Eternal Godhead Revealed in Genesis: Romans 1:20

 What is the Godhead, and where in Genesis is the Eternal Godhead revealed?

The book of Colossians tells us the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus bodily (Colossians 2:9 kjv), and we read in Romans 1:20 that the invisible things of God are clearly seen from the creation of the world…even His eternal power and Godhead.

People may argue whether or not there is such a thing as the trinity, because the word trinity does not appear in scripture, but what about the Godhead?

Since scripture assures us the Godhead is revealed in the creation, the logical question would be to ask where in the creation is it revealed? That naturally takes us to the book of Genesis. In the very first chapter of Genesis (1:26), God said let “us” make man in “our” image.

Was God communing with the angels when he said this? He could not have been as there is no indication in scripture that angels are made in the image of God. God reserved that incredible privilege for humanity alone. 

Was the conversation recorded in Genesis 1:26 an example of what is known as “plurality of majesty” used by royalty when referring to themselves alone as “we” and “our?” 

The answer is, No. God does not imitate man. The plurality of majesty came about from royal persons imitating the way God referenced Himself in Genesis 1:26, and not the other way around.

Genesis 1:26, records a conversation between the members of the Godhead. Other scriptures shed more light on this. Jesus, the Son of God (also called the “Word” in John 1:1), is a member of the Godhead. We understand that from the language of Colossians 2:9. 

The Holy Spirit is a member of the Godhead. In Acts chapter five, the apostle said that lying to the Holy Spirit was the same as lying to God. 

And nowhere in scripture is there a clearer statement concerning the Godhead than in 1 John 5:7-8, where we read that there are three in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and that these three are one. And yes, the "Comma" is found in texts earlier than the 16th century.

There is no doubt 1 John 5:7-8 (also called the Johanneum or Johannine Comma) is authentic. Detractors cannot account for early references.

The eternal Godhead was revealed in the creation of humanity. God created mortals in his image, and that is a triune image—a composite unity. 

Every human is a composite unity, a spirit who has a soul and lives in a body. In every person, exists three, and these three are one. Humans, like the God in whose image we are created, are three in one beings. 

Even if the existence of the soul is denied and only the spirit and body acknowledged, the fact that mortals are composite unities does not change.

The revelation of the Godhead in the creation of humanity, is but one of the ways the invisible things of God are revealed in creation.

Joel's Army: Joel 2:11, Who or What is the LORDS Army Described Joel 2:11

 What has become popularly known as "Joel's Army" is described in Joel 2:11, where the prophet writes of an army that he describes as "The LORD'S Army." This is a fearsome army that will one day cover the land (The Promise Land--Israel), wreaking terror, pain, and destruction. But, since Joel calls it the LORD'S army, there is much confusion and debate about whether or not this army is a righteous host rather than an evil/demonized army.

How can a demon (or demonized) army be called the LORD'S? 

The answer to that is quite simple—the LORD calls the shots. Regardless of who is carrying out his will, and there are numerous examples in scripture of the LORD using Satan and/or his Fallen Ones to carry out his will or judgments. One example of this is found in 1 Kings 22:19-23 where the prophet Micaiah reveals God’s strategy [in using demonic spirits] for bringing down King Ahab for his wickedness in leading Israel into Ba'al worship.

Micaiah is given a glimpse into Heaven where he sees the Most High surrounded by HIS armies, and asks, "Who will persuade Ahab" to go into a battle that would result in his death. We then read of a spirit volunteering to be a lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab’s prophets. No Holy Angel is a lying spirit. So the spirit that stepped up to the plate offering to deceive must have been a fallen angel. Remember that Satan gathered with the Sons of God (Holy Angels) on the days he challenged God to test Job. There was a point in time that Satan and his angels had limited access to the presence of God. Has that time ended? That is another subject and for another post.

It is interesting to note that the "Armies of the LORD" that stood on his right side and on his left side [in the days of King Ahab] included both holy and fallen angels (as evidenced by the lying spirit that came forward at the LORD’S challenge). 

Matthew 25:33, tells us that during the Judgement of the Nations, the sheep (righteous) are placed on the right hand of the King (Jesus) and the goats (unrighteous) are placed on his left hand. By that, it can reasonably be concluded that the armies seen by Micaiah, who stood on God’s right hand were holy angels and the armies on his left were fallen angels.

Like the lying spirit we read about in 1 Kings 22, the army described in Joel chapter two, is anything but a righteous army. But both the spirit and the army are agents of God in the evil tasks they are assigned to accomplish. The army Joel describes causes much pain and leaves widespread destruction in its wake.

The army Joel describes corresponds closely with the demon army described by John in The Revelation (Revelation 9). It is likely the same army. This demonized army will bring great destruction during the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (The Great Tribulation).

The LORD’S army described in the book of Joel, is a demonized army, used by the Living God in executing HIS judgment during The Time of Jacob's Trouble/THE Great Tribulation. 

It is called the LORD’S army, not because it is a righteous army, but because it is being used to execute the will of God... ...

Ephesians 4:11-14 Ministry Gifts

Ephesians 4:11-14 lists the ministry gifts bestowed by Christ Himself on the Church. They are as follows: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers.

The gift of the evangelist is rather forthright. The evangelist is a gifted soul-winner. The gift is an outreach ministry carrying a strong message of salvation towards unbelievers. The ministry gift of pastor is generally exalted above all gifts in today’s Church with the pastor at the top of an ecclesiastical hierarchy. This is Satan’s perversion of the gift and should not be so. The gift of pastor is a gift designed to minister to the spiritual needs of local congregations—to the care and nurturing of believers. The gift of teacher is likewise a discipleship ministry to believers. Although the application of these gifts have become somewhat corrupted in the hands of men, few have issues with the validity of the ministry gifts of evangelist, pastor or teacher. However, the gifts of apostles and prophets are extremely controversial and have either been dismissed as obsolete, or have been misunderstood, perverted, and abused.

The ministry gift of prophet is a gift generally directed towards God’s people and has not changed in function from Old Testament to New. Prophets have always spoken under the direct inspiration of God and often showed God’s people their transgression. God’s New Testament people transgress just as his Old Testament people did. God has not left us without the gift of the prophet to help us. The Word of God recorded in 2 Chronicles 20:20 has not changed. If we believe the Lord our God, we will be established. If we believe his prophets, we shall prosper.

Prophets are given much insight into people, situations and even the future, but many today, who present themselves as “prophets,” are in reality nothing but soothe-sayers passing Satan’s counterfeit gift of divination off as "prophecy." This an abominable perversion of the legitimate gift of prophecy and should be rejected by God's people. Knowing and obeying the Word of God in tandem with the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God helps us discern the real from the counterfeit.

The gift of apostle carries with it leadership authority and combines the gifts of prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Apostles spread the gospel both locally and in faraway places where it has never been heard, and scripture records that they stay and nurture their new converts while they develop new leaders—pastors, teachers, etc., in each location.

Many who are designated as “missionaries” are in reality apostles, but prejudice against the ministry gifts of apostle and prophet along with prejudice against women in the ministry has caused the gifts of these dedicated workers [to the cause of Christ] to go unrecognized. This should not be so. The scriptures command us to recognize those who labor among us.

Ephesians 4:12-14 tells us why the ministry gifts have been bestowed and also how long we can expect them to be active in the Church. They are bestowed in order to build up and complete the Body of Christ until we all come into the unity of the faith and are mature in every way. That will not happen until Jesus comes. Therefore, the ministry gifts are still needed and are still being bestowed....

Author and speaker, Jocelyn Andersen, is an eclectic Christian writer. She is a Bible teacher who writes about many subjects including Bible prophecy and equality of the sexes. She is best known for her advocacy in domestic violence awareness. Her book, Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence, has been a staple in the library of resources on that subject.  

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