance of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, cities of the Plain; but towards "the Heirs of Salvation" they are ministering spirits, beneficient and good (Heb. 1:14; 13:1).  

But, by what were these Shaddai so powerful that they could stand by cities and send them into the abyss profound? Was it by their own power, or by the power of another? By the power of another certainly; even by His power who is higher than they; and who, being Possessor of the Earth hath alone the right to lay its cities in heaps, and sweep it with terror and distress. And because this is the fact, therefore, the Possessor of the Heavens and the Earth announced himself to Abram, Isaac and Jacob, as Ail-Shaddai, or THE STRENGTH of the POWERFUL ONES, whose might he had witnessed in the destruction of the Plain.

In this sense, that namely of POWER INCREATE, being the strength of creatures formed by it, we find Ail associated with other words than shaddai. In Gen. 33:20, it is testified, that Jacob erected an altar, and called it Ail Elohai Yisraail, rendered in the margin of the English Bible, God, God of Israel. An altar, mizbaiach, is a thing to sacrifice or present offerings upon, from zavach, to kill, etc. It was regarded as "most holy," so that whatever touched the altar was sanctified or made holy (Exodus 29:37). The blind fools, as Jesus styled the Rabbis of his day, had reversed this, and by making the altar of no account (Matt. 23: 18), destroyed its typical and sanctifying character. In the days of the patriarchs and prophets, the typical altar was temporarily sanctified, but in the days of the apostles, and consequently now also, Jesus is the sanctifier, as Paul teaches in Heb. 2: 11, saying that "Both he that sanctifieth, and they being sanctified, are all out of one (Father) ex henos: and in Chapter 13:10-13, he plainly identifies Jesus as the sanctifying altar of which none have any right to eat who hold on to the types rejecting the things they shadow forth.

Now Jesus was one and the Father was another. "I can of mine own self," said he, "do nothing.": "My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me": and it is written in the Law of Moses that the testimony of two men is credible. "I am one that bear witness of myself; and the Father who sent me, (the other witness) He beareth witness of me" (John 5:30; 7:16; 8:17,18). Here, then, are two personages. The Father by Himself, being Ail, or POWER, but when associated with the Son of Man, who, when so associated, was powerful "anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power" -- He was Ail Eloahh, the Power mediately manifested; the power being one, and the medium of manifestation another Eloahh. "It is in the ail yahdi, power of my hand," said Laban to Jacob, "to harm you; but the Elohim of your Father forbade it."

Now the altar erected by Jacob was typical of those referred to in the title he bestowed upon it. When the Spirit descended upon the Apostles, and shone through them, holding forth the word of life confirmed by power, there were many other Elohim in Israel. They were full of power, and therefore full of Ail, as Jesus promised they should be, saying, "Ye shall receive power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you" (Acts 1:8); and when Jacob poured oil upon the pillar-stone of Baithail, he represented this anointing of the Elohim of Israel with Ail. The marginal reading of the title of Jacob's Altar expresses nothing of this. "God, God of Israel" is an unmeaning phrase: rendered after the Saxon version of "God," it is "Good, Good of Israel"! But with the promises before us, we interpret the Altar as typical of the Power of the Powerful Ones of Israel in sacrificial manifestation.

Another word applied to "Power Increate," and improperly rendered God, is Eloahh. It occurs fifty-six times in the Old Testament, of which forty-one occur in the Book of Job. It is used four times in the Psalms; only twice by Moses; once by Isaiah and Solomon; three times in Daniel, and twice in Habakkuk. It is not in all these places applied to the Most High. In Daniel it is applied to that power in the Little Horn's estate or dominion which enforces the adoration of "Guardian Saints"; and in Hab. 1:11, zu koho lailoho -- it informs us that the Chaldean shall offend in taking his power for his EIoahh. And Job, in speaking of him that provokes Ail, says in Chapt. 12:6, "Who carries Eloahh in his hand"; that is, he calls the sword in the hand of the violent, his eloahh, in the sense of its being his power.

Power, then, is the radical idea of Eloahh as well as of Ail. It is of the singular number and masculine gender. In Isaiah 44:8, the Spirit of Eloahh in the prophet enquires: "Exists there an Eloahh without me? Yea, there is no rock (tzur, metaphor for power), I know not any." And in Psalm 18:31 "Who is an Eloahh without -- mivbaladai Jehovah? And who is a rock (or strong) except our Elohim"? "The Mighty One (hah-Ail), girdeth me with strength: and hath made my way secure." Is not Eloahh the Majesty of the Heavens"? (Job 22:12). "In my flesh shall I see Eloahh" (19:26). And "At the presence of Adon, the Lord, be pained, O earth; at the presence of the Eloahh of Jacob" (Psalm 114:7).  

The plural of this word is elohim, and occurs in the Old Testament about 2,470 times. In the first and second chapters of Genesis, it is rendered in the English version by the word "God": but in chapter 3:5, it is translated gods. In 1 Kings 11:5, it is translated goddess." In Jonah 3:3, it is rendered exceeding; and in Mal. 2:15, it is rendered godly.

It is certainly somewhat remarkable, that Eloahh, the singular noun, should be so seldom, and the same word in the plural, so often, used concerning God, in a book revealing Him to the student of the word. Grammarians tell us that there is nothing in it: that it is only a poetical fancy, or a peculiarity of style, that caused the singular to be used at all; and that the plural is used as more becoming, being expressive of the majesty or excellency of God. Referring to this Gesenius says "In unison with Aramaean usage the form of the singular is employed only in the poetic style and the later Hebrew; while the pluralis majestaticus vel excellentioe is the common and very frequent form.

"Greatness," he remarks, in his grammar, "especially in a metaphorical sense, as associated with power and sovereignty, is plurally expressed. Hence, there are several nouns which are used in the plural as well as the singular, to denote Lord or God (Pluralis majestaticus vel excellentioe) e.g. Eloahh. God is scarcely found in the singular, except in poetry; in prose; commonly elohim; adon, lord, old form of the plural adonai, the Lord, kat exochen (God), shaddai, the Almighty. Often the idea of greatness is no longer associated with the form, the mind having accustomed itself to contemplate the powerful in general as a plural. Another example of the plural majestatis is the use of we by Deity in speaking of Himself (Gen. 1:26; 11:7; Isa. 6:8) and by kings. The German language has it not only in this latter case, but in addressing a second person by Ihr and Sie. This plural is also found in modern Arabic and Persian."

"In regard to number, the constructio ad sensum is frequent. The pluralis majestatis is construed with a singular adjective or verb. Conversely, the adjective takes the plural form when it is used with reference to God (pro notione majestatis) as eloah ossai, God created me, (Job 35:9).  

End of Second Article. - Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come. John Thomas, M.D. Mott Haven, Westchester, N.Y. Feburary 1858 Volume 8 Number 2  

Third Article. - Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come. John Thomas, M.D. Mott Haven, Westchester, N.Y. Feburary 1858 Volume 8 Number 3  

We quoted in our former article, certain learned observations, that the reader might see how grammarians get round, but do not explain the anomaly. The rules are, that an adjective agrees with its substantive or noun in gender, number, and case; and that a verb agrees with its nominative in number and person. But in the case of Elohim, Adonai, Shaddai, Eloahh, etc., when applied in connection with Ail or POWER INCREATE, commonly styled God, we find the rules of grammar disregarded. Gesenius tells us that it is a royal peculiarity of speech; granted: but what in relation to divine power is the ground of that peculiarity? This he does not, and cannot explain, because he does not know, "God and Jesus Anointed whom he has sent." The peculiarity is, to coin a word, phanerosial and doctrinal. The peculiarity has diffused itself into other languages, and generated "a plural of majesty or excellence"; but is not originally a plural of that kind. As to Eloahh being poetical, and Elohim, its plural, prosaic, the contrary would appear the more correct opinion, seeing that the poetical Eloahh is only used four times in the Psalms; while in these songs of Zion the prosaic Elohim occurs three hundred and forty times at least!  

In our previous article upon the subject before us, we were defining words occurrent in the Hebrew, and used by the "holy men of old," whom the Holy Spirit moved to write as he dictated concerning Deity, a topic so unsearchable by unassisted reason that it is declared to be "past finding out" (2 Pet. 1:20, 21; Heb. 1:1; Rom. 9:33).  

The words examined are Ail, Elyon, Elyonin, Eloah, Shad-dai, Adon, Adonai, and Elohim all of them rendered with little or scarcely any discrimination, by the Anglo-Saxon terms Lord and God. We have seen that power, might, sovereignty, are the ideas upon which the words are based; and as the ideas are absolute and underived in Him "out of whom, and on account of whom, and for whom, are all things" ( ex autou kai di autou kai eiv auton ta panta ) (Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 8:6). The Hebrew nouns expressive of power, might, sovereignty, are selected and appropriated by the Creator as representative signs or names of Himself, in revealing the knowledge of divine power in its manifestation to men.  

The source or fountain of power in the universe is one. It is a unit. Therefore, everything which exists is ex autou out of Him. Hence the Creator did not "make all things out of nothing." This is the teaching of theology, the "orthodox theology" of the Old Man of the Flesh; and which leads many of his children to affirm that "matter is God," understanding by "matter" that which is cognizable by the five senses. Hence the sun, the moon, and the stars, and all the things they can see, taste, feel, smell, and hear upon earth, are God. They confound that which "is of Him" with the "Him" out of whom all things proceed. On the other hand, other children of the Old Man affirm that "God is immaterial"; by which they mean that He is not matter, or substance, or body; but an inconceivable something they call "spirit," an incorporeal, unsubstantial, immaterial spirit, which is as near to nothing as words can express. Nothing making all things out of nothing is the Old Man's theology concerning God and the fountain of all things, reduced to its simplest terms.  

But the Scripture declares that pneuma ho yeos esti literally, Spirit is the Theos. I say simply theos, because we shall yet have to ascertain the New Testament sense of Theos. "Spirit," then, is the Theos commonly called God. But more than this, this Spirit is the Father; that is, the One ex autou, out of whom are all things. This appears from what is affirmed of "Spirit" and of "Father." Jesus says in John 5:21: "The Father raises up the dead and quickeneth," or makes the grave-emergent dead incorruptibly living: and in chapt. 6:63, he says: "It is the Spirit that quickeneth," or makes alive. The Father and the Spirit are, therefore, the same; nevertheless, the word "spirit" is often used in other senses. It is the "Father-Spirit" that Paul refers to in 1 Tim. 6:16, whom no man hath seen in His unveiled splendour. Veiled in flesh, "the Vail o[ the Covering" (Exodus 35:12): he that discerneth him who spoke to Philip, "saw the Father" (John 14:9; 12:45). But, veiled or unveiled, the Father-Spirit is substantial. Speaking of the Unveiled Father-Spirit, Paul says in Heb. 1:2, 3, that the Son is the Character of his Hypostasis, rendered, in the common version, "express image of his person." The Son is the character or exact representation, and the Father is the hypostasis. In reference to the former, the Father says, in Zech 3:9: "Upon One Stone there shall be Seven Eyes; behold I will engrave the graving thereof (that is, of the stone), saith He who shall be hosts." The graving engraved on the stone is termed, in Greek, character, an impress wrought into a substance after some archetype or pattern. The archetype is the hypostasis, so that hypostasis is the basis or foundation of character; wherefore the same apostle in Col. 1:15, styles the character engraved the "Image" of Theos the Invisible (eikon tou Theou tou aoratou).  

Seth was the image of Adam, and Adam, the image of Elohim (Gen. 1:26; 5:3). Like Seth, Jesus was an image of Adam, but only in relation to flesh. Adam the First was the image of Elohim, and this was in relation to bodily form. Body and form were the hypostasis of Adam and Seth; that is, they were the basis or foundation of the images so named. Where body and form do not exist, there can be no image; therefore, where image is predicated of hypostasis, that hypostasis must have both body and form. The Father-Spirit, unveiled, is, then, a bodily form; and as all things are "out of Him," He is the focal centre of the universe, from which irradiates whatever exists.  

The Father-Spirit is embodied power. Paternal power implies offspring or children, children or SONS OF POWER. Son-power is also embodied power. It is power emanating from the Father, corporealized in one or a multitude, but never separated or detached from the focal centre. The Son-power is, therefore, the Father-power, multitudinously expressed, manifested through many bodies. This is illustrated in the science of arithmetic. Arithmetic is the scence of numbers. The hypostasis or basis of this science is the multitudinous expression of one, a multiplication of number one. Let there be no numerical power called one, and there could be no five, fifty, or any other combination of one. One is the great power of the arithmetical universe; and all the other powers resulting from the multiplication of one combined, cannot exclude one therefrom, without annihilating themselves, and expunging the system. This is true of Son-power, individually or multitudinously expressed, in relation to the One Father-power. Hence Jesus was led to remark, "The Son can do nothing of himself," and again, "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5: 19,30). "The flesh," said he, "profits nothing." As son of Mary, he pretended to no power, wisdom or superiority. Mary's son was "the Vail of the Covering" to be rent. The Vail m which the Father-power was veiled, the Flesh-medium of Power-manifestation.  

That which connects the Focal Power of the universe with the embodied sons of power, and indeed with all created things, is also "spirit" -- styled in Scripture "free spirit" (Psalm 51:12). It is free or uncombined in space, and fills immensity as the water fills the basin of the seas. The atoms of all material things are elemental condensations of free spirit, connecting the orbs of heaven and all they contain, with the Great Central Focal power of the Universe. It is the principle of cohesion, attraction, form; penetrating and pervading everything. To this universality the Psalmist alludes, when he enquires of Jehovah, "Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? And whither from Thy face shall I flee? If I shall ascend the heavens, Thou art there: though I shall spread down in sheol (the grave) behold Thee! I will take the wings of the dawn; I will dwell in the utmost end of the sea --moreover, there Thy hand (or power) shall lead me, and Thy right hand shall take hold of me. And I said, surely darkness shall cover me; but the night was light about me. Moreover, darkness will not conceal from Thee; but the night as the day will shine; as the darkness so is the light" (139:7-12). All this is equivalent to saying that the Father-Power is omnipresent by His Spirit. Hence, He needs not to be locomotive to see what passes in the sun, moon, earth and stars. His all-pervading spirit places Him in contemporary juxtaposition with them all; so that at one and the same instant, He knows the fall of a sparrow on earth, and any other event, small or great, on the sun. In this way it is that, as Paul told the Athenian idolators: "He is not far from every one of us" (Acts 17:27). We are out of Him, and through Him, and in Him as physical beings. This is equally true of all flesh that breathes. Hence Moses styles the Father-Power Ail Elohai haruchoth l'kol-bashar, power, powers of the spirits, for all flesh (Num. 16:22). Here is power as the cause of life, called Ail; and powers as distributed to each living thing, and therefore styled Elohim. A dozen creatures have life. This life is Ail's spirit in them all. It is not, however, a dozen separate and independent Ailim; but one and the same Ail multiplied by twelve. Ail is life absolute; for as Paul says: "He only hath deathlessness." Life radiating from His hypostasis or substance, is spirit-life Eloahh ruach, power of spirit. Formative of a creature, and sustaining it in life, it is power of spirit, or spirit-power for that creature. Twelve such Eloahh ruach become Elohim ruchoth, spirit-powers of the twelve. Hence, these Elohim are son-powers, or emanations from Ail, the great "paternal power." He is therefore the Ail of all flesh, as well as Elohim for all flesh. "The ruach or spirit of Ail has made me, and the nishmath or breath of the Shaddai, or Mighty Ones, hath given me life" (Job. 33:4). Here is the Spirit of Ail through the breath of Shaddai that gives life to men. This withdrawn and they die. Hence it is written: "If He gather unto himself His spirit and His breath, all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn unto dust" (34:14).  

In this elaboration, then, we have Father-Power, Son-Power, or emanation, and Free Spirit. Moses and the prophets teach this, as we have seen. The Father-Power is One; the Son-Power is the One Father-Power in plural manifestation; and the manifestation is developed by Free Spirit emanation from the Father Power. This is not only Scriptural but reasonable; and right reason and Scripture always go together.  

We affirm then, that the Mosaic and prophetic revelation concerning Deity is that there is ONE POWER, multitudinously manifested; and that these manifestations constitute GOD. The One Power inquires of Job: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who laid the corner stone thereof; when the stars of the morning sang together, and all the Sons of Elohim shouted for joy?" (Job 38:7). This inquiry teaches, that before the earth was fitted up Mosaically, or as Moses has described in Genesis; the Supreme Power existed in multitudinous manifestation. The plurality was composed of intelligences styled"Stars of the Morning" and "Sons of Elohim" the former kokvai voker, and the latter benai elohim. In Rev. 22: 16, the glorified Jesus is styled "the bright and morning Star." The enquiry put to Job showed that there were many such before Adam was created, and that these stars are sons of Elohim, even as Jesus is Son of Eloahh. The word bain, signifies a son, from banah, to build. A son is the thing built. The Stars of Morning Light were things built and made resplendent by Ail, whose spirit formed and illuminated them. His Spirit was their atomic nucleus, the organic principle that made them what they are. As intelligences created and made, they were "Sons of" or benai; and the Spirit of Ail, the Great Paternal Power, became Eloahh to each of them, and so constituting each of them bain eloahh, a Son of Power, and all of them collectively benai Elohim, Sons of Power, -- the One Spirit of the Supreme paternal Power multitudinously organised.  

Our proposition then, is that Moses and the Prophets teach, that there were One Primary Creating Power and a multitude of Secondary Powers, as intimately connected with and dependent on the First, as ten or a hundred are upon number one; and that this multiplication of the One Power in the relation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was in existence before the Mosaic Creation. Dr. de Lara's Jew is, therefore, unnecessarily excited "when he is told that God has a Son." The Supreme Power has not only a Son, but a multitude of sons, and all of them partaking of His nature, or spirit-substance, hypostasis. The Supreme Power, or Ail, is "the Godhead," or source, fountain, or sole spring of Power. Moses and the prophets do not teach that "there are three persons, three essences, three somethings, or three anythings, in the Godhead; and that these three distinct units, or unities, constitute only one unit or one Unity -- and that that Tri-Unity is the God of Israel." They do not teach this. This is the foolishness of the Old Man of the Flesh. They teach the absolute oneness of the Power-Head. "Before me," as written in Isaiah 43:10, 11, "Ail" was not created, nor after me shall be: I, I shall be (anoke., anoke, Jehovah); and NONE WITHOUT ME A SAVIOUR. This is perfectly true, and quite compatible with Peter's proclamation to Israel concerning Jesus, saying: "Him hath Theos exalted to His right hand, a Prince and SAVIOUR; to give enlightenment (metanoian) to Israel, and remission of sins" (Acts 5:31). The Jew objects that if Jesus be a Saviour, there is then another Saviour beside Ail. But this objection arises from not knowing Ail, and Jesus Anointed whom He has sent. That born of Mary was bain Eloahh, Son of Power. Beside that power there is no Saviour. Apart from the Power the Son could not save; for he, as son of Mary, testifies, that "of himself he could do nothing." That the Supreme Power would save by a Servant-Power, is manifest from Isaiah as well as Peter. In that prophet, the Only Potentate says to one He styles His servant: "Thou shalt be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the desolation of Israel; I will also give thee for a Light to the nations, that thou mayest be my Yesua, salvation to the end of the earth" (49:6). The I and the Thee of this passage are but One Power. Power in servant-manifestation -- I the First and I the Last, and independent of that I, there are no Elohim or powers (Isaiah 44:6).  

Our proposition is further illustrated in the first chapters of Genesis. The first verse commences by informing us that "In the beginning Elohim fashioned the substance of the heavens and the substance of the earth." Here Power is plurally presented in connection with a singular verb, bara Elohim "powers He created." This looks and sounds very uncouth to the Anglo-Saxon mind; and as the grammar is bad, in order to save the grammatical reputation of Moses, and to get over what they can not explain, the grammarians have invented the plural of majesty or excellence, and tell us that the plural word Elohim must be regarded as singular. Their grammar teaches us that there was only One Person as well as One Power concerned in developing what exists on earth, out of nothing; but that, as this one person is very great, He is to be spoken of as if He were more than one; as if to resolve Him into two or three would add to His excellency. This notion is, however, sheer foolishness; for in those passages where the Creator asserts His supremacy, majesty or excellency, he speaks of Himself emphatically as anoke, anoke, Jehovah, that is, "I, I Jehovah"; not "We, We, Jehovah."  

The grammarians, having invented their rule, the theologians of the Old Man's school, rush in to show why it must be so. They say, that in the Godhead there are Three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: three Gods in One Godhead; and that therefore, because of this, the Godhead which created all things is styled Gods in the Hebrew, that is Elohim. But we have shown that the Godhead, or Fountain of Power, is only one: and speaks of Himself as One only; we have seen also that there existed many Sons of Power before the earth was fashioned. These are Elohim, of whom it is testified in Psalm 103:20, "Bless Jehovah ye His angels, Mighty Ones of Power, doers of His word, hearkening to the voice of His command; bless ye Jehovah, all His hosts, His ministers who do His pleasure." And in another place commanding their worshipful recognition of Messiah, he says: "Bow down to Him, all ye Elohim" (Psalm 97:7): which is quoted by Paul and applied to the glorified Jesus, in the words: "Let all the angels of God worship him" (Heb. 1:6). By these testimonies we are taught that the Elohim and the Angels are the same order of Divine Intelligences; and that they belong to, or are the property of Jehovah. Hence, they are styled "His angels," "His Mighty Ones of Power," "His hosts," and "His servants," or ministers; "who do His pleasure." He is their Creator, Lord or Imperial Chief; and they are more ancient than the human race. Without Him, they can do nothing. It may be said of them, as Jesus said of himself, "Of myself I can do nothing." Energized and authorized, however, by Him, nothing is too great or difficult for them to do. The Supreme Power, or Ail, has His pleasures; and whatever He is pleased to do, He commands its execution, and they perform it by His Spirit, whose material embodiments they are. They are, therefore, "Spirits" -- public official spirits, as Paul styles them; "begotten of the Spirit," and consequently spirit. They are therefore in Ail, and of Ail, and He through them all. To see them, is to see power in form and body: in common terms, to "see God"; and yet not to see Ail, "whom no man hath seen, or can see."  

This intimate relationship, so intimate as to constitute a Unity in plurality, but not a plurality in the absolute and primary Power the source of all--is expressed in Isaiah 45:18 -- "Thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens hu ha-Elohim, HE THE ELOHIM that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited. I YAHWEH, and none without." In this text Jehovah is twice repeated. This expresses one, being in the singular number; but Elohim is plural expressing two or a multitude; and this noun of multitude is prefaced, not by they as they the Elohim; but by "He," as He the Elohim. This peculiarity is doctrinal not accidental, nor an arbitrary custom of language, but designed. It teaches that the creation was produced from one power ex ou, out of which, are all things, and that this one power operated through a plurality of agents, or Elohim, who are the spirit-embodiments of its rays.  

Now, when we turn to Genesis 1:1,we do not find Moses saying bara Jehovah, Jehovah created, but bara elohim, ELOHIM created, nevertheless Moses and Isaiah are accordant in their accounts. Moses introduces Jehovah in the second verse, but with-out giving Him that name. His words are ruach Elohim, "the 'Spirit' of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters." What spirit was this? The New Testament says, "there is One Spirit" (Eph. 4:4); and if we ask what is that one? Jesus replies "Spirit is Theos," or "God" (John 4:24). Then it was Theos who moved on the face of the waters. But concerning Theos or Ail, Agur says: "Who hath ascended the heavens, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fist? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name and what is the name of 'His Son' if thou canst tell?" (Prov. 30:4). What is the name of that "one spirit," that moved upon the face of the waters? The answer is Jehovah. This was the "He" of the Elohim "that formed the earth and made it." Hence, the nominative to created, is not a plural of majesty, but a singular noun understood -- thus, "In the beginning (the spirit of) Elohim created the heavens and the earth"; and that spirit named himself Ehyeh, "I shall be," at the bush (Exod. 3:14; 6:3). If then, the question be asked, by what power did they, the Elohim, create and make all mundane things? The answer is, by the spirit, self-named Jehovah or Yah, whose sons, messengers, and servants they are. Spirit radiant from the eternal centre of light and power embodied itself in them; and from them as secondary focal organisations, radiated into the substance of the earth and waters; by which radiation a collateral connection was established with "the free spirit" directly emanating from the Focal Centre of the Universe, permeating and pervading all atoms. Holding such a relation to all things, and energized by such a power, they could move heaven, earth and sea, and elaborated the six days' work of power with all imaginable ease.  

The name Jehovah does not occur in all the first chapter of Genesis. All the works it there narrates are affirmed of Elohim. The Spirit is presented there as the power; but in the second chapter the style is changed, and Moses, to whom the Spirit had communicated His name at the bush, instead of saying "the Spirit of Elohim," says "Jehovah Elohim made the earth and the heavens"; "Jehovah Elohim formed man." A saying in Job 33:4, shows that "Jehovah" is synonymous with "Spirit." There Elihu says, "the Spirit of Ail hath made me, and the breath of Shaddai hath given me life." The nishmath Ail Shaddai is the atmosphere or firmament which was elaborated on the second day; and not to be confounded with the Spirit. The Spirit formed the air with its appearances called "heavens," for the support of the vegetables and animal worlds He was about to form. That the nishmath Ail is the air, is clear from Job 37: 10, which says: "By the breath of Ail, frost is given; and the breadth of the waters is straightened," or congealed.  

Now from the consideration adduced, it is evident that the phrases, "and God said," and "God made," and "God created," occurrent in the first chapter, are equivalent to "Lord God"; or more properly, Elohimsaid, created, and made, are equivalent to Jehovah Elohim doing thus, as brought out in the second chapter-- "One Spirit in a plurality of Agents": not a single one in three, but One in hosts: and hence the title so frequently in Scripture, "Jehovah of Hosts" -- the Jehovah-Spirit in multitudinous manifestation.  

The plurality of Elohim in the work of creation is manifest from Gen. 1:26 -- "Let Us make man in 'Our' image after our likeness." If the Jehovah-spirit had been solitary in the work, He would rather have said, if He said anything: "I will make man in my image, after my likeness." What was said is recorded to reveal to the reader the true relation of things. The mandate issued from Jehovah that man be made in the Spirit-type, and so constituted, that divine intelligence and power should be displayed through his organism. That spirit-type was the angel elohim after whom Adam and Eve were made. In form and likeness the same, only in nature of inferior quality. This was Jehovah's pleasure, and it was done by the fingers of His power. In reference to this, we read in Psalm 8:3, "When I consider the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the Son of Man that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the Elohim,"* etc. Quoted in the New Testament by Paul, the word mai-Elohim is rendered by "than angels," (Heb. 2:9); because Elohim are the agents or executive fingers of the Spirit. "The Spirit of God" and "the fingers of God" are synonymous, as appears from Matt. 12:28; Luke 11:20; and Elohim are spirit, being out of Ail. What the fingers of the hand are to the brain, such are the hosts of Elohim to Ail; they are "Unity of Spirit," which is "God."  

End of Third Article. - Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come. John Thomas, M.D. Mott Haven, Westchester, N.Y. Feburary 1858 Volume 8 Number 3  

Fourth Article. - Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come. John Thomas, M.D. Mott Haven, Westchester, N.Y. Feburary 1858 Volume 8 Number 4  

As we have seen, Moses and the prophets teach One self-existent, supreme fountain of Power, AIL who is Spirit, and self-named I SHALL BE, or Jehovah: that is ONE YAHWEH-SPIRIT POWER is "God" in the highest sense, and constitutes the "Godhead," or FATHER IN HEAVEN; and He is the Springhead of many streams, or rivers of spirit, which assume "organic forms," according to the will of the Jehovah-Spirit Power, and that when formed after the model, archetype, or the pattern, presented in HIS OWN HYPOSTASIS, or Substance, they become SPIRIT-ELOHIM, or sons of God; and are Spirit, because "born of the Spirit" -- Emanations of the formative Spirit being out of him. The Spirit-Elohim was also "God"; nevertheless they are created. They are formed and made out of and by that which is uncreated. They are Spirit-Forms, the substance of which (spirit) is eternal; while the forms are from a beginning. Each one is a God in the sense of partaking of THE DIVINE NATURE, and being therefore a Son of God.  

Now, if we understand this, we shall be able to discern the force and beauty of the expression Jehovah-Elohim, which occurs so frequently in the Hebrew Scriptures. Jehovah is the name of Uncreated Power, Elohim, the organizations of that Power after its image and likeness, whether they belong to the sun, moon, and stars of the universe, or to Israel. Hence also the beauty and the fulness of the phrase, "I am He the Mighty Ones, that formed the earth and made it -- I Jehovah and none without" -- ani-hu ha-elohim; ani Jehovah.  

If we comprehend this multiplication and manifestation of Divine Unity, many obscure passages in the English version of Moses and the prophets are easy to be understood; and the mind is prepared to understand the otherwise abstruse teaching of Jesus and the apostles concerning "God." And I would here remark that in making a new translation of the Scriptures into English, the original words, misrepresented in the common version by the Anglo-Saxon words Lord and God, or in combination Lord God, should be left untranslated, but printed in small capitals and italics; and at the beginning of the book a literal definition of the words be given, without regard to "theology," or "plurals of majesty or excellence." The English reader might then be able to perceive how no man has seen God at any time; and yet that Jacob had a personal encounter and wrestle with God; and that Moses talked with Him face to face.  

When then we read "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness," we find Moses teaching the contemporary existence of a plurality of Gods before the creation of man but we do not therefore find him teaching a plurality of Eternities in One Eternity, or Three Gods in one Godhead. This is the notion, not of Moses and the prophets, who positively declare the contrary, but the crotchet of the Old Man of the Flesh, who, professing to be wise, became a fool, "and changed the truth concerning God into a lie." Paul and Moses agree in this, as we have shown before, saying: "There be that are called Gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be Gods many and Lords many." There is, consequently, no room for dispute on this point. Paul affirms the plurality of Gods, and Moses shows that they existed before the creation of man.  

But then, both Paul and Moses teach that there is One who is surpreme over them all. This is AIL, who created them, and who is alone to be an object of adoration, not with the blank amazement of superstition but of an adoration in an earnest belief of His promises, and willing and loving obedience to His commands. Of this supreme God it is that Paul and Jesus say: "There is none other God but one." He is the only Head of the universe, who will permit none to take precedence of himself in the affection and adoration of His creatures. He does not, however, manifest Himself to all the intelligences who reside in the sun, moon, stars and earth, through the same medium. To us on earth, He presents Himself, not through Gabriel, but through Jesus as the medium of manifestation -- incipient manifestation, for the manifestation is not yet complete -- "To us there is but one God the Father out of whom are all things and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Anointed, on account of whom are all things, and we through him."  

Down to the third verse of the second chapter of Genesis, the creation of all things is affirmed of "God", that is of Elohim or Gods. But from the fourth verse to the end of the third chapter, where the divine power is mentioned, it is not simply "God" but "Lord God", that is Jehovah Elohim. The common version would merely indicate by prefixing Lord to God, that the Lord God was the supreme God. But if this were admitted, we should be unable to reconcile the saying of John, and Jesus, and Paul, who all declare that "no man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18; 6:46; 1 Tim. 6: 16). Now Adam and Eve saw and conversed with the Lord God; and multitudes saw Jesus. But we remark that "Lord God" is not used by Moses to express POWER IN-CREATE UNVEILED, or Ail; but as a word-combination synonymous with "Spirit of God" of Gen. 1:2, or literally Ruach Elohim, spirit of Gods or mighty ones -- the "One Spirit" veiled in the mighty ones through whom He made all that was made.  

This Spirit was the Father-Spirit, but what was His name? This was not known until 2,463 years after the creation. Adam Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were all unacquainted with the name of the Spirit." "I was apparent," said the Spirit "to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as Ail-Shaddai; but by name, IEUE was not known to them." This name consists of the four letters printed in small capitals, and styled in Hebrew yod, hay, wav, hay. It is sometimes styled the quadrilateral name, because it consists of four letters. The pronunciation of these letters does not affect the meaning of the word. Jehovah is the pronunciation authorised by the Massorites, who from superstitious motives, declined to mention the name according to its true pronunciation. * It is doubtful whether in Exodus 6:3, the name was originally written, for we find in chapter 3: 14, it is written "AEIA"* which, without the point.s, may be pronounced aya, with the English sound of a in far. The probability is that the Massorites have substituted IEUE all through the Bible for AEIA. Be this as it may, the latter word is the name, three times used in Exodus 3:14, which the Spirit conferred upon himself. In his address to the Sanhedrin, Stephen told them that "there appeared to Moses, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an "Angel" of the "Lord" in a flame of fire, in a bush; and that the "Voice" of the "Lord" came to him, saying: "I am the 'God' of thy fathers" (Acts 7:30). This was a Spirit-manifestation. The Messenger was a spirit -- a Son of power --but not the Supreme Power, "whom no man hath seen at any time"; but an organised spirit-body, through whom the Supreme Power, by His Spirit, conversed with Moses; and with whom He was veiled. The words of the messenger were the Voice of the Spirit that came to Moses; so that when we read what was spoken, we do not read the words of the angel, but the declaration of the Spirit by whom he was angelized, or sent with a message.  

Moses was commanded to return to Egypt, from which he had fled forty years before, and to go to his oppressed countrymen, and tell them that "the Elohim of their fathers" had sent him to deliver them from the power of the Pharaoh. Though they served the gods of the Egyptians, they had not forgotten their own history. They would remember the three Elohim that visited Abraham and partook of his hospitality (Gen. 18:1-5), and which is termed "Jehovah appearing to him." They would not have forgotten about their departure to Sodom, and how Lot invited two of them to sojourn with him, saying: "My lords, turn in, I pray you"; and how they said: "Jehovah hath sent us to destroy Sodom." The vision of Jacob's Ladder was not forgotten, in which he saw angels of Elohim -- messengers sent of Elohim -- of their number, and above them all, at the top of the ladder, Jehovah; and He said: "I am the Elohim of Abraham, thy father, and the Elohim of Isaac" (Gen. 28:13). They would remember this, and, consequently, not be ignorant of a plurality of Mighty Ones. But these Mighty Ones were not the Mighty One of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; they were only the official spirits who performed service for them as heirs of salvation; for He that stood at the toy of the ladder, above all the ascending and descending Elohim, said ani Jehovah Elohai Avrahhahm, "I Jehovah Elohim of Abraham." Moses knew that they were acquainted with the many Mighty Ones of their history; and that, consequently, if he should present himself to them as a messenger of Elohim, they would say to him: "What is his name"? As if they should say: "We have heard of many gods; what is the name of him who sends you"? As Joshua says, they were worshippers of other gods than Jehovah at the time Moses went to them; Moses was aware of that, and, therefore, felt the importance of being made acquainted with the name of Him who sent him, that he might be able to answer their question should they ask it.  

Under these circumstances, the Spirit imposed upon himself a name, and embodied it in a Memorial, by which he was to be known henceforth. Some 430 years before he had said to Abraham, ani Ail Shaddai, "I, the strength of the Mighty Ones" (Gen. 17: 1), i.e., "All those Mighty Ones of whom you have heard, who were engaged in forming the heavens and the earth, and who recently confounded the speech of all the earth, and are about soon to overwhelm Sodom and Gomorrah -- I AM THE POWER by whose spirit they did it all; therefore, walk before ME and be thou perfect."  

This was a great principle established in the minds of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses -- that it mattered not how many mighty ones they might see, or have interviews with, they were not objects of worship for them, but were, themselves, created powers, whose existence, glory, and might were all of Him --the "Uncreated and Eternal Spirit." They, then, were not the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Spirit claimed this for His individual self. Not that there were one, two, three, or a multitude of Elohim of Abraham then actually existent in the Godhead: but, it was the pleasure of the Eternal Spirit that there should, at a future period, be a multitude of Abrahamic Elohim, who should constitute "a Divine Family," and not a whit inferior to "the Stars of the Dawn, the Sons of God," who shouted for joy when they beheld the results of the wonders of the creation-week. Hence, the Eternal Spirit, in imposing upon himself a name, selected a word which should point toward this wonderful future manifestation of spirit. There had been previous manifestations of spirit, and the then already-existent Elohim were its fruit. But now a new manifestation was pre-determined -- a manifestation of Elohim, or Sons of God, out of human flesh and spirit.  

With reference to this, "Elohim said to Moses," i.e., they who delivered the words of the spirit, the Eternal Spirit sent them to say for Him, "I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE: tell Israel I WILL BE has sent me, Moses, unto you. I WILL BE, the Mighty Ones of your fathers, the Mighty Ones of Abraham, the Mighty Ones of Isaac, and the Mighty Ones of Jacob: that is MY NAME for an Olahm (Aion or Millennium} and this MY MEMORIAL for a generation of the race" (Exod. 3:14, 15).  

The memorial, in its simplest form, is ehyeh asher ehyeh, "l will be who I will be." Asher, "who," the relative pronoun in this memorial, is both singular and plural, masculine and feminine. It will, therefore, stand for "ten thousand times ten thousand," as well as for two or three persons. The other two words of the memorial are the first person singular, future tense of the verb hahyah, "to be." In this memorial the Eternal Spirit is the "I", and the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are the "who," of whom it is memorialized they "shall be." The reader will observe that it is not "I will be who tihyenah, they shall be"; but "who I will be"; for although "who" refers to a plurality, that plurality, when developed, is but the manifestation of the One Eternal Spirit.  

When this Spirit-manifestation is developed, it contains the name for an Olahm. The word olahm signifies anything hidden. The name is, for a period, still hidden in the future: and, therefore, without defining the length of the period, termed simply olahm, hidden. The name is multitudinous, embracing "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" (Dan. 7:10; Rev. 5: 11), at the head of whom is He who is "altogether lovely" (Cant. 5: 16); nevertheless, all One Spirit out of whom, and for whom "they are manifested." 

This name was not apocalypsed or revealed in the Mosaic Olahm. It was verbally defined, and in that definition we find "Name" and "Glory" used synonymously. Moses said: "I beseech Thee show me Thy Glory"; and the Spirit replied: "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the Name of Ehyeh before thee; but thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live" (Exod. 33: 18, 19, 20). Glory and Goodness in Spirit-organization constitute the Name of Ehyeh. It was verbally proclaimed in the words "Ehyeh, or Jehovah Ail, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and sin, and that will not clear (the disobedient); visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth" (34: 6). "Thou shalt worship for Ail no other; for Jehovah whose name is Jealous, a jealous Ail is He" (ver. 14). In passing, we would remark that this Jealous Name was presented in vision to Ezekiel, in whose writings it is styled "the Image of Jealousy": "the Glory of the Elohim. of Israel" (chap. 8:3,4).  

In Exod. 24: 10, Moses tells us -- at least the Common Version does that he and seventy-three others "saw the God of Israel." We should err, however, if we supposed that he meant they saw Ail, the Uncreated Spirit, "no man can see Him and live." He says they saw "the Elohim of Israel" depositories and embodiments of the Eternal Spirit, who shone out in glory in the presence of the Elders. The appearance under the feet of the Elohim, whose feet were also the feet of the Spirit, and, therefore, styled "His feet, was, as it were, a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven for clearness." The whole was a Spirit-manifestation, and illustrative of what is yet to appear in the midst of Israel, when the Elohim of Abraham, constituting the name of Ehyeh, shall be apocalypsed on Mount Zion.  

Let our Jewish readers make a note of this, that the Memorial Name exhibited in Moses' writing, is not simply a word of four letters given to an abstraction for a name, as men give names to their children; but a name memorial of a future manifestation of the Eternal Spirit; which manifestation will not be of One through One Only; but of One in and through ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands: that the name covers them all; and that consequently, the thousands of thousands are but "One Jehovah."  

This was precisely the relation of things before the formation of the Adams, first and second. Before Adam the first, there were thousands of Elohim, yet only one Eternal Spirit. The Name of those thousands was not Ehyeh, or Shall be"; but, as implied elsewhere, Howeh we-Hahyah, "He is and He was" --the One Eternal Spirit in plural manifestation, by which, as a whole, the earth was "created and made." And at the birth of the second Adam, "He is and He was," as manifested in the "multitude of the Heavenly Host," was praised in having glory ascribed to Him in the highest heavens (Luke 2: 13, 14).  

In regard to a name being representative of a multitude, we may refer the reader to the fact that the name of Ehyeh is even now comprehensive of all the saints living and dead; for everyone who believes the promises and the things concerning Jesus; and is immersed into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is "in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Anointed" (1, Thess. 1: l), and Christ is in Him by faith (Eph. 3:17). He is thus "in the Name" which is named upon him, and of the Elohim elect, "waiting for the adoption or redemption of the body," which results in "the manifestation of the sons of God," at the Olahm, for which they are prepared.  

End of Fourth Article. - Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come. John Thomas, M.D. Mott Haven, Westchester, N.Y. Feburary 1858 Volume 8 Number 3  

Fifth Article. - Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come. John Thomas, M.D. Mott Haven, Westchester, N.Y. Feburary 1858 Volume 8 Number 5  

It has been well observed by some one whose name escapes me, that "there exists in the universe only One Generic Spiritual substance, the Sole Primary Cause, efficient, formative, and substantial, of all secondary causes, and of all appearances whatever, but indued in its highest degree with a supreme providential wisdom, and proceeding by ways incomprehensible to the spirits which emanate from it, apart from revelation." This is perfectly Scriptural, and therefore in harmony with the teaching of Moses and the prophets, among whom are included Jesus and the apostles.  

In another place we were treating of the Eternal Spirit in relation to His Name. We continue to remark here, that this name is not a mere tetregrammaton, which superstition forbids or fears to pronounce; nor is it a mere word bestowed by the Spirit upon himself, as a father affixes a word to a son, which we call a name, by which to distinguish him from his other sons; nor is it the name Father, and the name Son, and the name Holy Spirit, three names, into which those "who know not God, the Only True One, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent," are immersed. AIL, the Eternal Spirit, has not "three names." He did not say to Moses: "I will proclaim the names of Jehovah before Thee"; "I send an angel before Thee .... obey His voice, provoke Him not, for He will not pardon your transgressions, for my names are in Him"; nor did he say, "In all places where I record My names I will come unto Thee." The Eternal Spirit did not speak after this fashion, but uniformly in the singular, having only One Name, and not three, as some very erroneously imagine and inculcate.  

Elohim Developed from the Seed of Abraham

The Divine Name defines what the Eternal Spirit is in manifestation. "Jehovah whose name is jealous is a jealous power." Here "name" defines what exists. "The name of the wicked shall rot," that is, the glory, honour, power, substance, that exist, constituting the wicked and their attributes, shall perish. Hence, when the Eternal Spirit is fully manifested on earth according to His revealed purpose, that manifestation is "His Name," or the name of Ehyeh, the I-will-be manifestation of the Spirit.  

This name was proclaimed to Israel by Moses in the formula so often quoted by the Jews in their controversy with the friends - Jesus has left on record an infallible rule by which his friends may be distinguished from the Demons. The rule is expressed in his words, saying: "Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you." "The Demons" is a phrase, in its application to that signifies those who believe that Jesus is the anointed Son of God, but "do not receive his words," nor do what he commands. This is not the only sense of the word but the sense in which it is used in this place, because the possessed of old confessed, but did not obey the truth. (Dr. Thomas) - of Jesus, and with the Demons also, who presume to cry out that they know that he is the anointed Son of God. In Deut. 6:4, Moses says: dxa hwhy wn:yhla hwhy larsy emv  

This is incorrectly rendered, both by Dr. de Lara in his letter and in the English version. The doctor renders it "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" In the English version it reads: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord!" But neither of these is a translation. "Lord" and "God" do not express the sense of the original. As we have shown already, the word Jehovah or Ehyeh,** has not the remotest affinity to the English word "Lord." We must, therefore, reject the above, which are mere paraphrases or transformations, and translate the formula literally, that knowing what Moses really did say, we may be able to understand what he said. And doubtless, it must be an important proclamation concerning the Invisible One, or he would not have called the attention of the whole nation of Israel to his words. The literal translation, then, is  

This is the proclamation in plain English. There is no word in it which is not perfectly intelligible. It announces a Person who shall be; and if you ask Moses who that Person is, he tells you in Exod. 3:14-16, and 6:3, that the person who shall be is that same One who, four hundred and thirty years before was known to Abraham as the Strength of the Mighty Ones who visited him from time to time, and whose messenger appeared to himself in the bush. This answer is equivalent to saying that the subject of the proclamation to Israel is "One who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Pantokrator, or Strength of All." He is while Moses makes the proclamation; He was in Abraham's time, and from an antecedent eternity; and He shall be when He comes as the Prophet like unto Moses. Nothing short of this can be educed from the words of Moses. Had we lived in the days of Moses, speaking the Hebrew as our mother tongue, his proclamation would have created in us an expectation, that, at some future time, 'He', the Possessor of the Heavens and the Earth, the Most High, who admitted Abraham to His friendship, would appear in the midst of Israel; and that then, consequently, whatever His name might be called, He would be lawnme lmma-nu-ail, "God with us."  

Now for this result to be manifested, one of three things was necessary; either that "Ail," the Eternal Spirit Himself, should descend from unapproachable light, and plant Himself in the midst of the Hebrew nation unveiled; or, that a portion of free spirit, emanating from His substance, should be embodied, constituting "Holy Spirit Nature," or God veiled; or, that the Eternal Spirit should create a body from the material race of Adam, and fill it with His own power and wisdom without measure. In either of these events, it would have been God with Israel, dwelling in the midst of them. But the first alternative was impossible: for God unveiled in any nation would be its destruction, for Moses testified that Jehovah declared to him: "There shall no man see Me, and live"; and Paul, who taught the same doctrine as Moses, says: "No man hath seen, or can see Him"; and Jesus also bears the same witness, that "No one hath seen the Father, except he who is from Theos (Divine Power) : the same hath seen the Father."  

The purpose of the Eternal Spirit to become Elohim to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through their seed, excludes the second supposition. Mighty Ones in Holy Spirit Nature often appeared in the midst of Israel, and were, for a time, God with them. There is a notable instance of this on record in Exodus 24:10. It is there recorded that "Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, saw the Elohim, or Mighty Ones of Israel: and under HIS feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of the heavens for clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel HE laid not HIS hand; also they saw the Elohim, and did eat and drink. And YAHWEH said unto Moses, Come up to me in the mount, and be there : and Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua; and Moses went up upon the mount of the Elohim. And he said unto the elders, 'Tarry ye here for us, until we come unto you'." In this narration the distinction is maintained between Jehovah and the Elohim; Jehovah referring to the Eternal and Invisible Spirit; the Elohim to the individualized, or embodied, manifestations of power. The Elohim were visible; for Moses says the nobles of Israel saw them, and ate and drank in their presence. The Elohim had spread for them an entertainment of good things, and welcomed them to eat and drink without alarm: for "upon the nobles of the children of Israel HE (the invisible Jehovah) laid not His hand." Moses does not say that they saw Jehovah. He and Joshua alone were permitted to ascend to the mountain top; but even there, they did not see Jehovah; for "no man could see Him and live." They heard, but saw not.  

In this scene, Moses and Joshua are types of Messiah in his approach to the Father; while Aaron, Hur, and their associates in company with the Elohim, are types of the saints, the immortal nobles of Israel, in the setting up of the Gospel-Kingdom. The Elohim were the representatives of the personages to be manifested from the seed of Abraham in the Age of glory; the same Eternal Spirit being the substratum, or hypostasis of the representatives, and of those whom they represented; for which cause "He" and "His" are affirmed of them. The Elohim and the Devouring Fire on the top of the mount were the typical manifestation of Jehovah's glory; which finds its antitype in glorious display of the things represented also in Ezek. 1:10; 43:4; Rev. 4:5; 15:2.  

All these displays are Mighty Ones in Holy Spirit Nature, and therefore God : and God with them in the midst of whom the manifestation is made. The purpose of Jehovah excludes the Elohim of Sinai from the Elohim of the proclamation. This purpose is the development of Elohim from the Human Race equal to the Elohim of Sinai; or, as it is expressed in the words of Jesus, isaggeloi, "equal to angels." The Scripture reveals the principle upon which the Elohim of the Universe are developed by the Eternal Spirit. They are immortals, but were not always so. The Eternal Spirit, dwelling in light, is alone essentially immortal, without beginning; but all the Mighty Ones, or Gods, He has created, have at some period of their history, been subject to evil even as we. Moses teaches this in Gen. 3:5, 22. The sagacious serpent, who had seen and heard the Elohim in Paradise"the Stars of the Dawn and Sons of God" -- told Adam and Eve that if they ate of "the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they should be as the Elohim ('gods') knowing good and evil." The lie he told did not consist in saying this; for the Jehovah-Elohim admitted that, in the eating, and its consequence, they had become like one of them, to know good and evil. "Behold," said He, "the man has become as ONE OF US, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of the Lives, and eat and live for Olahm; therefore Jehovah-Elohim sent him forth from the Garden of Eden." When this was affirmed of Adam and Eve, "the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked," and they were both ashamed and afraid. This was the form of the "evil" which they experienced at that crisis; and Jehovah-Elohim testifies, that it was an evil they themselves had been the subjects of. Those who were Elohim contemporary with Adam had once been the subjects of shame and fear; and as these are symptoms of an evil conscience, they had once been sinners; and as it is the law of the Eternal Spirit's empire, that sin works death, so they must have been once mortal : which is a conclusion in agreement with Paul's testimony, that the Invisible One "only hath immortality." Hence though in His universe there are multitudes of Immortal Sons of Deity, yet in all that universe there is but One whose immortality is underived and that august person is He who created them. Thus all immortals but Himself were once mortal -- sinners subject to death; and while so subject as much in need of a remedial system as we.    

But at the fitting up of earth as a new arena for the display of the power and wisdom of the Eternal Spirit, they who figure in the work, had attained to their eternal redemption; and had become "spirits" -- Holy Spirit corporeal intelligences -- because they had been born of the Eternal Spirit or Father. To what orb or planet of the universe they are indigenous, is not revealed; but as they are not ab-original to an earth-born race, they are not sovereign here; but only, as Paul says, "public official spirits, sent forth for service on account of those thereafter to inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14).  

These, then, are not "OUR Elohim" - they are not the Elohim of Abraham, nor the Elohim of Israel, to whom the "Sh'ma Yisraail" refers. These Elohim or Sons of Power, are to be developed from the earth-born seed of Abraham, upon the great moral principle of the intellectual universe, expressed in the two words "faith" and "obedience" -- an obedient faith, tested by trial. This principle necessitates the existence of evil in the system where the development of God is in progress; for there can be, no trial where evil does not exist. The Eternal Spirit has, therefore, wisely created evil -- first as the punishment of sin and secondly, to afford scope for the manifestation of the approved. Upon this principle, Abraham's faith was tried and perfected; and upon the same principle, though not in the same way, the faith of all scripturally recognized as "his seed," is tried and perfected to this day.  

The Sh'ma proclaims a plurality of Elohim, but does not define the number. Moses tells us elsewhere that they should be as the stars of the heavens for multitude--"So, O Abraham, shall thy seed be." To this agrees the testimony of the Apocalypse, where it is written "I beheld, and lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palms in their hands." "These are they who came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Rev. 7:9, 14, 17). These are they whom Ezekiel saw in a vision, moving onward in victorious career. "In their going," says he, "I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, as the voice of Mighty Ones, o pantokratwr, or in Hebrew shaddai: (shaddai, of Mighty Ones) the sound of the speech was as the sound of a host" (Ezek. 1:24). Daniel also saw them in vision. "I beheld," says he, "until the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool' his throne the fiery flame, and his wheels burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the Judgment was set, and the books were opened" (Dan. 7:9-10). Whence came all these thousands of the fiery stream? They are all the Sons of Power: Spirits born of the Spirit; Israel's Elohim, or Mighty Ones; who were once Jews and Gentiles in unprofitable flesh: sinners under sentence of death, but justified by an intelligent and obedient faith. These are the Elohim of the Sh'ma Yisraail, the hypostasis of whom is the ONE YAHWEH -- the One Eternal Spirit multitudinously manifested in the Sons of Eternal Power. When these become apparent, "at THE ADOPTION, to wit, the redemption of the Body" (Rom. 8:23) -- the "One Body" -- then will be revealed the Mystical Christ -- the seed of Abraham -- the "Son of Man clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle; his head and hairs like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if glowing in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters" (Rev. 1:13-15) -- the voice of the redeemed of all kindreds, and nations, and peoples and tongues.  

Such is the hidden mystery of the Sh'ma Yisraail, revealed in the Nazarene proclamation of the Moses-like prophet and his apostolic associates. Hear, O Israel, the Eternal Spirit, who has surnamed himself 'Ehyeh,' or Jehovah, because He will be for a Starry-Multitude of Sons of Power for Abraham, is nevertheless, but One Eternal Father, and they in Him are One! "To us," then, "there is but one POWER, 'the Father,' out of whom are all, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Anointed, on account of whom are all, and we through him." All this development: of an earthborn family of Sons of God, who shall take their stand in the universe as Seraphim and Cherubim of Glory, is through and on account of Jesus Christ. He is the foundation, the chief and precious corner stone of this new manifestation of the Father-Spirit. Truly, as Moses says, it is a "Glorious and Terrible Name --Eth-Jehovah Elohekha--the I shall be thy Mighty Ones, O Israel'."

We think that by this time our readers will have comprehended the Mosaic teaching concerning God, which is the basis of the revelation which the Eternal Spirit hath given of Himself in the subsequent communications made to Israel through the prophets, Jesus and the apostles. We have seen that Moses did not teach three persons, three essences, or three anythings in One Godhead. By Godhead is meant the source, spring, or fountain of Deity -- the Divine Nature in its original pre-existence before every created thing. He teaches that this Godhead was a Unit --a Homogeneous Unit, undivided into thirds, or fractions.  

But enough for the present; in our next we shall resume.  

We think that by this time our readers will have comprehended the Mosaic teachings concerning God, which is the basis of the revelation which the Eternal Spirit hath given himself in the subsequent communications made to Israel through the prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles. We have seen, that Moses did not teach three persons, three essences, or three anythings, in One Godhead. By Godhead is meant the source, spring, or foutain of deity - the Divine Nature in its original preexistence before every created thing. He teaches that this Godhead is a Unit - a Homogeneous Unit, undivided into thirds, or fractions.  

At this point of the inquiry, the true believer meets the Jew face to face in the approving presence of Moses and Jesus. They all agree on this point, and say in the words of the sh'ma, "there is One Jehovah." Compare Deut. 6:3 with Mark 12:29-32. By doing so, the reader will see that Jesus was as emphatic and precise in his teaching concerning God as Moses: and that those who heard him teach understood him in the Mosaic sense; for a Scribe (and all the Scribes were students of the law, and zealous for their interpretation of Moses) said to him: "Well, teacher, thou hast said the truth : for there is one God; and there is none other but He": upon which Jesus remarked: "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."  

But here the agreement ceases at the threshold; for not content with one Eternal Spirit named Jehovah, the rejector of Jesus contends for only one eloahh. But Moses nowhere teaches that there is but one eloahh; nor does he use the phrase One Elohim -- a singular numeral with a plural noun. On the contrary, he teaches the existence of a plurality of Elohim. The Sh'ma does not say "Jehovah our Eloahh is one Jehovah, or one Eloahh"; but "Jehovah our Elohim is one Jehovah." Moses and Jesus are agreed in this also; for if either of them had taught that there was but one eloahh, they would have been in opposition, or of both of them had so taught, they would have left no room for a Messiah who should be called Jehovah-Tsidkainu, as in Jer. 23:6; 33:16, He shall b