The Only True Adam of Genesis 1:26-27 & 2:7, Part #2
As I stated in part one of this thesis, it’s simply amazing how within the Israel Identity movement there exists a conglomeration of confused dogmas seemingly without an end. It appears like everyone wants to start his own personal pretzel factory! Whoever dreamed up the 6th & 8th day creation theory should win a blue-ribbon at some kind of prevarication fraternity, for it simply is not true. For those not familiar with the 6th & 8th day creation theory, its proponents claim that the non-white races were created on the 6th day and that the White Adam-kind was “formed” on the 8th day. Yet, search the entire Bible and nowhere does it speak of an 8th day creation! As a matter of fact, Scripture points out in no uncertain terms that the creation ended at the end of the 6th day! We will begin this paper at the point we started to consider the importance of the “image” at Genesis 1:26-27.
THE ALL IMPORTANT IMAGE
It is a very serious assertion by the proponents of the 6th and 8th day creation theory to claim that the non-white races were created on the 6th day at Genesis 1:26-27! It is serious because according to 1 Cor. 11:7-9, 2 Cor. 4:4 and Col. 1:13-15 Yahshua is in the image of God! Are we to believe that the non-white races are in that image? Does that make our Redeemer also non-white? How absurd the thought!
1 Cor. 11:7-9: “7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. 9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.”
2 Cor. 4:4: “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Col. 1:13-15: “13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.”
The term “man” at 1 Cor. 11:7 can only be speaking of Adam-man, which would be the same “image” as Yahshua born of Mary. Surely, 1 Cor. 11:8-9 is not speaking of the non-white races! Then, 2 Cor. 4:4 enforces the same idea as 1 Cor. 11:7. Ditto for Col. 1:15! Where do the 6th & 8th day creation advocates come up with all of those preposterous ideas?
W. E. Vine, in his An Expository of New Testament Words comments partly on pages 264-265 as follows: “IMAGE 1. eikon (1504) denotes ‘an image’ ... of the descendants of Adam as bearing his image, 1 Cor. 15:49 ... (a) of man as he was created as being a visible representation of God, 1 Cor. 11:7 ... (d) of Christ in relation to God, 2 Cor. 4:4, ‘the image of God,’ i.e., essentially and absolutely the perfect expression and representation of the Archetype, God the Father; in Col. 1:15, ‘the image of the invisible God’ ...”
From the Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon we have the following description of the Greek word “image”: “1504 εἰκών [eikon/i·kone/] n f. From 1503; Theological Dictionary of the New Testament 2:381; Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Abridged 203; Goodrick-Kohlenberger 1635; 23 occurrences; AV translates as ‘image’ 23 times. 1 an image, figure, likeness. 1a an image of the things (the heavenly things). 1a1 used of the moral likeness of renewed men to God. 1a2 the image of the Son of God, into which true Christians are transformed, is likeness not only to the heavenly body, but also to the most holy and blessed state of mind, which Christ possesses. 1b the image of one. 1b1 one in whom the likeness of any one is seen. 1b2 applied to man on account of his power of command. 1b3 to Christ on account of his divine nature and absolute moral excellence.” The non-white races hardly fit this portrayal!
The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, page 768, says in part: “Man was made in God’s image (selem) and likeness (dĕmût) which is then explained as his having dominion over God’s creation as vice-regent. Ps 8:5–8 ... is similar citing man’s God-given glory, honor and rule. God’s image obviously does not consist in man’s body which was formed from earthly matter, but in his spiritual, intellectual, moral likeness to God from whom his animating breath came ... But it was seen in perfection in Christ and will be made perfect in us when salvation is complete (Heb 2:6–15).” Note: We must correct the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament here inasmuch as Yahshua did in fact take on Adam’s fleshly “body which was formed from earthly matter” when He was born of Mary!
Hebrews 2:6-11 identifies the true and only Adam of Genesis 1:26-27 & 2:7 thusly: “6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? 7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9 But we see Yahshua, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of Yahweh should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
Not only was Adam in Yahweh Elohim’s image, but it states at Genesis 5:3 & 9:6 that Adam’s offspring are in that same image thusly:
Genesis 5:3: “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years [LXX has 230], and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.”
Genesis 9:6: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” (And in each instance, man in this verse is Strong’s #120.)
A better than usual explanation is found in the Ante-Nicene Fathers: volume 1, chapter 16:2 on this topic: “2. And then, again, this Word was manifested when the Word of God was made man, assimilating Himself to man, and man to Himself, so that by means of his resemblance to the Son, man might become precious to the Father. For in times long past, it was said that man was created after the image of God, but it was not [actually] shown; for the Word was as yet invisible, after whose image man was created, Wherefore also he did easily lose the similitude. When, however, the Word of God became flesh, He confirmed both these: for He both showed forth the image truly, since He became Himself what was His image; and He re-established the similitude after a sure manner, by assimilating man to the invisible Father through means of the visible Word.”
Another excellent passage from the Ante-Nicene Fathers is found at volume 1, chapter II. – “The True Doctrine Respecting God and Christ”: “For Moses, the faithful servant of God, when he said, ‘The Lord thy God is one Lord,’ and thus proclaimed that there was only one God, did yet forthwith confess also our Lord when he said, ‘The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah fire and brimstone from the Lord.’ And again, ‘And God said, Let Us make man after our image: and so God made man, after the image of God made He him.’ And further ‘In the image of God made He man.’ And that [the Son of God] was to be made man, [Moses shows when] he says, ‘A prophet shall the Lord raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me.’”
This not only shows that, unlike today’s 6th & 8th day creationists, the Ante-Nicene Fathers understood that the “man” created at Genesis 1:26-27 was the same man (Adam) at Genesis 2:7, but also fathomed the seriousness of the subject of the “image of God.” By citing ‘A prophet shall Yahweh raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me.’, they were referring to Deut. 18:15, Acts 3:22 & 7:37:
Deut. 18:15: “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.”
Acts 3:22: “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.”
Acts 7:37: “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.”
While these passages don’t say “in the image of Yahweh Elohim”, it is highly implied in the phrase “like unto me.” The “prophet” spoken of here is no other than our Messiah. If, then, the Messiah was in the image of Yahweh, then too are the “brethren.” The theory that the non-white races are in the “image of God”, which the 6th & 8th day creationists promote, is pure tommyrot, and I’ve heard all their convoluted arguments and I don’t buy a single word of it!
While Joshua partially fulfilled the office of prophet for Israel concurring to a degree with Deut. 18:15, it was fully implemented in Yahshua our Messiah, Matt. 21:11, 46, Mark 6:4, Luke 7:16, John 4:19, 7:40. The Messiah alone was like unto Moses the prophet, Deut. 34:10. Thus Christ (the anointed) was the prophet spoken of here who was “like unto me” (Moses). Thus the prediction, then, which was fulfilled 1,500 years after it was uttered is expressly applied by Peter (Acts 3:22-23) and Stephen (Acts 7:37) in Yahshua the Christ as fully answering the description given of Him, and part of that depiction says “like unto me.” Who is it, then, that has the authority to remove the “image” of Genesis 1:26-27 from the first and second Adam (Christ) and apply that image to the non-white races? Wittingly or unwittingly, it’s blatant blasphemy!
It would be well to read the four verses following Deut. 18:15: “16 According to all that thou desiredst of Yahweh thy Elohim in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Yahweh my Elohim, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17 And Yahweh said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
It was necessary, therefore, that the one who was to sustain the character of a prophet like unto Moses should be inspired, and receive an unmistakable commission to that office. Yahshua the Christ laid claim both to the inspiration and a divine legation (Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18-19, John 8:28, 12:49, 14:24). To divest Messiah of the “image” at Genesis 1:26-27 is to rob Him of His commission, for the phrase still says, “like unto me”, meaning the Adamic Moses.
Hebrews 1:1-3 says: “1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Returning to Deuteronomy chapter 18, one verse further we read: “20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.”
THE CHROMOSOME IMAGE
In every respect, our Yahshua the Messiah was a perfect but ordinary man. Being such, every cell in his body was made up of 46 chromosomes as with any healthy person. In the conception process, each parent contributes 23 chromosomes in matching pairs. Therefore, it was only possible for Mary, the mother of Yahshua, to supply half of the chromosomes necessary for a normal child. The other 23 chromosomes of necessity came from Yahweh Himself; however, not by sexual intercourse, as other men were after Adam. To be perfect genetically, Yahshua’s DNA would have to be flawless in His pedigree as Noah’s was and all the patriarchs’ were.
Once the chromosome factor is considered we can begin to understand why the “image” at Genesis 1:26-27 is so very important and must be applied properly. And without a fleshly image, our Redeemer becomes no redeemer at all! Also, without the chromosomes of Mary He could not claim to be our “kinsman” Redeemer! I’ve heard grown men who claim to be teachers in Israel Identity declare that the genetics of the children come only from the father! I would have you know, while you need to check this out for yourself, the female contributes equally as much to the genetic makeup of a child as the male! Sadly, today, the chromosomes of conception are being joined in unmatched pairs, violating the Biblical law of kind after kind, and the Seventh Commandment!
