Years ago I read psalm 8:5 “ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings...” ESV
But I hit a snare when I read the footnote, which read “Or than God; Septuagint than the angels”
This launched me on a years-long study that ultimately wrecked my theology and everything I thought I knew about the nature of God.
To answer the question: yes, Elohim is plural and it does refer to Gods (plural). Not only that, but as Michael S. Heiser points out, Elohim is a term that refers to entities dwelling in the spiritual realm. In scripture, angels are referred to as Elohim, the sons of God are referred to as Elohim, Jehovah is referred to as Elohim, and even Samuel the prophet - when he was contacted by the witch of Endor - is referred to as Elohim. Christians and scholars alike have performed all sorts of mental gymnastics in order to explain this in terms that will not contradict the doctrine of the Trinity, but in the end scripture speaks for itself. As Michael Heiser says, he’s done protecting people from their bibles. And lest you think I’m a proselyte of Heiser, he was just one brick in the wall concerning my search for the truth (albeit an influential one).
Let scripture speak for itself. As Chuck Missler once said (and I paraphrase): the only barrier to discovering the truth is the assumption that you already have it.
Scripture - and Christ himself - says “It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— “
If you want to know the truth, then you must be willing to sacrifice your sacred cows at the altar of truth. It may wreck your theology and world view - it did mine. In fact I had a “dark night of the soul” where my faith was hewn to a stump. But from that stump ultimately grew a faith that is unshakeable.
May God bless each one of you in your journey to discover the truth. And as all of you will ultimately discover, that journey leads to Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him, amen.
Amen :)
Michael Heiser — Defining “Sons of God” | Genesis 6 , Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 82
Never heard that one before, thank you! Good stuff...
The Elohim are the Archons of Gnostism. The first part of the Old Testament was not written by monotheists, nor by Jews. It comes from Babylon. The Jews themselves were not monotheists until long after the Old Testament books were written. The Jew god tells his followers, who are bound by a black pact with him, to 'have no other gods before me.' If he were the only god, what would he be talking about? He's not saying "I am the only god," he's saying "I am the only god you who are bound to me by pact are allowed to worship."
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