Biblical Theology of the Spiritual World

Explore a summary of D. Burnett's paper, "So shall Thy Seed Be (as the stars)": Genesis 15:5 in 2nd Temple Jewish Thought" In Genesis 15:5-6 we read, "And he brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." Burnett asked the question if this verse was not only about quantity. Could the promise to Abraham refer to quality also? Consider Genesis 17:5, Genesis 26:4, and Romans 4:13-18. The issue is that reading Paul's use of Genesis 15:5 in light of this qualitative interpretation would place him within the context of already well-established deification (or angelomorphic) traditions in Early Judaism that see the destiny of the seed of Abraham as replacing the stars as the gods (or angels) of the nations. There seems to be a close connection between being multiplied "as the stars of heaven" and the "inheritance" of "all these lands." This will result in "all the nations of the earth" being blessed. Consider Romans 4:23-25. The issue is that the ideas of becoming "heir of the cosmos," a "father of many nations," and the hope of the resurrection are not separate promises, but are understood by Paul as constituent parts of the one promise made to Abraham in Genesis 15:5 in becoming as the stars of heaven. Explore the Intertestamental thought including Philo of Alexandria and Sirach 44:21. Consider James 2:19, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" The demons are afraid because God is one. The oneness of God and totality of God's rule suggests that at some point there will be trouble for the demons. Consider Exaltation/Theosis and resurrection and astral immortality in early Judaism. Consider Daniel 12:1-3 and Paul's citations of these various verses in Genesis. A complex of tradition ties a familiar Christian theological concept (glorification) back into the Divine Council family worldview and the Deuteronomy 32 worldview. Explore the angelic priesthood. Consider our church liturgy and Revelation 14: 1-5. Consider the lists of tribes in the Old Testament, of which there are more than twenty, and they differ from one another in several respects, notably in the position of the names of tribes and their number. Consider Revelation 7 and 14 and the exclusion of the tribe of Dan. Other general issues in Revelation 14 are why only men? (Revelation 14:4) Why virgins? (Revelation 14:4) Explore common interpretations such as the Literalist view and Figurative view. The redeemed virgins are an "anti-image" of the Watchers, who sinned sexually via cohabitation with women in Genesis 6:1-4. They are men because (a) they take the place on earth in war against the Beast of 144K good angels, and (b) they perform priestly roles. They represent the people of God - the opposing "bloodline" of the bloodlines produced by the Watchers. (Levitical "doctrine of substitution"). They are a representation beyond one tribe (Levi); all tribes (except Dan) or the whole people of God.

Consider G.K. Beale’s “Commentary on Revelation”. The end goal was that everyone would become a worshipper of YHWH and become part of the community. Was Jesus only speaking about man in the parables? Explore the rebellious and the Watchers. Consider the Targums and the Aramaic language. Targums allowed the masses of Jews to read Scripture.

Explore the birth of Jesus and the theme of cosmic reversal. There is an open, yet secret, arrival of the King. He defeats death, nullifying the claim of the lord of the dead on believers; inaugurates the kingdom, initiating the reclaiming of the nations; begins at ground zero; gates of hell; and heals the transgression of heaven and earth whose effects still linger. In Romans 10:14, 18 we read, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? . . . But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for Their voice (LXX) has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." Psalm 19:1-4 states, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice (LXX; MT="their line") goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." Consider Revelation 12:1-5. Explore a picture of the Zodiac mosaic in a Jewish synagogue. View the Sun, Moon ecliptic and how the constellations line up on the ecliptic at the time of the birth of Jesus. Consider the Jewish calendar and the Flood. What are we are told in Genesis 7-8? Consider the Flood and the timing of Noah. Noah's birthday is associated with God's judgment (flood). The Flood wiped the earth clean of evil. The source of that evil was transgression of heaven and earth (Watchers; Genesis 6). The offending sons of God were put in the Abyss (Tartarus = 2 Peter 2:4) "until time of the end". Noah's birth is also associated with death of the nephilim, but the evil persisted (Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33). The theological messaging is that Jesus' birth signaled the same thing. It is a reversal of the evil of sons of God and nephilim. Jesus is the king and is the kingdom. The kingdom was inaugurated during his ministry. Consider his death and resurrection. He is seated at the right hand of God: "at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him" (1 Peter 3:22). His return is the time of the end and release of the Watchers (Revelation 9).

An Exorcist Messiah? Where does the idea come from? The problem is that the title Son of David is found only in the synoptic gospels. The title is associated with a figure who heals and exorcises demons. While healing is a clear part of the messianic profile in the Old Testament, exorcising demons is not. Consider post-Christian material: Some Aramaic incantation bowls refer to Solomon as "Son of David" in his capacity to exercise demons. There are 500 or so of these. Solomon had divine powers over demons, a ring that binds them, etc. All are post-New Testament (6th century AD). Where does this stuff come from? Consider 1 Kings 4:29-30,32-33, 1 Kings 4:29-30, 32-33 and the Wisdom of Solomon 7:17-22. Consider Psalm 91 and what Josephus states in Antiquities 8.2.5. Explore binding and loosing in Matthew 16:19; 18:18. Consider the traditional views: In Catholicism, Jesus thereby authorized the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church, the primacy of Peter, and the apostolic power of excommunication. Protestantism views Catholics as wrong. Nothing is said in either passage about the transmission of authority by apostles to any successor. In Rabbinic Analogies, authority is to absolve or release a person from some sort of vow (context?). Authority of the scribes (and, so, the apostles) was to determine which actions were forbidden and which permitted. Authority of the leaders of the community (and, so, churches) was to exclude persons from the community. Authority to grant or withhold forgiveness of sins (cp. John 20:23) likely refers to church discipline, given that Matthew seems to say that Jesus expected his followers to forgive those who offended them without need for authorization of clergy: Matthew 5:23-26, 6:12-15; 18:21-35. In John 20:23 we read, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Consider Matthew 18:15-18. Problems include that ". . .none of these interpretations attends to passages where terms for binding and loosing appear in Intertestamental Jewish sources," says Richard Hiers. Something better is that most common usage of "binding" and "loosing" terminology in 2nd Temple Literature and the New Testament is the binding of Satan and demons, and the loosing of their victims. Consider Enoch 10:1-6, 11-14 and Enoch 88:1. Consider the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. The Testament of Levi 18:10-12 refers to the activities of the "new priest" whom God would raise up as king in the era to come.. . (cp. Testament of Simeon 6:5-6; Testament of Zebulun 9:8) New Testament usage parallels include, Revelation 20:1-7 and Mark 3:27 (binding the demon and loosing the victim). "Casting out" is equivalent to "binding" as in Matthew 12:28-29. Some scholars link binding/loosing to physical afflictions in the gospels because the lemmas are the same (also). Consider Revelation 20:1-2 and Mark 3:26-27.

Explore a map with extent of the conquest locating Bashan and where Moses and Joshua encounter giant clans. Consider Jesus and cosmic geography. Explore a map of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. The focus is on Caesarea-Philippi/ Banias/Panias and Mount Hermon. Consider the account in Mark 8:27-30 (Matthew 16:13-16; Luke 9:18-20) of Peter's confession and Matthew 16:13-16,18. We read in Matthew 17:4, "And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves." The only mountain there is Hermon. Explore the sending of the 70 in Luke 10:17-20. Consider cosmic geography and the reclaiming of the nations. Consider Acts 2:1-3. Deuteronomy 32:8 uses the same word for "divided" (διεμέριζεν). Consider Acts 2:5-6. The word“συνεχυθη“ (bewildered) is used in Genesis 11:7. Explore a map of the countries listed in Acts 2 and consider the New Testament cosmic geography of Acts 2 and Pentecost; Jerusalem, Judea (Acts 2-8) and Samaria (Acts9); the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8); Saul's conversion (Acts 9) and Paul; Gentiles and Nations (cp. Isaiah 66); Damascus (Acts 9); Cornelius (Acts 10); Missionary journeys to the nations (Acts 11-19) Acts 20 and Paul's arrest, Rome, and Spain. Consider Acts 20:22, Acts 21:4, 10-11 and Acts 19:21. Paul was arrested in 54 AD and Romans was written ca. 56-57. Consider Romans 15:20,23-24, 28.

Explore a map of Acts 2 which shows all of the nations mentioned in the table of nations. Paul viewed himself as the living catalyst to reclaim the disinherited nations and was very conscious of the need to take the news of the kingdom to all of these nations. Why did the Holy Spirit prevent Paul and Silas to go to Asia? Explore Paul's vocabulary for powers of darkness: "rulers" (archontōn or archōn); "principalities" (archē); "powers"/ "authorities" (exousia)' "powers" (dynamis); "dominions"/"lords" (kyrios); "thrones" (thronos); "world rulers" (kosmokratōr). Consider John Day’s From Creation to Babel: Studies in Genesis 1-11: "Where Was Tarshish (Genesis 10:4)?". Consider that Paul inherits the Deuteronomy 32 worldview. His concept was that Jesus would return in connection with the "fullness of the Gentiles". The New Testament inherits an Old Testament worldview.

In Colossians 1:13 we read, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son . . .” We also read in 1 John 3:1, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." Explore the Edenic Vision. What is the image? Why the Plurals? What's the Point? Consider that in Eden there is one family, participatory governance, and heaven meets earth. The use of family metaphors is not a mistake. Consider the use of “sons and daughters of God” in John 1:12, 1 John 3:1-3; Galatians 3:26; Romans 8:14-17; 2 Peter 1:4; Hebrews 2:10-13. Explore the reclaiming of the vision as the sons and daughters of God and the divine council are reconstituted. Consider that the Edenic goal is to make the rest of the world like Eden. Israel was to be a certain people that would attract the nations back to the true God. Explore the Council reconstituted. Consider Revelation 2:25-28. The morning star language in Revelation 2:28 is messianic - it refers to a divine being who would come from Judah. We know this by considering two other passages in tandem. In Numbers 24:17, we read the prophecy that "a star will go out from Jacob, and a scepter will rise from Israel. Star language in the ancient world, both biblical and the wider Canaanite world, is a reference to royal divine authority. Later in the book of Revelation, Jesus himself refers to his messianic standing with the morning star language. Consider Revelation 22:16 and in Revelation 3:20-21 Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, indeed I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also have conquered and have sat down with my Father on his throne." Explore the pyramid with YHWY/Godhead, the sons of God, and angels (messengers). We read in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels?"

Explore the Targum Neofiti of Genesis 1 and 19:24. Why is language used such as mountains, gardens, or heavens? The ancients thought that anywhere humans can't inhabit is where the gods must live. Consider “Space and Time in the Religious Life of the Near East by Nicolas Wyatt. The cosmic mountain is where the business of the world and cosmos is done. When the Temple was destroyed, the people thought God was gone. Consider Isaiah 40. We read in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” Explore sacrifices and burnt offerings. Sacrifices are almost exclusively about making us fit to occupy the same space in which God resides. Consider the Day of Atonement and Leviticus 16.The blood of the sacrifice sanctified the holy place, holy objects, and the high priest and made them fit for the ritual itself. The sin offering is actually a purification offering. A guilt offering is about possibly restoring a relationship with God but definitely about restoring a relationship with another person and only available if there was contrition. Consider atonement. All of the sacrifices have some role about access to God. We read in 2 Corinthians 6:16,“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’”

What is Armageddon? The term Har means "mountain". Consider the Mountain of Assembly in Isaiah 14. We read in Isaiah 14:13, "You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north . . ." Armageddon has nothing to do with Megiddo - it is a final conflict over Jerusalem. Consider demonology. The original rebel is the serpent Satan. Also in rebellion are the offending sons of God who are imprisoned and the demons of dead Nephilim, giant clan, or their descendents that run around the earth. Explore that the binding and loosing language in second temple period referred to demons. Also In rebellion are the gods of the nations. Consider Isaiah 34:1-5. Consider that Satan gets primacy of place because he is an elohim like the others but no more powerful than they are. He is called lord of the dead because he owns every human soul unless they are in the Kingdom of God. His preeminence in the world of darkness is because he was the original rebel. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:8, "None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Winning for the rebellious is endlessly forestalling the Kingdom of God. Explore Remnant Theology. God will step into biblical history at times and save a remnant who are loyal to him.

Explore Isaiah 40 and John 1. We read in John 1:23, "He said, 'I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” Isaiah 40 states, "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" Isaiah 40 begins with the language of deliverance. Consider the verb morphology and that plurals are used. Consider the Genesis 6 reversals. The Watchers/Sons of God were rebellious divine sons of God and were replaced by believing, human sons of God. The Watchers/Sons of God were divine and immortal and punished to death. The reversal sons of God were earthly and mortal and given eternal life. The Watchers showed a proliferation of evil including spells, lust, violence, and astrological secrets. The reversal sons of God have the fruit of the Spirit and astrological coup. The Watchers were council members who lost their status through pride, forbidden to return. In reversal, council outsiders gained that status through faith in Christ, exalted at the eschaton. For Watchers, the earth was to be ruled by many quasi-divine offspring produced by divine fathers and human mothers. In reverse, earth will be ruled by one fully divine offspring born only of a human woman. The Watcher's offspring die to inhabit the Abyss, overspread earth and displace human life. In reverse, God's offspring die to inhabit glory and replace the sons of God. Explore the genealogy of Jesus. Explore why Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba are in the genealogy of Jesus. Consider that Gematria is the practice of assigning value to each letter of the alphabet.

Explore the concept of a co-Creator: Lady Wisdom and Jesus. We read in Colossians 1:13-17, " He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Consider Proverbs 8:1-2, 22-26, 30. Explore that Wisdom is being cast as a co-Creator or Agent of creation. Jesus is referred to in the New Testament as the Wisdom of God. If this passage is linked to Jesus, was Jesus Creator? Wisdom was the agent, but who or what was Wisdom? Consider the Wisdom of Solomon 6:22, 7:22, 25-26, Wisdom of Solomon 9:1-4, 9-10 and Sirach 24:1-6. The New Testament references not only the Old Testament but Second Temple Jewish material because that is part of their context. The Jews had a wisdom tradition that was included in the second power discussion. Consider Luke 11:46-50. Compare that to Matthew 23:29-35. The Synoptics link Jesus to the Wisdom figure. Explore wisdom and Hebrews. Recall Wisdom of Solomon 7:26 and Hebrews 1:1-3. Why the feminine language for Wisdom? The issue is not biological gender but grammatical gender. Grammatical gender is arbitrary. Consider the example of Genesis 4. Does it make any sense for God to either acquire wisdom or create wisdom? If God acquires wisdom it implies there was a time when wisdom was not and God lacked wisdom. For Athanasius, the question was then how could we have God? "Bringing forth" implies wisdom was around before but wasn't on the scene center stage. Explore the term "begotten" versus made or created. Consider what the Nicene Creed (325 AD) states. Consider Jesus as "Only Begotten". The Greek is monogenēs and until late 19th or early 20th century was assumed by many to mean monos ("only") and gennaw ("to beget"). Later discoveries (Papyri) showed monos ("only") and genē ("kind") (Cf. Hebrews 11:17).

Did the Nephilim have elongated skulls and extra rows of teeth? Christians who promote these elongated skulls as real are baptizing ancient alien mythology which is nothing more than a cult worldview. All ancient astronaut talk can be traced back to horror and fantasy literature of the 17 and 18th centuries in the spiritualism movement in theosophy. Consider the impact of the Age of Discovery and impact of Sanskrit translation. Consider the impact of Himmler and Aryan Racial Theory and the Master Race. Theosophy has the Watcher's story, the Flood, and Nephilim but in theosophy they are the good guys. Nazi ideology is an amalgam of pure racial antipathy and occult nonsense. Explore that believing Christianity can be put into three realms.

It is not coincidental that the conquest narrative of Numbers 13 begins with a confrontation involving Anakim. We read in Numbers 13:33, "And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." According to the Masoretic Text, Goliath is 9 feet 6 inches tall. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, Goliath is 6 feet 6 inches tall. The conquest is not entirely about killing. Consider the term, Cherem (ם ר ח).The Anakim were scattered throughout the land. Every time cherem is used it is used when the Anakim are identified. When the Israelites knew the Anakim were in a city, they knew they must be exterminated. Joshua 12:22 states, "There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain." Goliath and his brothers are the last vestiges of the Anakim. This is why we are told about the death of Goliath and his brothers. The people of God have conquered. We need to read the conquest narratives in a way that the Anakim references guide us. The Israelites believed the Anakim were supernaturally raised up by gods who hated YAHWEH and his people specifically with a purpose of confronting them and keeping them out of the land, YAWEH's domain, so that the kingdom of God cannot begin again. Consider Ezekiel 39:11-16. Ezekiel 39 illustrates the coherence of the second temple Jewish belief on where demons come from. Universal tradition in second temple literature have demons come from a disembodied Nephilim, giant, or Apkulu or offspring that died. Other passages in Scripture locate the Rephaim in the underworld. Armageddon is the attempted conquest of the cosmic mountain - Jerusalem.

Explore Genesis 15:1, 1 Samuel 3:1, 7-8, 10, 19-21, and Jeremiah 1:4-7,9. Explore the term “Cloud Rider”. In Ugarit texts (1.3.iii.35) we find, "What manner of enemy has arisen against Baal, of foe against the Charioteer of the Clouds?" The biblical writers use this terminology as a polemic strategy. Deuteronomy 33:26 states, "There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty." Psalm 68:32-34 states, “O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord (YHWH), Selah to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies." Psalm 104:1-3 states, "Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord (YHWH) my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garments stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind. . ." In Isaiah 19:1 we read, “An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them." The Word is used in John 1:1-3, 14, 18. The Angel is associated with Jude 5. Explore Exodus 23:20 and Judges 2:1. The Name is mentioned in John 17:6, 12, 26. Consider the term “Rider on the Clouds”. Daniel 7:13 states, "I saw in the night visions, and behold, upon the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him." Consider Mathew 26:57, 62-65, Isaiah 63:7-11 and Ezekiel 8:2-6. Ezekiel elsewhere recognizes his guide as Yahweh and addresses him as "Lord God" (Ezekiel 9:8; 11:13). Why did God make this foundational concept hard for us to get to? An ancient person would have grasped this concept easier. Consider the Trinity and Benjamin D. Sommer’s text, “The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel”. In Deuteronomy 4:35 we read, “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.” (הָאֱלֹהִים) We read in Psalm 82:1, “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment . . .”

Consider that the second power was identified with Yahweh but also distinguished. A Pseudepigrapha is a text that a writer would not claim authorship on but attribute its authorship to a noteworthy or famous figure. Consider Jacob as Fragment A of the Prayer of Joseph is significant for its deification of Jacob in the form of the angel Israel: "I, Jacob, who is speaking to you, am also Israel, an angel of God and a ruling spirit. . .I am he whom God called Israel, which means 'a man seeing God,' because I am the firstborn of every living thing to whom God gives life" (lines 1,3). "I, Israel, the archangel of the Power of the Lord and the chief captain among the sons of God. Am I not Israel, the first minister before the presence (lit., face) of God." Consider Adam as 2 Enoch 30:11-12 explicitly identifies Adam as one of God's chief angels over creation. Adam is also elevated higher than a principal angel in the Life of Adam and Eve (14:2) where Michael commands Satan to worship Adam, "the image of God." In the Testament of Abraham 11:4, Abraham is shown a man "seated on a golden throne" who has a "terrifying" appearance "like the Master's." Consider 1 Enoch 71:1 and 2 Enoch 22:4. We read about Moses in Ezekiel the Tragedian (68-80). Explore important angels. Michael was also considered by some Jewish writers to be Yahweh's co-regent in heaven and on earth due to his status as the chief intercessor for Israel (Daniel 12:1-3), a position that placed him nearest to God in Jewish belief. Explore the Testament of Dan 6:1-2. Consider the term Ya'el (Yahoel) and the Apocalypse of Abraham 17:4-13 as Abraham is commanded to worship God. The same deified figure appears in the Life of Adam and Eve 29:4-5. Ya'el (Yahoel) here equals an angel. Consider the Apocalypse of Abraham 10:1-7, 15-17. Consider what Philo says of the Logos, "[God] sustained the universe to rest firm and sure upon the mighty Logos who is my viceroy.” The Logos is "that power of his [God] by which he made and ordered all things." Not only is God between the two primary Powers, but so is the Logos: Cherubim 27-28. Consider that Philo refers to the Logos as: "God" (theos); Sam I (On Dreams) and "the second god" (deteron theon); Questions on Genesis 2. Around 100 AD, the Jewish community declared the second power a heresy. They also decided to standardize the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. The Jewish community basically outlawed the use of the Septuagint.

Explore “The Bodies of God” by Benjamin D. Sommer. Sommer argues that God has more than one form and those forms can appear simultaneously in different places. He believes the Christian notion of a Trinitarian God is defensible from the Hebrew Bible. Consider Sommer’s “Fluidity of Divine Embodiment and Selfhood: Mesopotamia and Canaan.” The notion of God being embodied and being more than one person existing at the same time and having each of those persons be God is very old. The Enuma Elish is a famous text. Sommer states, “Yet on occasion the boundaries separating gods in these texts are porous." Consider Mesopotamian idolatry. For the Mesopotamian idol maker, the deity would be reborn into or take up residence in the idol. In the ancient world, gods were real because they were just spiritual beings. We read in Exodus 15:11,“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?” God is the God of all spiritual beings. The ancients distinguished mentally the entity from the object. Aniconism was the Israelite resistance to building a graven image for YHWH. Consider cosmic geography. Is it true that no one ever sees God? In Exodus 33, Moses asks to see God. Consider that what we are forbidden to see is the direct, unfiltered presence - the direct glory- of God. God comes to us in ways that we can process. God veils and filters his presence so we do not die. Panim means “face”. Panim also denotes being in someone's presence.

Explore the consensus view of Romans 5:12. If man is guilty at the moment of conception there are two problems. Jesus is very clearly in his genealogy linked back to Adam and is fully man. In Romans 1:3 we read,“. . . concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ..." If Romans 5:12 means that the result of Adam's sin is that all men are mortal, then Jesus can be a direct descendent of Adam. The Catholics solved the problem by viewing Mary to be sinless. Another problem is what about the fate of the unborn? There are two options to how everyone gets guilty. One option is Seminole Headship." In Adam" is a natural, biological impossibility but is common language for the ancient world. The other view is the Federal Headship View where Adam becomes our moral representative so when Adam sins, God transfers the guilt of Adam to every human being. Consider a summary of Tyler A. Stewart’s paper, “Fallen Angels, Bastard Spirits, and the Birth of God's Son: An Enochic Etiology (=Origin) of Evil in Galatians 3:19-4:11. Stewart frames the issue: Paul subordinates the Law to Christ; the Law was provisional in God's plan; for Paul, believers who return to the Law are in danger of rejecting Christ (Gal 5:2-4; 2:21). Stewart holds that it is this "negative" view of the Law that is important and subordinating the Law to anything in God's plan seemed shocking... or would it? Consider Stewart’s thesis. Consider Galatians 3:19. Stewart argues in his paper that the transgressions are not of the Israelites, but of the Watchers. Because of the proliferation of evil, the Law was added to restrain evil. Stewart states, Enoch walked with God and so was thought better. He was a source of heavenly wisdom. The Law “was added because of the transgressions . . . having been commanded through angels by hand of a mediator.” Consider Galatians 3:19. Christ provides the ultimate solution to the proliferation of evil. Christ not only fulfills the Law but does certain things that align with the Enoch story that reverse the curses brought on humanity by the Watchers in that story. Consider Amy Richter’s "The Enochic Watchers' Template and the Gospel of Matthew." Why are there four women in Jesus' genealogy and who are they? There are certain things about Jesus' birth, his life, and even his genealogy that are symbolically aimed at dissing the sinning Watchers in the Enoch story and reversing the effects of what they did. The sexual sins associated to the women are rectified by the coming Messiah. The Messiah will undo the effects of the proliferation of evil which all Jewish theology lay at the feet of the Watchers. Consider Astral Theology or Astral Prophetic Genre. Explore Romans 10:9-18. Paul's proof text is Psalm 19:1-4. In the Masoretic Text, the line is the imaginary ecliptic which marks the path of the Zodiac constellations through the night sky. Paul does not do modern astrology. The Israelites thought they could get a clue to what God was up to and how he would act by watching the stars. The early church and Judaism had a negative view of pagan astrology. The problem was that God did not receive credit and that only God can dictate individual destinies.

Consider Genesis 6and three texts that frame the entirety of the Israel theological mindset. Explore the head covering passage of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. Explore Martin and Goodacre’s text debate through their articles: Troy W. Martin, "Paul's Argument from Nature for the Veil in 1 Cor 11:13-15: A Testicle instead of a Head Covering," JBL 123:1 (2004); Mark Goodacre, "Does περιβολαιον Mean 'Testicle' in 1 Cor 11:15?" JBL 130:2 (2011); Troy W. Martin, "Περιβολαιον as 'Testicle' in 1 Cor 11:15: A Response to Mark Goodacre," JBL 132:2 (2013). Troy Martin’s first article explains the approach (footnote 1): “This article interprets Paul's argument from nature in 1 Cor 11:13-15 against the background of ancient physiology. The Greek and Roman medical texts provide useful information for interpreting not only Paul's letters but also other NT texts.” Martin quotes Elisabeth Schussler-Fiorenza and sets up the problem or topic in "Paul's Argument in 1 Corinthians 11:13-15". Consider that covering hair is about modesty. 1 Corinthians 11:10 states, “That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.” This is another indication that in Paul's head is the whole incident with the Watchers in a supernatural context. When we see how the writers' view of the spiritual world intersects with the embodied world, the passages take on a sensible possibility. How do we get Nephilim after the flood? One option is that what the Watcher's did was transmitted or carried in the women, the wives of Noah's sons. Another option would be if the Flood was localized or regional. Another option is that Genesis 6:4 can be translated, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, whenever the sons of God came in to the daughters of man...”In Numbers 13:33 we read, “And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” What is happening in Numbers 13 is linked to Genesis 6.

The thesis of “Unseen Realm” is that the right context for interpreting the Bible is the context that produced it. The idea of high Christology or Godhead is not a New Testament invention. Judaism taught there are two powers in heaven. In Judaism there were two Yahweh figures, an invisible and visible. Consider the different translations of the Shema: 1. "The LORD is our God, the LORD is one." 2. "The LORD our God, the LORD is one." 3. "The Lord our God is one Lord." 4. "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone." 5. "Our one God is the LORD, the Lord." Consider John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known . . .” Explore John 1:1, 14. How is it that a first century Jew, so committed to monotheism that he or she would choose death rather than worship the Roman emperor or a Roman god, could embrace Jesus of Nazareth as God in the flesh alongside the God of Israel? Why was this not conceived of as a violation of the Shema and rejection of monotheism? We read in Genesis 19:24,“YHWH rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfurous fire from YHWH out of heaven. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures). Consider “Judaism's Two Powers in Heaven” by Alan F. Segal. In Second Temple Jewish Texts, prior to the time of the rabbis, the idea of a second power in heaven was quite acceptable - and there was much speculation about the identity of the second power. The two heavenly powers are not one good and one bad. Exodus 15:3 states, “YHWH is a man of war; YHWH is his name.” Consider Zoroastrianism and Gnosticism. To the Gnostic, the God of the Bible is the demiurge. For Gnostics, salvation is learning that there is divinity in man. Explore Daniel 7:9-14. Segal states, "[Daniel 7] describes a heavenly enthronement scene involving two divine manifestations, 'the son of man' and 'the Ancient of Days'...Not only does [Daniel 7:9ff.] allow the interpretation that God changes aspect, it may easily be describing two separate, divine figures. More than one throne is revealed and scripture describes two divine figures to fill them." Consider Exodus 3:1-4 and Exodus 23: 20-22. Explore Name Theology in the Old Testament. Consider Deuteronomy 12:4-6, 11. Establishing His Name is taking up residence. Explore Psalm 20:1,7. The Name of the Lord is the Lord. Consider Isaiah 30:27, Deuteronomy 4:35-37, Judges 2:1-2, Genesis 31:10-13, and Genesis 48:14-16. The Angel is The Name is The Presence of YHWH is YHWH. The Angel and Yahweh are at times co-identified and yet distinguished by passages.. . but do they ever appear together? Explore Judges 6:11-23.

Consider a critique of S. Richter's "The Name Theology and the “Fluidity” of Deity". Heiser states in “Co-Regency in Israel’s Divine Council and Ancient Jewish Binitarian Monotheism,” BBR 26 (forthcoming), "The most sweeping critique of Richter’s conclusions has come from Michael Hundley in a detailed article on the “name language” of Deuteronomy and DH. While agreeing with Richter’s contention that the name formulae have been misunderstood and misapplied, Hundley argues that “her analysis of the formulae and the implications she draws from it are ultimately untenable. Toward making that case, Hundley offers six arguments that, in one form or another, assert that name language in Deuteronomy and DH concerns more than ownership of the sanctuary and sacred space." Heiser states, "Hundley charges that Richter’s proposed meaning only works with the formulaic phrases, not other texts and contexts." Heiser also adds, "Psalm 74:7 refers explicitly to the temple as the “dwelling place of God’s name” (משׁכן־שׁמך). In Jeremiah 7 the lemma škn(“to dwell”) occurs twice in the Piel stem (vv. 3, 7) with the Israelites as the object, followed by a third Piel form of the lemma (v. 12) referring to God’s name (אֲשֶׁר שִׁכַּנְתִּי שְׁמִי שָׁם). It is difficult to see how a translation of “put” or “place” works in all three instances, as opposed to “settle,” an alternative that suggests habitation by the divine presence in v. 12 (“where I settled my name”)." Heiser continues, ". . . Deuteronomy 4:35-39 seems clearly to indicate the third option is not in view: "It has been clearly demonstrated to you that the Lord alone is God (האלהים); there is none beside Him. From the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; on earth He let you see His great fire; and from amidst that fire you heard His words. And because He loved your fathers, He chose their heirs after them; He Himself, in His great might, led you out of Egypt, to drive from your path nations greater and more populous than you, to take you into their land and assign it to you as a heritage, as is still the case. Know therefore this day and keep in mind that the Lord alone is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other." Heiser states, "This “double presence” is consistent with the comparative ancient Near Eastern data marshaled by Hamori, Sommer, and Herring."

Continue to explore Genesis 6:1-4. Everyone in the ancient world through the early church within the Jewish community took this verse at face value. Consider Julius Africanus and the Sethite View. This view holds that the sons of God are the godly line of Seth and are just people, not divine beings. The view is that the daughters of men represent the wicked line of Cain and that God was displeased with the intermarriage between Seth's line and Cain's line. Consider the Mesopotamian context. Amar Annus, in “On the Origin of the Watchers: A Comparative Study of the Antediluvian Wisdom in Mesopotamian and Jewish Traditions,” points out that "apkallu" in Akkadian means "wise sage". In Mesopotamian literature wise sages are divine beings who dispense divine knowledge. In the Mesopotamian story, the apkallu decide to go down to earth, mate with woman in order that they and their knowledge may survive the flood. Because the apkallu transgressed the will of the great gods, they get consigned to the underworld. The offspring of the apkallu are very tall as seen in the example of Gilgamesh. The Akkadian foundation figures unearthed are referred to as "watchers". This term is used in 2nd Temple Jewish Literature for the divine beings who come down and cohabitate with human women. Genesis 6:1-4 was written as a polemic against Babylon. It is the Israelite theological recasting of the Flood event. In the biblical writer's mind, he is dealing with a transgression of heaven and earth. The apkallu were responsible for the proliferation of evil, not sin in 2nd Temple theology. In 2nd Temple Jewish literature, no one thinks of Genesis 3, the Fall of Adam, as the reason for the expansion of wickedness across the world. We read in Romans 5:12,“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned . . .”Romans 5:12 does not actually say Adam's guilt was spread to the whole world. Death is the result of the Fall and spreads to all men. It can also be translated, "so that all sinned". Consider that the presence of God is where life is. We sin because we are not in God's presence and we are not God. In the 2nd Temple view, we are sinners because of what we do, not because of what someone else has done. In the 2nd Temple view, speeding up the depravity is the fault of the Watchers. D. R. Schultz, in "The Origin of Sin in Irenaeus and Jewish Pseudepigraphical Literature," points out that Irenaeus in “Vigiliae Christianae” attributes the depravity of humanity universally back to Genesis 6.Consider Miryam Brand’s, “Evil Within and Without: The Source of Sin and its Nature as portrayed in Second Temple Literature” and Amar Annus’, "The Antediluvian Origin of Evil in the Mesopotamian and Jewish Traditions: A Comparative Study.” In 2nd Temple Judaism, they read Genesis 6 in line with the familiar backstory. We need to avoid any sense that there is some spark of human goodness that wards off depravity and contributes to salvation.

Consider the Book of Enoch. 2 Peter 2:4 states, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned . . .”There is only one angelic sin and that is found in Genesis 6.For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment . . .”Consider that if other books helped the New Testament writers articulate an idea that is in the books they wrote under inspiration, then maybe we should read those too. If humanity is stripped out of the doctrine of inspiration, the doctrine is undermined. We should view inspiration the way we view canonicity. Every biblical writer from birth and on was providentially prepared by God for that moment when God would prompt them to write.Consider the Synoptic Gospels. In Ezekiel 1:1-3 we read, “In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.” What is odd about this text? God knows all things real and possible. If God foreknew all possibilities, then foreknowledge did not necessitate predestination. Consider 1 Samuel 23:11-13.“’Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.’ And the Lord said, ‘He will come down.’ Then David said, ‘Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?’ And the Lord said, ‘They will surrender you.’ Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go.” God's foreknowledge did not require the two events to happen.

Explore that there are three different rebellions in the Old Testament. The Fall is the first of the three rebellions. Genesis 6:1-4 tells of the second rebellion. The third rebellion is Babel. Are the few uses of "Satan" without the definite article a use of "divine enemy"? In Numbers 22, the word is used specifically as "the angel of the Lord." The term is about getting in the way or opposing someone. We read in 1 Chronicles 21:1, “Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” We also read in 2 Samuel 24:1,“Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’” Joshua 5:13 states, “When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us, or for our adversaries?’” The angel of the Lord is described in the same way. Yahweh and that angel are one and the same - the visible and invisible - there is no contradiction. Consider that there are clear linkages between Genesis 3 (The Fall), Isaiah 14 (Lucifer passage)."Lucifer" comes from the Latin Vulgate - there is no Hebrew word for "Lucifer". In Hebrew it is "the shining one". Consider Ezekiel 28. Explore a chart of parallels on the Divine Council context. Behind the oracles against the kings of Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, the writer is using the story of an ancient divine rebellion to illustrate the hubris and pride of these respective kings. This background story begins to sound like the rebellion in Genesis 3.Eden is called "the mountain of God." Who is the cherub in Ezekiel 28?We read in Isaiah 14:13, “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God . . .'”There are no ancient texts that have Kerubhim as people. We need to look for explanatory power across the board. "Unseen Realm” attempts a network of ideas that work across the board and provide a synthesis.

Explore Michael S. Heiser’s book, “The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible“ and ן ט ׂש , Σατάν, Σατανς (Satan),” “Monotheism, Polytheism, Monolatry, or Henotheism? Toward an Assessment of Divine Plurality in the Hebrew Bible” by Peggy Day and C. Breytenbach. Was there a real snake in the Garden of Eden? Considerנחש (snake)and that as a verbal root with a definite article, נָחָשׁ means to dispense divine knowledge. Adjectively, נָחָשׁ refers to appearance. Consider that all three ideas are being communicated. All three descriptions tell us the snake mentioned is not just an animal. Where does the myth that angels have wings come from? We tend to conflate angels and cherubim. Explore divine plurality and the Divine Council. Biblical writers used "Elohim" of six different things. Elohim was used to describe a resident of the spirit world. In that realm, Yahweh is an Elohim among other Elohim's but is unique. Henotheism is the view that there are many gods and one on the top. In Henotheism, the top god can change. The biblical writer's Yahweh is species unique. In Ezekiel 1:10 we read, “The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle.” It is Yahweh that controls time, history, and circumstance. Monolatry is the exclusive worship of one being. Mormons tend to be polytheistic or henotheistic. New Testament writers draw on a theological, intellectual heritage that has humanity living with God in God's presence with his entourage on a global Eden. Consider the secular context. Most in the secular world believe Israelite religion evolved from polytheism to monotheism. Explore Deuteronomy 32:8-9. Consider the distinction of Yahweh and El. Consider Deuteronomy 32:6-7. The writer is identifying Yahweh and El together. Consider that critics assign a chronology to the text that they need to make their system work. Deuteronomy 32:8 states, “When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.” (In the Masoretic text it reads, "Sons of Israel") The logical question is when did the change happen? There are 160 references in the Dead Sea Scrolls to plural Elohim or elim.

Continue to explore Deuteronomy 32:8,“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. Consider the footnote on Deuteronomy 32:8, “Compare Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text sons of Israel.” Consider Deuteronomy 32:8 in the Qumran text. "Sons of Israel" is an incoherent reading because there was no Israel at the time. In the 19th century, people began applying Darwin and his idea of evolution to religious beliefs. Julius Wellhausen married source criticism to the evolutionary paradigm. In John 10:30-39 we read, “I and the Father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God. ”Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.” Most view the Elohim in Psalm 82 being people. How does this view reinforce Jesus' claim to deity here? In Psalm 82:6-7we read, “I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.’" John 10:35 states, “If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken...”Consider that the point Jesus makes is that Scripture tells us there are other non-human sons of God and he quotes Psalm 82.Jesus claimed to be a divine Son of God and also said that he and the Father were one. In Hebrews 1:6 we read, “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God's angels worship him.’” Deuteronomy 32:43 states, “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods . . .”

Explore that "El" is the generic word for deity across the Semitic languages. Elohim (plural) is also generic for deity. Baal means "lord" or "master". At Ugarit, Baal is called the most high. El was in the background for the Canaanites. The human world was imposed on the divine world. El and Baal epitaphs were also used of a second figure. In the Israelite world, the Canaanite two system was retained but both slots are occupied by Yahweh figures. The biblical writers could not tolerate a second separate deity so they filled both slots with the invisible and visible Yahweh. These are the antecedents to the Godhead. We have the core of a three person Godhead in the Hebrew Bible. Consider that five times in the New Testament, the Spirit is described as the Spirit of Jesus. Just as Jesus is but is not God, so the Spirit is but isn't Jesus. This is where we get our Trinitarian theology. Explore Benjamin Sommer’s text, “The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel”. He states that the idea of the Christian Trinity is very reconcilable with what we read in the Hebrew Bible. Sommer states that the idea of God being multiple persons and existing simultaneously is not new. This can be found in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern literature. This is important when it comes to New Testament scholars such as Bart Erhman. Erhman views the deity of Christ and concept of the Trinity as being invented late in the history of the early church. There was rampant speculation in between the Testaments as to who the second power was.

Consider the use of the term “Satan”. Is the definite article used on proper personal nouns? Two texts are considered: “A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew by Paul Joüon and Takamitsu Muraoka, and “An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax”, by Bruce K. Waltke and Michael Patrick O'Connor. Joüon states, "Proper nouns are in themselves determinant, since they designate unique beings. Therefore they do not take any determinant element." For הַשָּׂטָן, the definite article tells us its not a proper personal name. In the visual filter (Logos) for all the places in Job the word is not a proper noun. We read in Job 1:6,“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.” In Hebrew it is the “Accuser” or the “Adversary” and so throughout chapters 1–2"satan" means adversary, challenger. Explore that in the Divine Council scenes, the feeling is often like a lawsuit court. Explore Zechariah 3:1. Standing terminology is often used in Divine Council context too. We read in Job 5:1, “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?” Job 15:15 states, “Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones. . .” In Job 33:23 we read, “If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him . . ." Part of the role of God's entourage is to be a buffer between him and a person who might want to bring a complaint to God. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we have direct access to God.1 Timothy 2:5 states, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus . . .“ 1 John 2:1 tells us, “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” How big is the Divine Council? Explore Michael Heiser’s Divine Council chart. Compare the Divine entourage to Pharaoh's household. The inner circle of kings was typically comprised of family members. "Angel" describes an elohim that takes a message to someone. Throne Guardians are kerubhim which comes from the Akkadian karubu. Kerubhim guard God's presence. Seraphim is Egyptian terminology for the same office. "Seraph" was what Egyptians called the throne guardians. Explore the royal seal of Hezekiah. Why would the kings of Judah use such an obvious Egyptian symbol? Is there a Divine Council today? It is a biblical metaphor to assign order to the spiritual world. Explore Paul and the Deuteronomy 32 worldview. Paul uses terms such as principalities, powers, thrones, dominions, authorities and rulers. They are all terms of geographic dominion. Paul links the return of Jesus with what he refers to as "the fullness of the gentiles." The Divine Council today are those who are loyal to God and to Christ and are not in rebellion.

Consider Genesis 1:26 without a Trinitarian interpretation. We read, ”Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness . . .” How do we approach resistance for interpreting this text as not referring to the Trinity? Why does God have to announce he is making man in "our" image? If all of the members of the Trinity are equal to God, which Christian theology affirms, the Persons of the Trinity should all have had the thought simultaneously. Is it being announced to beings who are lesser? The pattern is that God will decree something and then beings of his entourage or council will be drawn into what God intends to do. Explore Kings 22:19-22. God allows participation. It is up to that spirit to carry out God's decree. Explore that Daniel 4 is called the decree of the Most High and also the decree of the Watchers. Consider Daniel 7 and the Divine Council meeting. The idea of the image being functional or representation is important. The image must make humanity unique and we do not get it incrementally. What is the image of God? The image of God should be viewed as a function or role. We are created to represent God. God's image is a status. Consider that Eden is the place heaven meets earth and the two families are connected. God initiates covenant relationships. The only way the Covenants would be kept by humans was if God became one of them. All God's covenants are fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Christ.

Is the divine council the Trinity? Consider Psalm 82:1, “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment . . .”Is Psalm 82 referring to gods or men? We read in Job 4:18, “Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error. . .”We not only share the image of God but also of his divine family. We are his representatives here in the embodied world. We make assumptions based on certain biblical concepts about how the other world runs. There is a Godhead conveyed in the Old Testament. Consider Trinitarianism and its common defense. Explore the Comparative Approach and ancient Near Eastern ideas or literature. Who is the Angel of the Lord? Consider that when ancient Near Eastern comparative things are brought up in a classroom, it rarely gets into their religious worldview and the other side. If we don't allow ourselves to understand what the biblical writers are saying that theologically comes from a shared world then we will miss what they are shooting at in a number of places. We will not understand their trajectory of thought that they lay out for their readers. Often our own context is imported into the text. Consider Genesis 1:26. Comparative material is very important. The right context for interpreting the Scripture is the one who produced it and we need to recover that. We need to see what the writer was thinking and what the original readers were getting out of it. The Near Eastern conceptual framework included an animate spiritual world that they believed was managed in an orderly fashion because the gods were rational. The Divine Council on one level is a metaphor for order, hierarchy and rank. Although a metaphor, the people thought it real. Consider that we have let critics run the discussion. God chose the people and prompted them to write Scripture who lived in a certain time, place, environment, and frame of knowledge.