As Above, So Below Matthew 6:10

As Above, So Below 

A Saying Of Jesus

when you make the below 

like the above

The Gnostic Implications of the Message Bible’s “As Above, So Below”

The phrase “as above, so below,” as found in The Message rendering of Bible in Matthew 6:10, opens a profound interpretive doorway into early Christian and Gnostic thought. While the traditional rendering reads “on earth, as it is in heaven,” The Message expresses it as “Do what’s best— as above, so below,” introducing a maxim that resonates deeply with themes found across a wide range of early Christian writings, including texts from the Nag Hammadi Library. These sources repeatedly emphasize a correspondence between “above” and “below,” not merely in spatial terms but in ontological, structural, and experiential unity.

The passage reads:

“Our Father in heaven,

Reveal who you are.

Set the world right;

Do what’s best—

as above, so below.

Keep us alive with three square meals.

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.

Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.

You’re in charge!

You can do anything you want!

You’re ablaze in beauty!

Yes. Yes. Yes.”

This rendering reframes the prayer not as a passive request but as a declaration of alignment between two realms—“above” and “below.” In Gnostic interpretation, this alignment is not simply moral but structural and existential: what exists above exists below in pattern, image, or reflection.

This idea appears explicitly in the Acts of Peter:

“If you do not make what is on the right like what is on the left and what is on the left like what is on the right, and what is above like what is below, and what is behind like what is before, you will not recognize the kingdom.”

Here, the recognition of the kingdom depends on transformation through equivalence. Opposites must be reconciled, distinctions dissolved, and dualities unified. The phrase “what is above like what is below” expresses not imitation but identity of structure—suggesting that reality is patterned consistently across all levels of existence.

This same principle is echoed in the Gospel of Philip:

“Those above opened to us the things below, in order that we may go in to the secret of the truth.”

The tearing of the veil “from the top to bottom” symbolizes not a one-directional revelation but a mutual opening—above revealing below, and below gaining access to above. This mutuality reinforces the idea that the two are not separate realms but interrelated dimensions of a single structured reality.

Another powerful expression appears in the Acts of Philip:

“Unless ye make that which is beneath to be above, and the left to be right (and the right left), ye shall not enter into my kingdom… for all the world is turned the wrong way, and every soul that is in it.”

Here, the world is described as inverted—“turned the wrong way.” The task is not to ascend spatially but to correct orientation. “Making what is beneath to be above” implies a reordering of perception and structure, restoring alignment between levels of existence.

The Odes of Solomon provides a more philosophical articulation:

“The likeness of that which is below is that which is above.

For everything is from above, and from below there is nothing…”

This passage introduces the concept of “likeness” or “pattern.” The Syriac term may be better understood as “pattern,” as in Exodus 25:9:

“According to all that I shew thee, the pattern of the tabernacle…”

And Hebrews 8:5:

“See… that thou make all things according to the pattern that was shewed thee in the mount.”

Thus, what exists below is not independent reality but a manifestation of a prior pattern. The “above” is not merely a location but the source of structure—the archetype from which all things are formed.

The idea of pattern aligns with the concept of mental representation:

“Everything that is manifested was first a mental picture and was brought into expression by the forming power of the imagination.”

In this framework, “above” corresponds to the originating pattern, while “below” corresponds to its expression. The relationship is not dualistic but generative: the below proceeds from the above.

This theme reaches its most explicit formulation in the Gospel of Thomas, Saying 22:

“When you make the two one and make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside and the above like the below… then you will enter [the kingdom].”

Here, entry into the kingdom depends on total unification: inside and outside, male and female, above and below. The kingdom is not a place but a state achieved through integration. The text explicitly rejects spatial separation, emphasizing instead a condition of harmony.

This is reinforced by John 8:23:

“You are from below; I am from above.”

Yet this distinction is not absolute. The Gnostic texts suggest that what is “above” is accessible—not by movement but by transformation.

The macrocosm–microcosm relationship further develops this idea. Isaiah 57:15 states:

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

With him who has a contrite and humble spirit…”

Here, the “high and holy place” is not separate from the human condition but coexistent with it. Likewise, Ecclesiastes 3:11 declares:

“He hath also placed the eternity in their heart…”

The Hebrew olam (aeon) indicates that eternity is embedded within the human being. Thus, the “above” is present within the “below.”

The Gospel of Philip makes this explicit:

“But that which is within them all is the fullness. Beyond it, there is nothing else within it. This is that of which they say, ‘That which is above them’.”

Here, the “above” is redefined as “within.” The Pleroma—the fullness—is not a distant realm but an internal condition. The distinction between above and below collapses into a single reality experienced internally.

This understanding transforms the concept of redemption. In the Tripartite Tractate, redemption is described as:

“an ascent to the degrees which are in the Pleroma… according to the power of each of the aeons”

Yet this ascent is not spatial but experiential—a movement from deficiency to fullness.

The Treatise on the Resurrection states:

“fullness fills what it lacks.”

And the Gospel of Truth elaborates:

“Thus fullness, which has no deficiency but fills up deficiency, is provided to fill a person’s need… When the diminished part was restored, the person in need was revealed as fullness.”

Here, deficiency is not overcome by acquiring something external but by restoring what is already present in pattern. The “above” fills the “below” because they are structurally identical.

Similarly, in the Secret Book of James, the instruction is:

“Be filled and leave no space within you empty.”

And in the Prayer of the Apostle Paul:

“You are my fullness.”

These statements emphasize that fullness is not external but internalized. The process is one of realization and completion.

The concept of macrocosm and microcosm—the great and the small—further clarifies this relationship. The aeons, understood as structured orders or ages, reflect the same pattern at every level. What exists in the larger structure exists in the smaller, and vice versa. “As above, so below” thus becomes a statement of universal consistency.

Importantly, this does not imply dualism. As the Odes of Solomon commentary notes:

“There is nothing that is divided…”

The apparent distinction between above and below is a matter of perception, not reality. What is “below” is only meaningful insofar as it reflects the pattern of what is “above.” Where it does not, it is described as “nothing”—a mere appearance.

This interpretation reframes the Lord’s Prayer in The Message. “Do what’s best— as above, so below” becomes a call for alignment with the underlying pattern of reality. It is not a request for intervention but a declaration of conformity to the structure of the Pleroma.

Thus, the Gnostic implications of this phrase are profound. It expresses:

• The unity of all levels of existence

• The identity of pattern between above and below

• The internalization of the Pleroma

• The process of redemption as restoration of fullness

• The dissolution of dualities through integration

Ultimately, “as above, so below” is not a poetic flourish but a statement of ontology. It asserts that reality is structured according to a single pattern, manifest at every level. To recognize this pattern is to recognize the kingdom. To embody it is to enter it.

In this way, the rendering in The Message unintentionally echoes a deep and ancient current within early Christian thought—one that sees the “above” not as distant, but as present, patterned, and accessible within the very structure of existence itself..

The Gnostic Implications of The Message “Bible’s” “As Above, So Below” Matthew 6:10 comes from  many ancient Christian documents which speak of a above and below.  

The Acts of Peter 

"Concerning this the master says in a mystery, 'If you do not make what is on the right like what is on the left and what is on the left like what is on the right, and what is above like what is below, and what is behind like what is before, you will not recognize the kingdom.'"

Gospel of Philip 

For this reason, the veil was not rent at the top only, since it would have been open only to those above; nor was it rent at the bottom only, since it would have been revealed only to those below. But it was rent from the top to bottom. Those above opened to us the things below, in order that we may go in to the secret of the truth.

The Acts of Philip

139 And Philip, still hanging, spoke to them and told them of his offense 140 And some ran to take him down: but he refused and spoke to them . . . . " Be not grieved that I hang thus, for I bear the form (type) of the first man, who was brought upon earth head downwards, and again by the tree of the cross made alive from the death of his transgression. And now do I fulfil the precept. For the Lord said to me: Unless ye make that which is beneath to be above, and the left to be right (and the right left), ye shall not enter into my kingdom. Be like me in this: for all the world is turned the wrong way, and every soul that is in it."

Odes of Solomon

Ode 34 There is no hard way where there is a simple heart, nor barrier for upright thoughts,

Nor whirlwind in the depth of the enlightened thought.

Where one is surrounded on every side by pleasing country, there is nothing divided in him.

The likeness of that which is below is that which is above.

For everything is from above, and from below there is nothing, but it is believed to be by those in whom there is no understanding.

Grace has been revealed for your salvation. Believe and live and be saved.

Hallelujah.

"From above." This probably implies, as often in Jewish literature, that there is no dualism between "above" and "below." Comp. Ode 34:4 5 there is nothing that is divided, the likeness of what is below: He is the one that is above";

below and above the spiritual and the natural the worlds

likeness  the Syr. might perhaps be better translated "pattern" (instead of "likeness"} as it is in Exod 25:9 "according to all that I shew thee, the pattern of the tabernacle," alluded to in Heb. 8:5 "See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern that was shewed thee in the mount." 

"likeness, pattern, image--"A mental representation of anything not actually present to the senses" (Webster). Everything that is manifested was first a mental picture and was brought into expression by the forming power of the imagination.

pattern--The divine manifestation of Jesus is the divine pattern for all men who are seeking the Christ way of life.

What the poet means is "The pattern (i.e. type, or idea) of everything [that is real] below is above [in the Mount of God]." This makes the next words clear, " For everything [that is real] is above [in the Mount of God, or, in the Mind of God]. What is below [so far as it differs from the pattern above] is nothing: it is [mere seeming] what seems to those in whom know ledge has no existence." 

ODE 34.

1 No way is hard where there is a simple [undemanding/meek] heart [this one is malleable and easily moved wherever the spirit guides him]. 2 Nor is there any wound [affliction in one's conscience] where the thoughts are upright [toward the heavenly things]: 3 Nor is there any storm [turbulence that arises] in the depth [the lower/outward (fleshly) forms] of the illuminated thought [the higher/inward (spiritual) substance]: 4 Where one is surrounded on every side by beauty [this one sees the beauty of God's plan in every work], there is nothing that is divided [to this one the outward becomes the inward in One Spirit, One Truth, One Master, One Way]. 5 The likeness [image] of what is below [the outward (visible) traditions, ordinances, festivals etc. that are conducted in by those of the first birth hoping to gain life by them] is that which is above [they are only a picture of the inward (hidden) struggle that anyone who truly has Christ in them must endure i.e. they eat a physical loaf of bread and drink a physical cup of wine saying they are the body and blood of Christ in ignorance not knowing that the bread (the body of Christ) is now His faithful, obedient followers who not only eat the true hidden manna from heaven but become that bread and that the cup, the blood of His covenant is the persecution and suffering His True Disciples must endure while "in the world"]; for everything is above [all what you see whether in the image or in your spiritual body is of God]: what is below is nothing but the imagination of those that are without knowledge [religion that "do not see what is in front of them"]. 6 Grace has been revealed [by the Word, the Truth] for your salvation. Believe [first step (even the demons do this) so one must also have (true) faith which included obedience] and live [find the resurrection in Christ while still in the earth by learning obedience through suffering (crucify the flesh) and be saved. Hallelujah.

The Gospel of Thomas 

saying 22 Jesus saw some little ones nursing. He said to his disciples, "These little ones who are nursing resemble is those who enter the kingdom." They said to him, "So shall we enter the kingdom by being little ones?" Jesus said to them, "When you (plur.) make the two one and make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside and the above like the below, and that you might make the male and the female be one and the same, so that the male might not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye and a hand in place of a hand and a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image - then you will enter [the kingdom]."

22) ##Jesus saw infants [the Elect] being suckled [by their true spiritual mother]. He said to His disciples, "These infants being suckled are like those who enter the Kingdom." They said to Him, "Shall we then, as children, enter the Kingdom?" Jesus said to them, "When you make the two [the higher/inward (spiritual) substance and the lower/outward (fleshly) form)] one, and when you make the inside [where the Kingdom of God actually is] like the outside [where they allege it to be - you make it this way by your fruit] and the outside like the inside [replacing their image with the Fathers which is spread out over the earth - see v-113], and the above [heavenly] like the below [earthly], and when you make the male [spirit] and the female [soul] one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female [you become One in spirit]; and ##when you fashion eyes [two levels of seeing] in the place of an eye [one level], and a [right] hand [which knows what Jesus is doing (in His Power)] in place of a [left] hand [which doesn't (in your own power], and a [right] foot [which walks in the Way, the Truth and the Life] in place of a [left] foot [which doesn't], and a likeness [image of God] in place of a likeness [image of man]; then will you enter [the Kingdom]."

above and below see John 8:23

'make that which is above like that which is below' (saying 22). Yet the kingdom is not really a place above (saying 3) but a state of consciousness in which the Mind and the Heart are in harmony with the Mind of God.

The Message, intended as a "version of the New Testament in a contemporary idiom",uses the maxim in its translation of the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6:10. (The prayer's phrase is traditionally rendered "on earth, as it is in heaven".)

Matthew 6:7-13 The Message (MSG)

7-13 “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,

Reveal who you are.

Set the world right;

Do what’s best—

as above, so below.

Keep us alive with three square meals.

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.

Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.

You’re in charge!

You can do anything you want!

You’re ablaze in beauty!

Yes. Yes. Yes.

God is Corporeal Spirit John 4:24

John 4:24  "God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (RSV) 

PROBLEM: This verse is quoted to show that God is not tangible.

Most people misunderstand this verse and assume or declare that Spiritual beings are immaterial.

SOLUTION: Jesus is not saying that God is immaterial

Jesus is concerned with redemption and worship that is acceptable not with a description of whether God is tangible or not. cf. v.7 - 23.

It is in the framework of this purpose that men must worship the Father4. Jesus was teaching the woman that in the redemption he had brought, he had living waters5 to offer so that they could worship God "in spirit".

4 "To be spiritually minded is life". (Rom. 8:6).

5 the teaching of the Spirit (i.e. Word of God) (cf. v.14).

The verse does not say that we must have received some divine effluent from God into our hearts before we can worship correctly. The context shows that: 

correct knowledge ("in truth") is one necessity, "salvation is of the Jews". (v. 22). 

attitude of mind ("in spirit" i.e. sincerity, Josh. 24:14) is the other necessity6. 

"Ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." (v. 21). 

6) It was not where the worship occurred (empty tradition or letter) that mattered but the attitude of the worshipper that mattered i.e. a positive response showing love and zeal for the truth. cf. 2 Cor. 3:5, 6.

God is Corporeal

"We should not assume that anything we cannot see or hear or touch is by nature, by its basic character, silent, immaterial or invisible. We cannot see God who is Spirit. We cannot, today, see angels who are spirits. We hear no voice from heaven. Yet we know that some men heard, saw and touched things which are eternal, things which may be described as eternal." 2

Stephen saw the "heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God",3 Acts 7:56 while those around saw nothing. So we cannot argue that God, Jesus and the angels are immaterial because we by our limited senses cannot see or touch them.4

Angels appeared as ordinary men to Abraham ("three men stood by Him", Gen.18:2).

In the future the "inhabitants of Jerusalem ... shall look upon me (Jesus) whom they have pierced". (Zech. 12:10). They will say unto him, "What are these wounds in thine hands?" 

That conception of God which thinks of Him as mere abstract power, intangible, universal, without person or locality is not true. We cannot worship abstract universal power and claim we worship God.

The phrase "God is Spirit" is sometimes offered as evidence that He is immaterial but Jesus (whom we know to be a corporeal being) is called the Lord the Spirit in 2 Cor. 3:17,18. "He is now no longer flesh and blood; but Holy Spirit Nature a flesh and bones embodiment of Spirit."

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20:27).

"And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish,....and he (Jesus) took it, and did eat before them" (Luke 24:43).

Dr. Thomas’ comments as follows: 

"The spiritual body is constituted of flesh and bones energized by the spirit. This appears from the testimony concerning Jesus. On a certain occasion, he unexpectedly stood in the midst of his disciples, at which they were exceedingly alarmed, supposing they beheld a spirit, or ghost, as at a former time. But, that they might be assured that it was really he himself, he invited them to handle him, and examine his hands and feet: "For", said he, "a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have". He gave them further proof by eating a piece of fish and. Thomas placed his hand into his side, and was convinced that he was the same who had been crucified. What stronger proof can we need of this that the spiritual body is corporeal and tangible in nature? It is the animal body purified, not evaporated into gas, or vapour. It is a bloodless body; for in the case of Jesus he had poured out his blood on the cross. The life of the animal body is in the blood: but not so that of the spiritual body: the life of this resides with the Father." (Elpis Israel)

Since Jesus has flesh and bones it seems inconsistent that his Father would not. The writer to the Hebrews says that Christ was "the very image of his substance"

The angels are "ministering spirits" but they were seen by men many times.

Many passages in scripture show that God is corporeal and shares emotions that we do:

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." (Gen. l:26).

"God created man, in the likeness10 of God made he him" (Gen. 5:1, 3).

"He that sitteth in the heaven shall laugh" (Psa. 2:4).

"Hide not thy face . . . incline thine ear unto me" (Psa. 102:2).

"He hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary" (Psa. 102:19).

" ... sat on the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19).

"Man... is the image ... of God" (1 Cor. 11:7).

"Christ, who is the image of God"11 (2 Cor. 4:4).

"Men, which are after the similitude of God" (James 3:9).

Jesus is not saying that God is immaterial nor is he just referring to the nature of God, but is stating that God is acting in a specific manner for the redemption of man, as he once acted in the past. 

We should continually remember that to Israel God was Spirit, an Angel bearing His Name. This statement can be verified by an analysis of Isaiah 48:16, 17, 20.
"The Lord Yahweh, and his Spirit hath sent me. Thus saith Yahweh, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am Yahweh thy God ... which leadeth thee the way that thou shouldest go."

Note that the Spirit is "the Holy One of Israel".

In this Spirit activity of redemption, there was to be corresponding spirit in their worship.

So if God is spirit - and the Bible emphatically declares this truth - it does not mean that he does not have material form! It is consistent to say that God, *in the sense of an individual person* has a body of spirit

The fact that Israel believed God has a human form is quite clear from Gen 1:26 where God makes man in their image (demut), and their likeness (tselem). That this image and likeness refers to *genetic* resemblance is made clear from Gen 5:1,3 where Adam begets a son after his own likeness (tselem) after his image (demut) and called his name Seth.

Notice that "Adam begat a son in his likeness, after his image." If this language is understood, then surely it can be seen that we are created in the image of God even as Jesus was the express image of Him. 

If we are to be one with God even as Jesus is one with the Father (John 17:22) then we must be physically and morally like Jesus was after his glorification. 

2nd Century Understanding 

Also for early Christians like Origen, Heracleon, and Theodotus understood God to be Corporeal:

Heracleon understands this verse to refer to the nature of worship and not the nature of God:

Fragment 24, on John 4:24 (In John 4:24a, it says,) “God is spirit.” Undefiled, pure, and invisible is his divine nature. (In John 4:24b, it says,) “Those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." Worthily of the one who is worshipped, in a spiritual, not a fleshly fashion.....and they worship in truth, not in error, as the Apostle teaches when he calls this kind of piety “ a rational service.” (Romans 12:2) (Heracleon: Fragments from his Commentary on the Gospel of John)

Theodotus understood the spirit world to have shape and body: 

10 But neither the spiritual nor the intellectual things, nor the archangels <and> those created first, nor even he is shapeless and formless and figureless and incorporeal, but he also has his own shape and body proportionate to his superiority over all spiritual things, just as also those created first (have their own shape and body) proportionate to their superiority over the beings beneath them.

For in general what has come to be is not without substance, but unlike the bodies in this world, they have form and body. For male and female here differ from each other, but there the Only-Begotten and uniquely intellectual one has been furnished with his own form and substance that is utterly pure and sovereign, and he has the immediate benefit of the Father’s power. The ones created first, even if in number they are distinct and each is bounded and delineated, in any case the likeness of their deeds demonstrates their unity, equality, and likeness. (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)

14 The demons are said to be incorporeal, not because they have no bodies (for they have even shape and are, therefore, capable of feeling punishment), but they are said to be incorporeal because, in comparison with the spiritual bodies which are saved, they are a shade. And the angels are bodies; at any rate they are seen. Why even the soul is a body, for the Apostle says, “It is sown a body of soul, it is raised a body of spirit.” And how can the souls which are being punished be sensible of it, if they are not bodies? Certainly he says, “Fear him who, after death, is able to cast soul and body into hell.” Now that which is visible is not purged by fire, but is dissolved into dust. But, from the story of Lazarus and Dives, the soul is directly shown by its possession of bodily limbs to be a body. (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)

apocalyptic

apocalyptic

Revelation, Apokalupsis, Apocalypse from apo, away, and kalupto, I cover or conceal. The word is applied to the " manifestation " of the sons of God (Rom. 8 : 19), and to the personal " coming " (1 Cor. 1 : 7), and "appearing" (1 Peter 1 : 7), of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Apocalyptic—from the Greek word apokalupsis meaning * 'revelation'' or "disclosure"—is an adjective 

revelation--An unveiling, a disclosure of Truth, making known that which is hidden. The revelation of Christ to all men is the ultimate revelation.

Divine revelation is much more common than is understood. The Spirit of truth is revealing the hidden wisdom  in the Nag Hammadi texts

” the Greek a·po·ka´ly·psis basically means “unveiling” or “uncovering.” Thus, the last book of the Bible is properly entitled “A Revelation.” Here we find, not a mere fatalistic message of world doom, but an uncovering of divine truths that should build in our hearts a radiant hope and an immovable faith.

Enoch is said to be "apocalyptic" literature......and it is NO such thing. Ignorant people assign the word "apocalyptic" to any writing that seems to portray what they ignorantly misunderstand as "doom and gloom" prophecy. There is nothing in the book of Enoch that is not already related in the books of the Bible. The word "apocalypse" means "REVELATION".....or the uncovering of truth that has been hidden.

 The Gnostic texts discovered in 1945 reveal the TRUTH that God is "Divine Mind". This is why this revelation when "digested" is sweet tasting in the mouth, but bitter in the stomach. It's bitter because it destroys all the carnal minded lies of false religion and people who think they know God, but do not. In other words, their "religion" is proven to be IDOLATRY. This is also why the prophet is told that he must prophesy (teach) again to many people this new revelation of TRUTH that is revealed in the Nag Hammadi texts or the "little book "...... that "God is Spirit" ( MIND / THOUGHT / CONSCIOUSNESS )

Sin is a Female Principle Psalm 7:14

Sin is a Female Principle

The first and most frequent Hebrew word to be translated as 'sin' is the feminine noun chaṭṭâ'âh (H2403). It is rendered: sin(284), punishment(3) & purification(3). As a noun rather than a verb it focuses upon the offense itself or sometimes upon the habitual sinfulness of the individual

The Greek word hamartia is a Feminine Noun meaning missing the mark; hence: (a) guilt, sin, (b) a fault, failure (in an ethical sense), sinful deed.

sin as a principle and power is personified as a king Romans 5:21; a power which reigns in the body Romans 6:12, 14; Romans 7:17, 20; Romans 6:6;

With this understanding of the word sin as a Feminine Noun it will help us to understand why sinful actions are described in terms of childbearing

Psalms: 7:14 Look! There is one that is pregnant with what is hurtful, And he has conceived trouble and is bound to give birth to falsehood.. The psalmist metaphorically pictures the typical sinner as a pregnant woman, who is ready to give birth to wicked, destructive schemes and actions.

James: 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

SIN... GIVES BIRTH TO DEATH: 1Co 5:54-56; Rom 5:12; 1Jo 2:16,17.

WOMAN a female adult. However, the word woman is sometimes used in the Bible to refer to a weak and helpless man (Is.:3:12; 19:16).

The language of child-bearing in connection with lust and sin is echoed by James (Jam 1:13-15). So wicked men bring forth "children" (that is sin) after their own "likeness" (Gal 5:19-21; Rom 1:29-31; 1Co 6:9,10), and are thus known by their "fruits" (Mat 7:16,20). The melancholy litany of birth, procreation, and death in Gen 5 ("and then he died") is the result of Adam's "likeness" being distorted, in his descendants, into the likeness of the serpent.

Mic 7:5  Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. Here the woman in thy bosom represents the soul the desire of the heart cp. Pr 13:2 23:1-3  Isa 56:11,12 Hab 2:5 Gen 34:3 Ps 27:12 35:25 41:2

Job 15:35 They conceive mischief and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit. The wicked's iniquity is as his children: he nourishes them, and at last they turn on him.

Isa 59:4 None calleth for justice nor any pleadeth for truth : they trust in vanity , and speak lies; they conceive mischief , and bring forth iniquity.

Isa 59:5 They hatch cockatrice eggs , and weave the spider’s web : he that eateth of their eggs dieth , and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
Here is all the quiet evil of the serpent, as in Eden. It is even possible that the worship of the brazen serpent, stamped out by Hezekiah, had secretly come into being again.

Now, the first clue to the "serpent's" identity is in this first line. God MADE the serpent more intelligent than any other animal on the earth. This is the mind of the natural man- very crafty indeed! This "serpent" began to coax Eve away from God and the Tree of Life. Eve represents the SOUL of man and Adam represents the spirit (mind) of man. God had made everything PERFECT, but the mind of man did not believe this and more importantly did not KNOW this. The mind of man turned away from God, His Life and PERFECTION. Eve (the mind, or soul of man) turned to knowledge for the answers. So instead of accepting that ALL is PERFECT, man chose to KNOW. This was purposed by God. Man must go through darkness and death to KNOW Light and Life! So, the "serpent" is that crafty mind of man that led our spirit into a spiritual death. The carnal mind is concerned with things of THIS world, not of heaven.

Note: The Garden,  represents the dominant power of the soul, and the Serpent represents Pleasure, and is eminently fitted to do so. His use of a human voice is considered. The praise of the "snake-fighter" in Lev. xi. 22 is referred to. Stress is laid on the fact that Pleasure assails the man through the woman. The effects of the Fall on the woman and on the man are traced.

The Soul

The word sin is related to the soul

The soul is a feminine name in Hebrew, Greek, Coptic.

James 3:15: this wisdom is not one from above coming down, but is earthly born of the soul demoniacal” (Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible) 

therefore it is within our souls that we give birth to desire, sin, and death.

Philo: Now the female offspring of the soul are wickedness and passion, by which we are made effeminate in every one of our pursuits; but a healthy state of the passions and virtue is male, by which we are excited and invigorated.

Ezekiel: 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it itself shall die. Therefore, it is within our souls (bodies, or our whole being) we have a female principle within us that give birth to desire, sin, and death

Compare this with the Secret book of James:
For he knows the desire, and also what it is that the flesh needs! - (Or do you think) that it is not this (flesh) that desires the soul? For without the soul, the body does not sin, just as the soul is not saved without the spirit. But if the soul is saved (when it is) without evil, and the spirit is also saved, then the body becomes free from sin. For it is the spirit that raises the soul, but the body that kills it; that is, it is it (the soul) which kills itself.

Male and Female

 Male and female must be regarded, first of all, as principles, and secondly as the genders of certain human beings.

The male and female principles are opposed to each other.

the male principle provides ‘spirit’ and ‘form’ (which are imperishable and incorruptible) while the female principle provides ‘body’ and ‘matter’ (which are perishable and corruptible).


In many Gnostic text, the mind (nous) is regarded as male: “he is a disciple of his mind, which is male.” (Testimony of Truth)
- Meanwhile, the soul (psyche) is regarded as female.
- When the soul was in the Upper Aeons, it was ‘virgin and androgynous’: “As long as she was alone with the father, she was virgin and in form androgynous” (Exegesis on the Soul)

The ‘female’ principle includes desire: - “After I parted from the somatic darkness in me and the psychic chaos in mind and the feminine desire [...] in the darkness, I did not use it again.” (Zostrianos)

- The ‘female’ principle includes the passions, which bring division instead of unity: “And do not become female, lest you give birth to evil and (its) brothers: jealousy and division, anger and wrath, fear and a divided heart, and empty, non-existent desire.” (Second Treatise of the Great Seth)

- Hence, salvaltion requires that we reject the female principle, and ‘choose maleness’: “Flee from the madness and the bondage of femaleness, and choose for yourselves the salvation of maleness.” (Zostrianos 131:5 )

The Teachings of Silvanus: Live according to the Mind. Do not think about things pertaining to the flesh. Acquire strength, for the mind is strong. If you fall from this other, you have become male-female. And if you cast out of yourself the substance of the mind, which is thought, you have cut off the male part, and turned yourself to the female part alone. You have become psychic, since you have received the substance of the formed. If you cast out the smallest part of this, so that you do not acquire again a human part - but you have accepted for yourself the animal thought and likeness - you have become fleshly, since you have taken on animal nature. For (if) it is difficult to find a psychical man, how much more so to find the Lord?

In the Gospel of Thomas and Revelation 14 salvation is spoken of a masculinity

Rev 14:1-4
1 ¶  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

In Rev 14:4, it speaks of the salvation of males that is man and women who have become males in Christ Jesus 

“Not defiled with women." Not associated with "the mother of harlots" (17:5) and her daughters - the apostate churches of Christendom from Rome downwards. Many of the redeemed are themselves women, which necessitates the symbolic interpretation.

VERSE 4

"These are they which were not defiled with women"—They were not guilty of spiritual adultery with the false women of the Apostasy (see James 4:4; Rev. 2:20; 17:5). 

"For they are virgins"—They are faithful to Christ. See 2 Cor. 11:2. "These are they which follow the Lamb"—Christ as the Lamb offered in complete dedication to God. is their example, inspiration and shepherd. They see him as the Lamb: quiet, submissive, offering himself in sacrifice to God; but also powerful to conquer the world. Cp. 1 Pet. 2:21-25.

"Withersoever he goeth"—Even unto the crucifixion of self. See Gal. 5:24.

"These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb"—See James 1:18. The privileges of the firstborn become theirs — a double portion of inheritance, the priesthood, and authority. These are obtained in Christ. "Firstfruits" imply a further harvest, for which see Rev. 20:16. 12-15.

Gospel of Thomas

The Gospel of Thomas ends with an admonition by Jesus that women must “become male” in order to find salvation! Needless to say: this would not fit in with Brown’s tale of seekers after a feminine divine!

114) Simon Peter said to Him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

Jesus is not suggesting a sex-change operation, but is using 'male' and 'female' metaphorically to refer to the higher and lower aspects of human nature. Mary is thus to undergo a spiritual transformation from her earthly, material, passionate nature (which the Gnostics corresponds with the female) to a heavenly, spiritual, intellectual nature (which the Gnostics corresponds with the male).

The Modern Gnostic Priesthood

The Modern Gnostic Priesthood

The following is written by Tomas Kindahl

It’s either paleo-Gnostic (old Gnostic) Mandaeans tarmidas, like these:

or it is neo-Gnostics (new Gnostics), for example like these guys (Ecclesia Gnostica):

The only surviving paleo-Gnostics are the Mandaeans, they branched from Judaism probably before Jesus. They refer John the Baptist — not Jesus.

The neo-Gnostics are (almost always) Christians that has added some beliefs from what’s considered Valentinian scriptures in the Nag Hammadi library. Among them are a lot of annoying New-Age self-elected prophets. There are many branches among the neo-Gnostics.

There are a lot of pseudo-Gnostics (fake Gnostics) too: the common trait being that they don’t care about the Mandean Scriptures nor the Nag Hammadi scriptures, but instead refer to some self-elected prophet, either Aleister Crowley, or Gurdjieff, or Victor Gomez-Rodrigues (calling himself Samael Aun Weor). They’re not in any way useful.

To be “gnostic” means that you claim to have “secret knowledge;” in other words, knowledge revealed only to you which you are meant to reveal to the world in your own time and your own way.

This is a direct contradiction of ancient Christian belief which says that public revelation - that is, new knowledge revealed by God for all people - ended with the death of the last Apostle, the last person given authority directly by Christ.

Thus, a “gnostic priest” is not a “mystic,” which is a person who studies and lives the depth of the public revelation given to the Church (both in Sacred Tradition and in Scripture), but is simply a person who claims to have knowledge from God that no one else has

These people should be avoided, for the sake of your soul.

Been to that church several times. They consider themselves to be Gnostic-Catholics, which, to be sure, is a contradiction. They borrow a lot from orthodox Christian liturgies (both Roman or Protestant) and remold them to better fit the Gnostic heresy. 

Of course, it’s all anachronistic confusion. 

Ancient gnostics had their own liturgical practices and elaborate rituals. And, of course they were basically corruptions of the Christian liturgies of that time. 

Gnosticism is not Christianity though, no more than Islam is Christianity.

and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled Saul. 1Sa 16:14

 1Sa 16:14  But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

Saul’s failure to obey Yahweh caused a bad predisposition of mind and heart, against which God’s spirit offered Saul no protection

What does this tell us one Yahweh is in control of the evil spirit not Satan the demon. Second the spirit of Yahweh is his holy spirit. The evil spirit does God’s will not Satan’s will. The Hebrew word translated “evil” may refer to the character of the spirit or to its effect upon Saul. If the latter, another translation option might be “an injurious spirit”; cf. NLT “a tormenting spirit.” 

Thus the holy spirit or spirit of Yahweh is supernatural the evil spirit is not, it is a feeling of ill will between two parties as the above usage show us and the spirit of Yahweh is always used thought-out the Hebrew Bible as the holy spirit 

AN EVIL SPIRIT FROM THE LORD TORMENTED HIM: "No man needs a heavier chastisement from God than the letting loose of his own passions upon him." God gives men over to their own sins and lusts (Rom 1:28; 2Th 2:11).

1Sa 16:15  And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

They believe that this is an affliction sent by God. Where is satan in all this?

1Sa 16:16  Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

They recommend that they find a skilled musician, insisting that when the musician plays, Saul will be well. They make no suggestion that anything supernatural is occurring.

Now do you recommend that the best response to an attack by one of satan's minions is to play some music, in order to send it away? If not - why not?

1Sa 16:23  And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

Whenever David plays, Saul is 'refreshed and well', and the 'evil spirit' goes away. There is no suggestion that anything supernatural is occurring. We are told very bluntly that music causes evil spirits to leave, though we know that this 'evil spirit' returned to Saul at times.

1Sa 18:10  And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand.

Does the text say that the supernatural minion of satan, or a troubled spirit sent by God as an affliction? The evidence, I believe, points to the latter. This interpretation is also verifiable. Show me someone 'possessed' with an evil spirit, and let's have some good music and see what happens. 

1Sa 19:9  And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.

The real problem for people who believe that these 'evil spirits' referred to in these two places of the Old Testament are supernatural beings, is that they cannot escape the fact that Scripture insists that supernatural means are not required to send them away. Just some good music is all that is necessary.

And the reason why these passages remain such a stumblingblock to thise who believe that they refer to supernatural beings, is that these 'evil spirits' are described in the Scriptural record as:

1) Being sent by God to do His will, not as the minions of satan.

2) Behaving in a manner identical to psychological distress.

The fact that these 'evil spirits' are sent away by taking steps which people naturally use to soothe their troubled feelings, is very telling. 

So What was that 'evil spirit' sent by God to Saul?

I believe it was a psychological affliction. Let's see what an earlier 'evil spirit' sent by God is:

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Judges 9:

22When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 

23Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

1) If these 'evil spirits' are supernatural beings who are the buddies of satan and do his evil will, then why does God always send them?

2) How do you send an supernatural evil being 'between' two groups of people? Do they have to share?

3) What do other translations say?

TLB:

22-23Three years later God stirred up trouble between King Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, and they revolted.

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NAB:

22 When Abimelech had ruled Israel for three years,

23 God put bad feelings between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who rebelled against Abimelech.

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NKJV:

22 After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years, 

23 God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,

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NLT:

22 After Abimelech had ruled over Israel for three years, 

23 God stirred up trouble between Abimelech and the people of Shechem, and they revolted.

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CEV:

22 Abimelech had been a military commander of Israel for three years, 

23-24 when God decided to punish him and the leaders of Shechem for killing Gideon’s seventy sons.

So God turned the leaders of Shechem against Abimelech.

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TEV:

22 Abimelech ruled Israel for three years. 

23Then God made Abimelech and the men of Shechem hostile to each other, and they rebelled against him.

Jud 9:23  Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

That is God let develop a bad attitude between Abimelech and the landowners of Shechem

It was after this and after the anointing of David as Israel’s future king that Jehovah’s spirit left Saul. From then on “a bad spirit from Jehovah terrorized him.” Having withdrawn his spirit from Saul, Jehovah made it possible for a bad spirit to gain possession of him, depriving Saul of his peace of mind and stirring up his feelings, thoughts, and imaginations in a wrong way. Saul’s failure to obey Jehovah indicated a bad inclination of mind and heart, against which God’s spirit offered Saul no protection or resistive force. However, since Jehovah had permitted the “bad spirit” to replace his spirit and terrorize Saul, it could be termed a “bad spirit from Jehovah,” so that Saul’s servants spoke of it as “God’s bad spirit.” On the recommendation of one of his attendants, Saul requested that David be his court musician to calm him when he was troubled by the “bad spirit.”—1Sa 16:14-23; 17:15.

) How does Saul’s example show that when Jehovah removes his holy spirit from a person, the vacancy can be filled by a bad spirit, or an inward urge to do wrong? (1 Sam. 16:14; Matt. 12:43-45; Gal. 5:16)

• What does the scripture at 1 Samuel 18:10 mean when it says that “God’s bad spirit became operative upon Saul, so that he behaved like a prophet within the house”?

 It is not that Jehovah actually sent an evil spirit to terrorize Saul, but by removing his holy spirit from the disobedient king a vacancy was left, a vacancy that was promptly filled by a bad spirit or mental inclination. Since Jehovah made the evilly inclined possession possible by the removal of his holy spirit, Jehovah is referred to as the source of the evil spirit.

Just how this bad spirit impelled Saul to act or behave like a prophet is not precisely stated in the account. However, it is quite likely that he “was filled with prophetic frenzy,” as one translation renders the words (AT). Others render the words “behaved like a prophet” simply as “raved,” and concerning this the Soncino version states: “he-raved. lit. ‘played the prophet,’ displaying the manifestations of physical excitement which were associated with the ecstatic frenzies of the prophetic bands.” It is quite likely that in this particular instance, since music was being played and since some prophets prophesied when music was being played, the frenzy was badly directed, which it would not have been if Saul had been under the influence of a good spirit from Jehovah. (2 Ki. 3:14, 15; 1 Sam. 10:5-13) This is what we could expect in view of what the record goes on to say: “He behaved like a prophet within the house, while David was playing music with his hand, as in former days; and the spear was in Saul’s hand. And Saul proceeded to hurl the spear and say: ‘I will pin David even to the wall!’” Certainly such an action evinced a greatly disturbed state of mind.—1 Sam. 18:10, 11.

lying spirit from God 1 Kings 22

19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ 22 The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 23 Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”




While it is not in God's nature to lie, it apparently is a separate matter entirely to ask whether God can and will send people a strong delusion (through whatever means He chooses) so that they would believe a lie. Some might question the moral overtones of such actions, but the Bible doesn't. An important principle to understand and believe about God is that by the very nature of who He is, He is not bound by the same laws that He has given to man. We are commanded to not kill, and it is a sin of the highest order if we do so. But God can and does take life when He so chooses. One other point to keep in mind when thinking about God's actions of this sort: the people - as in this case and as stated in 2 Thes. 2 - whom God negatively influences are those who have already chosen - against all reason - to head down a wrong and sinful path. God wouldn't send strong delusion to people who are bent on loving and serving Him.

1Ki 22:22-23 - the prophets of Ahab were ‘lying in the spirit’: ‘the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets’. Comparison Mic 2:11 - identified false prophets as those who ‘walk in the spirit and lie’




"God is a God of truth and there is no unrighteousness in Him" (verse 4);




But when circumstances call for it, He may, as a man without unrighteousness deceives a wild beast, to its capture and destruction, "send strong delusion" upon the perverse, "that they may believe a lie" (2 Thess. 2:11). On this principle we read,




"If the prophet (that is, the idolatrous prophet: see context) be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I, the Lord, have deceived the prophet" (Ezekiel 14:9).




And again in the parable uttered before Ahab by Micaiah, the prophet of Yahweh:




"There came forth a spirit and stood before the Lord and said, I will persuade him (Ahab, to go up to battle). And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, . . . Go forth and do so. Now, therefore, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets" (1 Kings 22:21-23).




Applying this principle to the case in hand, we may understand that God stirred up Rebekah to deceive Isaac, that Isaac might be defeated in the wrong use of the divine gift of blessing which rested upon him.




The difficulty in understanding such instances, arises principally from our preconceived notions on the subject of "morality." Human speculation, alias philosophy falsely so-called, has evolved the assumption that "morality" (as men speak) is a fixed element in the constitution of things; and to this "morality," they have imagined God is as much subject as His creatures. The fact is-as the Scriptures reveal and nature accurately studied attests-that there is no such thing as fixed morality at all. The question of right and wrong is determinable in all things by the appointment of the eternal Creator. It is a simple question of what He has commanded. With Him is sovereign and irresponsible authority.




"None may say unto Him, What doest Thou?"






He may command a man to kill, and it is then sin not to kill, as in the case of Saul with the Amalekites; and righteousness to kill, as in the case of Samuel with Agag, on the same occasion; while when He chooses to command, "Thou shalt not kill," he that even hates his brother becomes a murderer. This simple principle relieves the subject of the world of difficulty that human philosophy has created. It explains, too, how it is that the belief of the gospel is righteousness, and enables us to realise how unutterably out of the right way is the present generation, with all their educated contempt for the promises and the commandments of God.




1 Kings 22:19-23 gives perhaps the most detailed picture of the Heavenly council. God told them His desire- for Ahab to die at Ramoth-Gilead. He then asked which Angel wanted to effect this- "Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead? And one (Angel) said on this manner, and another said on that manner". We thus learn that like us, on hearing God's desire the elohim all have different ways of trying to fulfil it.

One "Spirit" (Angel) suggested that He would put a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets, and this was the suggestion chosen and enabled by God. This shows that the Angels do not all automatically know the best way of bringing about God's purpose, and therefore they need to seek His advice and perhaps discuss things amongst themselves first before acting. Note that "all the host of Heaven" were there around the throne of God participating in this decision. And so all the Angels are involved in the decisions God and the Angels make about us. Lk. 15:6 implies the same. The division of the Angels into groups on His right and left is interesting. Why would it be mentioned, if it were insignificant? All the Angels are of God's nature and obedient to Him, there are no sinful Angels. But there are Angels of evil, Angels specifically tasked with bringing evil (see on Ps. 78:49). We think of the Angel called "the destroyer" at Passover time, who was restrained by the Passover Angel from destroying the Israelite firstborn. And so one wonders whether "the destroyer" was one of those on the left hand side, and the Passover Angel one of those on the right hand.

1 Kings 22:21 A spirit God makes His Angels "spirits" (Ps. 104:4), and Angels are in view here. But the word 'spirit' has a wide range of meaning. It can refer to power, but also to the thought which is then expressed through the power of action. The Angel is here called a "spirit" because the idea was to place a thought in the mind or spirit of the false prophets, and thereby Ahab. Came outThis is the same word as in :22 "I will go out". The Angel was as it were demonstrating how he intended acting. And stood before YahwehIt was the true prophets who stood before Yahweh (1 Kings 17:1). The connection is to show that the true prophets were represented by the Angels in the court of heaven, and this Angel was as it were on their side. And said, ‘I will entice him’- Ahab had been persuaded or enticed to do evil by Jezebel, and had enticed or persuaded Jehoshaphat to go to battle. But this was because he had himself been persuaded or enticed by God. 1 Kings 22:22 Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ He said, ‘I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets’. He said, ‘You will entice him, and will also prevailGod deceived prophets to speak things in His Name which were actually false (1 Kings 22:20-22; Ez. 14:9). He chose Israel's delusions by making their idols answer them (Is. 66:3,4). Jeremiah feared God had deceived him (Jer. 20:7)- showing he knew such a thing was possible. Dt. 13:1-3 warns Israel not to believe prophets whose prophecies came true although they taught false doctrines, because they may have been raised up to test their obedience. God deceived Israel by telling them about the peace which would come on Jerusalem in the future Kingdom; they didn't consider the other prophecies which were given at the same time concerning their imminent judgment, and therefore they thought that God was pleased with them and was about to establish the Messianic Kingdom; when actually the very opposite was about to happen (Jer. 4:10). This is why the Bible is confusing to those who aren’t humble to God’s word. Go out and do so’- This describes the Angels being sent out from the court of Heaven to do God’s word. So when we read of God sending lions (2 Kings 17:25,26), sending wild beasts and famine (Lev. 26:22; Ez. 5:17; Dt. 32:24), sending locusts (Joel 2:25), it would seem that Angels are sent forth from God’s throne in order to command animals to obey God’s word. And moreover, He sends an evil spirit between men (Jud. 9:23) and stubborn hearts are also sent from God (Ps. 81:13). The same Angels who are sent to control the animals can also therefore work to give men certain attitudes of mind. 1 Kings 22:23 Now therefore, behold, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and Yahweh has spoken evil concerning youThis was exactly what Micaiah had said before about Ahab, and Ahab intuitively knew that this was coming.

Elisha, bones relic-worshiping 2Ki 13:20, 21

 Through God’s spirit upon Elisha, he had performed 15 miracles up to this point. But even after his death he is used by Jehovah for a 16th miracle. Elisha had been faithful till death, approved by God. The record relates that after Elisha’s burial another man was being buried when a marauding band of Moabites caused the burial party to throw the man into Elisha’s burial place and flee. Upon touching Elisha’s bones, the dead man came to life and stood upon his feet.—2Ki 13:20, 21.

A miracle performed in connection with Elisha (posthumously) was the immediate raising to life of a man whose dead body was thrown into Elisha’s burial place and touched his bones. This was proof that it was God’s power, not Elisha’s, that performed the miracles Elisha had accomplished, and it was a powerful attestation or a seal of God as to the genuineness of his faithful prophet.—2Ki 13:20, 21.

Certain advocates of the veneration of relics cite 2 Kings 13:21, which says: “It came about that as they were burying a man, why, here they saw the marauding band. At once they threw the man into [the prophet] Elisha’s burial place and went off. When the man touched the bones of Elisha, he immediately came to life and stood upon his feet.” This was a miracle involving the lifeless bones of one of God’s prophets. But Elisha was dead and “conscious of nothing at all” at the time of the miracle. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10) Hence, this resurrection must be attributed to the miracle-working power of Jehovah God, who effected it by means of his holy spirit, or active force. It is also noteworthy that the Scriptures do not say that Elisha’s bones were ever venerated.

The account at 2 Kings 13:21 tells how a dead man came to life after coming in contact with the bones of the prophet Elisha, but there is no record that Elisha’s bones were worshiped either before or after that miracle. It was God that performed that miracle, not the bones; so it was proper that all veneration, worship, glory, honor and praise be given to God and not to the lifeless bones.

Some in Christendom advocate devotion to relics because of what is said at Acts 19:11, 12, where we read: “God kept performing extraordinary works of power through the hands of [the apostle] Paul, so that even cloths and aprons were borne from his body to the ailing people, and the diseases left them, and the wicked spirits came out.” Please note that it was God who performed those extraordinary works through Paul. The apostle himself did not perform such works independently, and he never accepted veneration from any human.—Acts 14:8-18.

It is not a matter of having bravery or pluck to defend a theological dogma, right or wrong. Instead of hardihood, who has the honesty to examine God’s sacred and infallible Word of truth on the matter? Those who have will find that the Scriptures do not support the relic-worshiping practice at all. In the particular cases mentioned in Acts 5:15 and Acts 19:12 there is no question that God performed great miracles by the hands of Peter and Paul. Nevertheless, those men did not allow other creatures to bow down to, worship or venerate them as long as they were alive. Why, then, would anyone want to worship their bones after they are dead? (Acts 10:25, 26)