Issued: 5/3/21    Updated: 6/20/21 Revised 11/15/23

PLEASE NOTE:  Because Bible versions sometimes differ from each other in crucial ways, the version quoted here will be the one that best clarifies the point being made.  For a quick comparison between versions, please go to: http://www.biblehub.com.

   All bracketed material may be authorial comments, attempts at proper syntax, or minimal rewordings of Scripture for the sake of clarity and continuity.  These emendations will not be italicized.

   The “/” will be used to signify “and/or.”  The symbol “↔” is used to connect verses corroborating each other and so establishing doctrinal truths (Matthew 18:16↔2Corinthians 13:1).

   In differentiating between Yahweh Son [Jesus] and Yahweh Father [the Most High God], lower case letters have been used when discussing the former; upper case letters are reserved for the Only and Most High God.  Since Jesus was at pains to differentiate himself from Father, we have followed his lead here.

   The term neo-Christians will be used to differentiate between false Christians and Jesus’ true followers.

   The premise behind this series is that Father has used our 7-day week as a  model to allegorize broadly each step of His plan of redemption over ±7,000 years of human history (Acts 17:26).  In Part I, where we discussed the highlights of Sixth and Seventh Days, we laid the groundwork relying on Archbishop Ussher’s personal [but largely discredited] chronology from 70 AD to the creation of the world; and on David’s and Peter’s metric that for Father one day is like a thousand years (Psalm 90:4; 2Peter 3:8).  These figures need not be exact; they only provide a ballpark estimate; and even the 1,000-year conversion factor in terms of Genesis 1’s “Days” is loosely applied.

Although there seems to be a gap between “Days” of Creation and our own 24-hour days, [which are measured from midnight to midnight], we should not think anything is amiss. While Creation “Days” are reckoned from “evening to morning,” Scripture really means from ‘sunset to sunset,’ since each subsequent “Day” starts on an “evening” following the previous “morning” (Genesis 1:8,13,19,23,31). Only when it comes to the Seventh Day Sabbath, reckoning of historical time stops and with good reason: Foreshadowing as it does the Millennium of rest after which Armageddon takes place (Revelation 20:4-10),¹ the next ‘evening to morning’ will be the manifestation of Father‘s everlasting Kingdom on earth.

   That being said, each event in Genesis 1’s “Days” symbolizes some corresponding reality—divine or mortal—taking place within the context of time/human history; which is Father’s way of conveying to men (Amos 4:13) His roadmap from Creation to Millennium Sabbath.  As always in Scripture, though we may resist certain interpretations, any assertion supported by the testimony of two or three Biblical witnesses settles the issue under discussion.  And though differences of opinions are necessary so that they who “are approved may be made manifest among you” (1Corinthians 11:19), everybody is free to believe what he/she chooses (Romans 14:5)—remembering that one deceives oneself by believing to be something one is not (Galatians 6:3).

PRE-EXISTENCE

“In the beginning God [Father] created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Genesis 1:1-2

   Simple as though Genesis 1:1-2 may sound, these verses are anything but.  Prior to “the beginning,” Father existed in timeless eternity (Deuteronomy 32:39-40, 33:27; Job 36:26; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 40:28); by definition Unchanging (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17), Invisible (John 1:18; Hebrews 11:27; 1John 4:12) and presumably dwelling in “unapproachable light” (1Timothy 6:16).

   Whoever wrote Genesis [tradition holds it was Moses], there were no human beings around to confirm any of this; but as the Holy Spirit inspires the writing of all Scripture (2Peter 1:20-21), and He fully knows all there is to know about Father (1Corinthians 2:10), it must have been Him bearing witnesses to Father’s existence before time was.  Conversely in Genesis 1:2, Father Himself bears witness to the Holy Spirit’s presence “hovering over the waters”; and we argue this on grounds that the Holy Spirit is spoken about in the third person by Someone witnessing the Spirit‘s “hovering.”  Again beating a dead horse, Scriptural ‘facts’ are settled by corroborating testimonies (Matthew 18:16; 2Corinthians 13:1; 1Timothy 5:19).  Note that this essential requirement was present from the get-go centuries before its codification into Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 19:15). 

    What are we being told thus far and this early?  That Father is a Dyad, not a Trinity.  Follow the arithmetic: Father + Holy Spirit = 2 Persons, proof that a co-ruling, consubstantial Son was not part of the Divinity—at this point, anyway, since Yahweh Son Angel proxy God had not yet been created.  What prevents us from acknowledging this simple fact?  Just like our Jewish brethren, our stubborn unwillingness to slaughter our dogmatic, sacred cows (Hebrews 5:11-14).

Secondly an enigma: These “formless, empty earth,” “darkness over the surface of the deep,” and “waters,” what do they exactly allude to?  Were they pre-existent, since our “earth/land” and “seas” were created on Third Day (Genesis 1:10)?  Could they be the unseen “foundations” of the world we now inhabit (2Samuel 22:16; Psalm 18:15), to be uncovered by the historically unprecedented earthquake of Revelation 16:18,20 that will strip away surface features [↔Isaiah 13:13, 24:19-20; Ezekiel 38:19-20]?  Once the fires of Armageddon melt everything away (Psalm 97:5; Nahum 1:5; Micah 1:4), will the promised “new earth” be built on this then cleansed “foundation” (Isaiah 65:17; 2Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1)?  Is this the land meant for eternal habitation (Isaiah 45:18: Jeremiah 4:27), given that following the destruction of “first things”—our reality—they will never again come to mind (Isaiah 65:17); and neither the heavens nor nature will be as before [new sun, brighter moon, no sea (Isaiah 30:26; Revelation 21:1)?  Is this the land upon which the symbolic stone of Daniel’s 2:35 prophecy becomes the “great mountain that filled the whole earth”, the Mount Zion upon which the Heavenly Jerusalem will repose to become Father‘s eternal dwelling place amongst men (Exodus 15:17-18; Isaiah 2:2, 25:6; Luke 12:37; Revelation 19:7-9, 21:22-3,10)?  It would appear to be so.

   What cannot be denied is that this foundation is spoken of as if outside time, and on a different plane of existence in relation to Father’s luminous abode.  The “dark deep” upon whose waters the Holy Spirit moved was bereft of “Light”—figuratively in terms of Jesus’ absence and literally in terms of as yet uncreated celestial bodies. It would be proxy Creator Son, “Light,” who would superimpose a temporal, ordered reality on that pre-existent, “empty” foundation (John 1:10; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2-3).  Thus since the plan of redemption was to be carried out by three divine persons, and two had been accounted for, it was time to introduce the non-consubstantial third.

FIRST DAY

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.  And God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light ‘Day,’ and the darkness He called ‘Night.‘ There was evening and there was morning, one day.”

Genesis 1:3-5

   We should all agree that this was the beginning of Creation, and that “Light” was the first thing created; but ‘thing’ or ‘person’?  Easily settled:  “The Son is the image of the invisible [Father], the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15); and by Jesus’ own admission: “[I am] the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God” (Revelation 3:14).

   We may choose to believe whatever dogma appeals to us, but it is indisputably clear that Jesus [or Yahweh Son Angel proxy God prior to his incarnation] and the “Light” of Genesis 1:3 are one and the same being.  Paul had no way of personally knowing this [only Father and Holy Spirit were there]; so in Colossians 1:15-16, Paul must have been channeling the Holy Spirit’s testimony (2Peter 1:20-21). As he had done during his earthly ministry (John 8:12), it remained with the resurrected, Interim God Jesus (Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:18) to reassert his divine parentage.

As if that were not enough, Father added His testimony to the mix: “Yahweh [Father] said to me [Yahweh Son], ‘You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father.’” (Psalm 2:7).  And what does “today” mean in the context of prior timelessness?  That time [a concept not fully understood to this day] as we experience it had been set in motion ; and that at some point in that first “evening to morning” span (Genesis 1:5), Father’s signal event had been the calling of His Son into being within time—His one and only direct involvement in Creation.  Let us not fall into the trap that this “begetting” refers to the embryo implanted in Mary’s womb (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:31-35):  That was no mass of ordinary stem cells developing into the human Jesus. Quite the contrary: That implanted embryo contained the full essence of the pre-existent Yahweh Son Angel proxy God.

How can we conclude this?  First on the basis of Luke 2:41-51, when as a 12-year-old, Jesus baffled the Jewish teachers with his knowledge of the Law. ³   And why not? As Yahweh Son Angel proxy God, he had given Father‘s laws to Moses, a distinction easily demonstrable by the fact that Father has never been seen or heard by men (John 5:37); yet Yahweh Son Angel proxy God was seen by Moses (Exodus 33:18-23, 34:5-8) and spoke to him face to face “like to a friend” (Exodus 33:11).  Exodus 33:5 gives the show away by having Yahweh Son Angel proxy God proclaim Yahweh Father‘s greatness [↔Exodus 20:5-6; Numbers 14:18; Nahum 1:3].  So much for this Biblical ‘contradiction.’

Then we have Scripture’s further confirmation of Jesus’ pre-existence.  John the Baptist’s embryo jumped in Elizabeth’s womb upon ‘hearing’ of Mary’s pregnancy (Luke 1:41)]; and although the Baptist was a bit older than Jesus [6 months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy plus Mary’s ±9 gestation months (Luke 1:36)], the adult Baptist made clear that the Jesus whose ministry would supersede his own had existed “before him” (John 1:30).  How did he know this?  Because full of the Holy Spirit as he was (Luke 1:15), the Holy Spirit bore witness through him of Jesus’ pre-existence.

   To which Jesus himself added his own testimony:  “Now, Father, glorify me with Your own Self with the glory which I had with You before the world existed” (John 17:5), certainly not referring to BC/AD time reckonings.  And as if that were still not enough to inform future generations, the following pearls of wisdom: “’Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jewish leaders asked him, ‘You are not even 50 years old, yet you have seen Abraham?’  Jesus said to them, ‘Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM’” (John 8:56-58).⁴

THE SYMBOLISM OF LIGHT

    What provides a sense of direction, shape, and color to things?  Light.  In a dark room we must grope our way uncertain of what lies in wait for us; and though we may touch things, their true form and color remain unperceived by us.  Light sweeps away all these difficulties, rendering the outside world navigable, recognizable, and known.

In the drama of redemption where salvation is predicated on spiritual knowledge, Jesus embodies the role of ‘natural light.’  Through him the ‘dark’ deceptions/machinations of Satan and his minions are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; Galatians 1:11-12; Ephesians 3:4-6)—a wisdom Father pre-destined for our enlightenment (Psalm 25:14; Mark 4:11-12; 1Corinthians 2:7).  So when Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), he was not only speaking metaphorically but factually: “I AM the Light of the world”; or “the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world” [John 1:9—note the gender specific “his”]. 

Now “Light,” which Father deemed “good” was separated from “Darkness,” the latter being ostensibly ‘bad’ because it could not be integrated into the “good” light (Genesis 1:4).  What is being hinted at here?  That Lucifer/Satan was created on First Day, “perfect in [his] ways from the day that [he was] created, until unrighteousness was found in [him]” (Ezekiel 28:15).  Note that Genesis 1:4-5 differentiates between Light which was “good” and Darkness which is not so qualified; and that except for Darkness, everything created thereafter was also deemed “good” (Genesis 1:10,12,18, 21,25,31).

   Of Jesus Paul says, “For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16).  Paul is here stating that Jesus, in his pre-existence as Yahweh Son proxy Creator, was then given power to create everything else (↔Hebrews 1:2-3), including Lucifer; ⁵ which leads to conclude that Lucifer/“Darkness” did come into being on First Day, yet not created by Father:  By Jesus after Father had appointed him proxy Creator.  This is a more satisfying answer, in line with the fact that Father could not have created mankind’s tempter when He Himself tempts no one (James 1:13). Satan may be the de facto tempter; and because Father allowed Satan’s creation, it may be argued that Father is responsible for all the evil Satan wreaks—something He owns up to throughout Scripture (Isaiah 45:6-7; Lamentations 3:37; Amos 3:6; 2Timothy 2:25-26↔Lamentations 3:65; Romans 9:18).⁶

Therefore, while Satan’s doings are technically attributable to Him, Father wanted Lucifer to use his powers responsibly; just as He conceived governing institutions to dispense justice and punish transgressors (Romans 13:1-4)—which history has shown to be the exception rather than the rule. And why? Because the hearts of men are given fully to do evil throughout their lives (Ecclesiastes 9:3↔Genesis 6:5); though Father intended men to be upright,⁷ they make evil choices of their own free will (Ecclesiastes 7:29↔John 8:44; Ephesians 2:2). In similar fashion, though Son is the de facto Creator (John 1:10; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2-3), Father is the ultimate Creator by virtue of having empowered Son to complete Creation in His stead. Furthermore, in the spirit of James 3:11, Father could not have chosen to create someone as potentially evil as Lucifer and another as wholly good as Jesus.  An All-Knowing, Virtuous Being is only capable of creating creatures in His own image—as Son was (James 1:17).

   Yet someone not all-knowing like Yahweh Son proxy Creator (Mark 13:32; John 7:16, 12:49; Revelation 1:1) could make wrong decisions (Job 2:3), or given to undeciseveness (Exodus 32:14; 2Samuel 24:16; Jeremiah 18:10, 26:3,19, 42:10; Amos 7:3,6; Jonas 3:10); things impossible with Father (Numbers 23:19; 1Samuel 15:29; Isaiah 31:2).  Humility aside, this is perhaps why Jesus objected to being called “good”: Only Father deserved that appellation (Mark 10:18).

   Did not Father know how Lucifer would turn out?  He must have; and if so, why did He not warn Son about Lucifer’s potential evil nature before Son created him? We may conjecture He wanted Son to learn from his own errors in judgment: Though All-Mighty (Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:8), Son is not portrayed in Scripture as All-Knowing (Mark 13:32; Revelation 1:1). Therefore it might be that Father wanted Son to learn from experience what being a co-ruling God entailed; for as we see, the vacillations portrayed by Yahweh Son throughout the Old Testament (Genesis 6:7-8; 2Samuel 24:16; Jonah 3:4,10) were not replicated in Son‘s ruling style post-resurrection (Revelation 3:26-27, 12:5)—as had been mandated in Psalms 2:9. Maybe this is what Paul had in mind when he wrote that “Son though he was,” Jesus learned through suffering the unconditional obedience Father demands from His proxy God (Hebrews 5:8).

This assumes that Father did not warn proxy Creator Son about Lucifer’s future evil bent, no matter how magnificently Son actually made him (Ezekiel 28:12,15). This would seem to contradict Father‘s ‘announce all’ protocol (Amos 3:7)—also imitated by Son (Amos 4:13); yet Amos’ verses clearly state that such divine disclosures were intended for human beings, not angels. In point of fact, in 1Peter 1:12, Peter argues that though channeling prophecies, Old Testament prophets were themselves not privy to “things into which angels longed to look”—meaning what? That angels would grasp prophecy simultaneously with men? Be that as it may, whether in Son‘s creation of Lucifer; angelic choices to be seduced by evil (Job 4:18); or men’s dismissal of ceaseless warnings (Jeremiah 7:13, 25:4, 29:19, 44:4), Father has always wanted His creatures—at least in this order of things—to be free to act as they choose, yet cognizant of repercussions for transgressions (Deuteronomy 30:11-20; Ezekiel 33:11).

However, in order to get to “Omega” [the desired objective], Father accepted that “Alpha [its beginning]” would entail issues contrary to His moral nature—the so-called “times of ignorance” (Acts 17:30)]. Thus foreknowing that Lucifer would lead Man and Woman astray, He allowed not only Lucifer’s creation but overlooked immoral behaviors later proscribed in Mosaic Law; as for example, Abraham’s marriage to his half-sister, Sarah (Genesis 20:12; Leviticus 18:9)]—immoralities that Jesus’ covenant of faith continued to sanction since Jesus did not invalidate them, unlike animal sacrifices for the remission of sins or divorce, which he did (Matthew 26:26-28↔Exodus 24:8; Hebrews 9:13-14,19, 12:24; Mark 10:4-12).

The canard that Mosaic Law applies only to the Jews is prompted by anti-Semitic biases.  The moral underpinnings of Mosaic Law are essentially Christian, having been promulgated by Yahweh Son proxy God and re-affirmed by him as the incarnated Jesus (Matthew 5:18, 19:16-19).  What was jettisoned as counter-productive and irrelevant to salvation predicated on faith were self-professed preachers usurping Jesus’ exclusive, teaching role (Matthew 23:8); prophets warning of consequences for sinful choices (Luke 16:16; John 16:13↔1John 2:27); and ritualistic aspects of Mosaic Law which lacked the power to remit sins (Hebrews 7:11-28, 9:9-10, 10:1-11).  Even dietary laws, [which imply more than meets the eye and are ever popular in our health-obsessed days], were dismissed by Jesus on grounds of their disconnect with inner morality (Matthew 15:17-19); to which Paul followed suit (Romans 14:1-23; 1Corinthians 8:8).  But it is always easier to abstain from eating pork than practicing Christian ‘socialism’ to achieve equality with the poor (2Corinthians 8:14).  Protestations of loving others as ourselves do not always extend to our pockets.

Coming back to our discussion, “Day” then became emblematic of “Light,” and “Night” of “Darkness” (Genesis 1:5): Never the twain would meet because as light negates darkness, so Satan had nothing in Jesus (John 14:30). Nevertheless, humanity took a different tack: “The Light has come into the world, but people loved the Darkness more than the Light because their actions were evil [↔Ecclesiastes 7:29, 9:3)]…everyone who practices evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, so that his actions may not be exposed” (John 3:20).  Simply put, “If the world hates you, you should realize that it hated me [the Light] before you” (John 15:18).

   If Jesus=Light=Day, the works of salvation must be undertaken during the period of grace allotted for them (Isaiah 49:8, 55:6-8; Zephaniah 2:2-3; 2Corinthians 6:2); hence, “we must work the works of Him [Father] who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4).  In that darkest of nights, when Father irrevocably withdraws His protection from mankind, Satan will have his blood-soaked field day (Deuteronomy 31:18,29; Isaiah 10:3-4, 13:6-13, 24:19-23; Matthew 21:41; Revelation 9:1-11).

   Now if Lucifer was created on First Day, we must presume all angels were then called into being as well—as Paul contended in Colossians 1:16. But though the prototypical Angel himself, Son was not on a par with his angelic creations. Son was superior in rank to all other angels and uniquely called Son in relation to Father (Hebrews 1:5-14). Son was[proxy] God (Philippians 2:6) in relation to his God (Revelation 3:12), the Father Who acknowledged no one higher than Himself (Isaiah 45:5). With respect to the throne, Son ranked lower than Father (Genesis 41:40↔1Corinthians 15:27-28). Son was Creator by virtue of wielding Father’s creative powers (Hebrews 1:2-3). Son would become immortal body—unlike ‘spirit’ Father (John 4:24)—after his resurrection (Luke 24:39).⁸ And Son would sit on a throne to the right of Father‘s own (Psalm 110:1; Mark 16:19; Acts 7:56; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 5:7).

How many angels were created?  A definitive figure is not given but numerous enough as to be uncountable—even after Satan’s and his minions’ eviction from Heaven (Revelation 5:11, 12:7-9↔Luke 10:18).⁹ Angels who are not fallen constitute part of the family of faith, for they too played their part in the battle for human redemption (Hebrews 1:14; Revelation 19:14, 22:9).  Hence the uncountable progeny promised Abraham through a “seed” symbolizing Jesus [substance (Galatians 3:16)], not Isaac [shadow (Acts 7:5)].

SECOND DAY

 “Then God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’  God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day”.

Genesis 1:6-8

  By the beginning of Second Day, the creation of visible things had begun in earnest. Now we come to the nitty-gritty.  We know that “waters” may be symbols for “peoples, multitudes, nations and languages (Revelation 17:15),” and these are below the heavens.  Could not “waters” above the heavens refer to divine beings?  Viewed this way, the “expanse,” “canopy,” “vault,” “firmament” or whatever name we choose to name heavens above is a construct rather than empirical reality, a conclusion supported by Isaiah 40:22:  “God stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in”—a “canopy” that can vanish like smoke or be rolled up like a carpet at a moment’s notice (Isaiah 51:6; Revelation 6:14).  The patterns and movements of the constellations had been pre-ordained independently of astrophysics (Job 31:31-33); more like background ‘special effects’ than the result of an expanding universe.  So temporary were these heavens that Jesus saw their passing as far more probable than the minutest alteration to Father’s eternal word (Matthew 5:18).  And ‘pass’ they must so that their everlasting upgrades manifest themselves (Isaiah 65:17; Hebrews 12:27; Revelation 21:1).

   These heavens were created for the express purpose of separating the human realm from the divine, two adjoining planes of existence where the latter remained inaccessible and invisible to the former.  That ordinary men can be made not to see what lies in their range of vision is implicit from 2Kings 6:17; Matthew 3:16, and Acts 7:55-56, where men of faith perceived what others around them did not. Stephen could see Father and Son in Heaven, yet none of his executioners did—including as yet unconverted Paul present there (Acts 7:58, 8:1). Sometimes, as in Luke 24:16,31 and John 20:14-15, people of faith were prevented from recognizing the Jesus they knew only too well. The Apostles could see Jesus ascending to Heaven until hidden by a cloud; but not the realm he was entering. Nevertheless during the Seventh Day Millennium, the redeemed will be able to look down from Heaven upon Satan chained on earth (Isaiah 14:16-17; Ezekiel 28:17↔Revelation 5:10).

Non-symbolic “waters” and a “foundation” earth existed prior to First Day (Genesis 1:2).  We are not told where each stood with respect to the other; but it is a safe bet to assume neither hid nor contained the other.  Given that the hail to be deployed during Revelation 16:21’s plague has been stashed someplace ‘up there’ at least since Job’s lifetime (Job 38:22-23), is it unreasonable to think that the waters that fell from the sky during the Flood came from that pre-existent supply?  The phrase “fountains of the great deep” (Genesis 7:11) has been interpreted as a vast body of underground [beneath the “foundation?”] water percolating up and mixing with falling rain, ostensibly raising floodwaters past the top of Mount Everest (Genesis 7:20).  This will not do, for Scripture specifically states that “the floodgates of heaven were opened and there was rain falling upon the earth” (Genesis 7:11-12), which implies water falling only from above the world.

The “deep” in Genesis 1:2 does not necessarily imply underground:  It may describe the distance between a higher and a lower point, as suggested in the parable found in Luke 16:19-31.  The rich man in agony begs Abraham for succor, but Abraham pointedly answers that is not possible, given the fact that “there is a great chasm/gulf between [them], put there in order that those who desire to cross from this side to you may not be able, nor any be able to cross over from your side to us” (Luke 16:26).  That criterion holds true to this day:  Angels may cross that chasm but not mortal men; and if someone “put it there,” it had to have been Yahweh Son proxy Creator on Second Day.

   To summarize, the signal event on Second Day was Yahweh Son proxy Creator God‘s demarcation of the divine from the mortal plane of things; thus effectively separating human beings [“waters below”] from divine beings [“waters above”]. Next would come the ordering of the natural world into land and water domains, and the creation of plant life, which as we shall see in our next discussion, signify far more than mere geography and flora.

¹  Which should be a reminder to Judeo-Christians of faith that the Biblical Armageddon references no nuclear confrontations to be fought in the Middle East. Revelation’s Armageddon takes place 1,000 after the end-times death of the unrighteous, necessitating their second resurrection to be destroyed for all time (Revelation 5-10).

²  Who concocted Trinitarian dogma?  The so-called Fathers of the Western Church, living in a world where pantheism was rampant and triune gods a dime a dozen.  When the dogma received its seal of approval at Nicaea (325 AD), overriding the more correct Arian ‘heresy,’ Roman Catholicism had become Rome’s state religion; and since Peter provided a direct link to Jesus, a bit of Papal PR was concocted to amalgamate Father and Son, thus laying claim to a divine lineage.  One tiny problem with this ruse:  It was Paul, not Peter, who Jesus personally picked to bring the Gospel to the Gentile world (Acts 9:15-16; Galatians 2:7; 1Timothy 1:11), of which the Roman Empire was a big chunk. It may be that Jesus’ purposefully choose Paul to discredit future contrived papal links to Peter. Nevertheless, the Roman Catholic claim that Peter was first Pope—an office presuming power grabs forbidden by Jesus (Matthew 20:26, 23:9-10)—has no basis in Scripture.

³  It has been suggested that Mary had a hand in Jesus’ religious schooling but this is pious PR. Despite Gabriel’s annunciation; her own personal experience that her pregnancy was supernatural; and that Simeon re-affirmed Jesus’ messianic role, Mary was never quite sure what Jesus was about (Luke 1:26-35, 2:19, 25-33, 46-50).  Except at the time of conception, Scripture never again portrays the Holy Spirit having to do anything else with Mary.

⁴ Let us not miss the pointed corroboration that “I AM” is the name Yahweh Son Angel proxy God used to identify himself to Moses (Exodus 3:14) and to Samson’s father (Judges 13:11); but also Jesus’ identifier to the Apostles during the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:27); a name of such spiritual potency that the posse sent to arrest Jesus fell to the ground upon hearing it (John 18:5-6).

Let us focus on Jesus’ claim that he had personally met Abraham.  In what form? As Yahweh Son proxy God in the plains of Mamre to predict Isaac’s birth, accompanied by two angels sent to assess the corruption at Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:1-2, 20-22).  This exchange took place not in dreams but in real time; yet again telling us that this Yahweh could be seen and heard, unlike the Invisible, never heard Father.  But what conclusively settles—or should settle—the Yahweh Son proxy God=Jesus conundrum is the fact that Abraham called him “the Judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:18:25).  And who is the one and only Judge?  Jesus, for “the Father judges no one, but has given all authority to judge to the Son” (John 5:22); which we must enhance with Paul’s statement that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).  Thus we see that since early on, Trinitarian dogma was being systematically torpedoed.

⁵ Not Satan’s true name, which is never revealed in Scripture, but it will do for our purposes.

⁶  The reason why His unenlightened critics call Him vindictive and arbitrary.

⁷ Just as it was true of Satan himself (Ezekiel 28:12,15-16).

⁸ Which necessitated Jesus’ external reawakening by Father after being dead for three days (Acts 2:24,32,37; Revelation 1:18); which in turn tells us that had it not been so, Jesus would not be with us today.

⁹ As per in Genesis 15:5, comparing celestial bodies [shadow] to heavenly beings [substance]; for “stars” typically symbolize angels (Matthew 2:2-10; Luke 2:9-17; Revelation 1:20, 12:4)].