trax,
There are different views being taught in the Christian world today about Genesis 1:26-27, which states “Then God said, ‘
Let Us make man in
Our image, according to
Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in
His own image, in the
image of God He created him;
male and female He created them." This study may be a bit overwhelming or "blow your mind", but here we go!
Who is God speaking to in this passage? One teaching is that God is speaking to Himself. This view imagines the Father, Son and Holy Spirit conversing with each other, and maintains that the heavenly host were not made in God's image. The Bible does not confirm this view, so it is assumed. As we delve further into this study, we will find
the mystery unveiled, not only in the literal Hebrew wording of Gen 1:26, but in the definitions of "God" and “image". This leads us to the second teaching, which is that God very well could have been speaking to His heavenly host - His angels and magistrates.
If you look up the
Hebrew wording of Gen 1:26, note
"Let Us" is not in the text!This verse literally states,
"Said God make man Our image to Our likeness, rule the fish of the sea the birds of the sky the cattle all the earth every creeping creeps on the earth". This does not compromise the second view, in that God created man in His OWN image [singular] (vs.27), yet in the image and likeness of the heavenly host, when it comes to governance.
