What is to be the image and likeliness of the Creator?
• Gen 1:26 -> “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” “.
In order to get the drift of what kind of image the Creator was referring to, let’s see the verse below:
• 2Co 3:18 -> “And all of us, with unveiled faces, reflecting like bright mirrors the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same likeness, from one degree of radiant holiness to another, even as derived from the Lord the Spirit.”.
The human being is the image of the Creator such as bright mirror. The basic characteristic of the mirror is that, so that it can reflect some image, it is necessary that the person, from whom the image is being done, is present. So, if the man is in perfect communion with the Creator, he will reflect His glory in a way much superior of what took place with Moses:
• Exo 34:29,30 -> “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.”.”.
After all, Jesus’ glory in us is to be perennial (see 2Cor 3:12,13,18). It’s enough to consecrate and stay undefiled (James 1:27), and we will manifest His light (Mat 4:15,16 – John 8:12; 9:5).
But, and the likeliness? To catch this drift, let’s analyze the excerpt below:
• Num 12:8 -> “I will speak with him mouth to mouth, even clearly, and not in dark speeches. And he shall behold the likeness of Jehovah. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”.
And how did Moses behold the likeness of the Creator?
• Num 14:11-16 -> “And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ “.
• Exo 32:9-13 -> “And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”.
Note, in these passages, that Moses interceded for Israelites, not only because of them, but mainly for the love of the Creator’s name. In virtue of all miracles that Moses saw the Creator doing for the Israelites, it perceived that there was a likeliness between Him and His people (as the name of the Creator was on Israelites, their destruction would mean a shame for His great name).
Understood that the likeliness of the Creator is in His people, how the Creator made Adam pursuant to His image and likeness? After all, Adam wouldn’t become the likeliness of the Creator only in the future, but since the moment he was created.
So, the likeliness is: such as there is a unity inside the Creator (like a family), so there was a unity inside Adam which would allow him to became a family.
• Gen 1:27 -> “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”.
• Gen 5:1,2 -> “ This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; male and female created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”.
Note that, when the Creator made Adam, He made the woman too. However, He called their name “Adam”. Why? Because only Adam was outright Created; the woman existed inside Adam, in the form of a rib. It was through her that Adam would generate a holy family which would manifest the likeliness that there is within the Creator.
And this was fulfilled in Seth:
• Gen 5:3 -> “And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:”.
Note that it is not said that Cain was image and likeliness of Adam, but only Seth. The reason is:
• Gen 4:26 -> “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. *Then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah*. “.
So, have a good day reflecting, as a mirror, the presence of the Creator together with Jesus’ Church which is being built inside you (1Peter 2:5-8).
• Gen 1:26 -> “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” “.
In order to get the drift of what kind of image the Creator was referring to, let’s see the verse below:
• 2Co 3:18 -> “And all of us, with unveiled faces, reflecting like bright mirrors the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same likeness, from one degree of radiant holiness to another, even as derived from the Lord the Spirit.”.
The human being is the image of the Creator such as bright mirror. The basic characteristic of the mirror is that, so that it can reflect some image, it is necessary that the person, from whom the image is being done, is present. So, if the man is in perfect communion with the Creator, he will reflect His glory in a way much superior of what took place with Moses:
• Exo 34:29,30 -> “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.”.”.
After all, Jesus’ glory in us is to be perennial (see 2Cor 3:12,13,18). It’s enough to consecrate and stay undefiled (James 1:27), and we will manifest His light (Mat 4:15,16 – John 8:12; 9:5).
But, and the likeliness? To catch this drift, let’s analyze the excerpt below:
• Num 12:8 -> “I will speak with him mouth to mouth, even clearly, and not in dark speeches. And he shall behold the likeness of Jehovah. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”.
And how did Moses behold the likeness of the Creator?
• Num 14:11-16 -> “And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ “.
• Exo 32:9-13 -> “And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”.
Note, in these passages, that Moses interceded for Israelites, not only because of them, but mainly for the love of the Creator’s name. In virtue of all miracles that Moses saw the Creator doing for the Israelites, it perceived that there was a likeliness between Him and His people (as the name of the Creator was on Israelites, their destruction would mean a shame for His great name).
Understood that the likeliness of the Creator is in His people, how the Creator made Adam pursuant to His image and likeness? After all, Adam wouldn’t become the likeliness of the Creator only in the future, but since the moment he was created.
So, the likeliness is: such as there is a unity inside the Creator (like a family), so there was a unity inside Adam which would allow him to became a family.
• Gen 1:27 -> “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”.
• Gen 5:1,2 -> “ This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; male and female created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”.
Note that, when the Creator made Adam, He made the woman too. However, He called their name “Adam”. Why? Because only Adam was outright Created; the woman existed inside Adam, in the form of a rib. It was through her that Adam would generate a holy family which would manifest the likeliness that there is within the Creator.
And this was fulfilled in Seth:
• Gen 5:3 -> “And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:”.
Note that it is not said that Cain was image and likeliness of Adam, but only Seth. The reason is:
• Gen 4:26 -> “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. *Then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah*. “.
So, have a good day reflecting, as a mirror, the presence of the Creator together with Jesus’ Church which is being built inside you (1Peter 2:5-8).