Who Is God?

Can we really know God?  This has been one of the most frequently-asked questions, at least by those who believe in God, since the inception of humankind.  I am certain that the answer to this question is, emphatically, YES!  It is possible for those who have faith in the existence of God to be able to experience the greatest relationship in the universe, on an ongoing basis.

Not only did God create the entire universe and everything in it (see The Creation), but He did it, I believe, primarily for one purpose: to communicate and commune, on a personal, intimate level, with those people who would choose to communicate and commune with Him.  Eventually, He will take them to be with Him in the incomprehensibly wonderful realm of the brand new, perfect universe, which He will create after this present one has passed away (Revelation 21:1a; Psalm 102:25-28—see old and new Creations).

Thus, if God indeed has created  all that we see and know, and ultimately will create again all that there ever will be, it is important for us, as humans—the greatest examples of His handiwork—to know that He exists and, beyond that, to know as much about Him as possible.  For instance, is the main “god” of every religion the same God?  I believe not, although I realize that much of the world would disagree.

The God who has created (and once again will create) everything that there is (or ever will be) is One God with multiple, and I suspect infinite, “facets.”  At least three of these facets have been made known to mankind.  I believe that there are innumerable “sides” or “aspects” of God of which we know nothing about.  Our finite minds simply cannot grasp or comprehend His infinite nature.

Within the Triune composition of God, about which we know, each of the “components” is intimately associated and connected with the other two—a “closed system” of intimacy, as it were.  This Trinity always has been, and always will be, in existence; and there always has been and always will be absolute, unvarying unity, harmony, communication, and agreement among all three Members.

Moses spoke, and also wrote, these words about God to the Israelites:

Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Then God said, “Let us make man in our, in our likeness...” (Genesis 1:26a).

The first is an example of God’s singularity, while the second is a portrayal of His multiplicity.  So, then, is God singular or multiple?  In fact, God is BOTH singular AND multiple.  Christians and Messianic Jews understand that God’s multiple facets—The FATHER, The HOLY SPIRIT, and The SON, JESUS (who also is The MESSIAH)—are intimately associated and united with one another.

Another designation of God is “the Godhead.”  The word “godhead” is from the Middle English godhed:  god + -hed or -hood.  It is indicative of the nature of God—in particular, His existence as/in (at least) three facets, roles, or functions.  Many describe these as “Persons,” although I disagree with the idea that they are three different individuals or Gods.  I view them more as “Personas” of the One True God.

Since we have been made in the “image” of God (Genesis 1:26a), then an understanding of our human characteristics must give us, in some way, an indication of God’s infinitely complex nature.  This is not  to imply that we are “little gods,” which in fact we absolutely are not, nor do I believe that any of us ever will attain Godhood.

I believe that our triune composition (spirit, soul, body) is a “reflection” or “likeness” of the Divine Trinity.  Within this Trinity, each of God’s primary “Personas” or “Constituents” possesses certain conspicuous properties—all working together as a single, unified Whole, with each Member having full and harmonious access to all attributes belonging to the other Two:

Father: Holy Spirit: Son, Jesus:		Mind Heart Body		Authority Power Messiah		Source Life Healer		Majesty Counselor Sustainer		Will Desire Shepherd		Logic Emotion Word

In particular, the relationship between the Father and the Son is so deep and profound that it is unfathomable to the human mind.  The only way we can begin to comprehend the connection between the two is through descriptive passages in the written Word of God, the Bible.  To be sure, Jesus was, and is, God (see Was Jesus God?).

Isaiah predicted the coming of the Son of God in the following way:

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign:  The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [God with us] (Isaiah 7:14).

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

Jesus himself claimed, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).  He also stated, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (14:9b).  Thus, we get an indication that, indeed, somehow Jesus and the Father can exist as One.

In a vision of God, after having described four supernatural living creatures, Ezekiel wrote,

Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man (Ezekiel 1:26).

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.  He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth (Revelation 5:6).

Here, the Lamb (Jesus, the Son of God) is shown to be coexisting, in the same space and at the same time, with the Father on the throne.  Furthermore, the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity (in the form of “the seven spirits of God”), is coexisting with both of Them on the throne.  This is a manifestation of God’s multiple entities—all at once.

In all of the cases above, Jesus is not separate from the Father; He is coexisting, singly, with the Father in both space and time.  Yet, at any moment, Jesus the Lamb can “project” out from the Father (just as the Holy Spirit can and does: John 15:26) and sit at His right hand  (Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33, 7:55,56; Romans 8:34b; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 10:12).  In this separate state, Jesus could take the scroll “from the right hand of him [the Father] who sat on the throne” (Revelation 5:7).

Another representation of the Unity of Jesus with the Father is seen after the opening of the Sixth Seal, when the “face of Him” (Father and Son/Lamb together), sitting on the throne, is seen.  At that future time, the “great day of Their wrath” will be imminent (Revelation 6:16,17).

Yet another example is when the “throne of God [the Father] and of the Lamb” is seen in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:3b).  Observers will see His face (22:4a)—the face of the Father/Jesus.  The latter takes place in the eternal state, following the creation of the new heavens and earth (21:1a—see old and new Creations), which is why Jesus also is equivalent to the Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6b).

Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15a).  God, the great Creator (1:16a), humbled and lowered Himself to mankind’s level by projecting the physical manifestation of Himself—Jesus—out of eternity and into our created three-dimensional realm (Philippians 2:7), being born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25).  This He did to become our great and wonderful Savior.  Praise be to God for that!

The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity.  He has a continuous, invisible connection with all people, discerning every thought in our minds and sensing every feeling in our hearts.  We can do absolutely nothing at all without God’s knowing about it, via His Spirit.  Just as the Godhead exists as three or more “Persons” or “Personas,” there exist multiple manifestations (at least sevenfold) within the Holy Spirit alone (Revelation 1:4c, 4:5bc, 5:6b).

For forty days after Jesus’ resurrection (which occurred on the Jewish Feast of Firstfruits), He showed Himself alive to His apostles (Acts 1:3).  Then, just before He ascended into heaven, He told them to remain in Jerusalem a little longer (ten more days), because the “gift” of the Holy Spirit, promised by the Father, would be coming to them to impart the Spirit’s Power upon them (1:4,5,8a).  Indeed, this did occur on Pentecost (that is, on the Jewish Festival of Shavuot—2:1-4).  Subsequently, as a result of this, all believers are able to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in their own lives.

The Spirit of God is everywhere, and everyone potentially has access to Him—if they only will have faith in Him.  Interestingly, “faith” itself is a gift of the Holy Spirit (see faith in gifts of the Holy Spirit).  If someone does not know God but truly wants to, I believe all that person needs to do is ask God for the faith to believe.  Then God will set into motion circumstances (or “God-incidences,” as I like to think of them), confirming His existence and Power.  At that point, it is up to the person to respond positively, and then a relationship has begun.

God’s amazing Holy Spirit would Love to develop a personal, even an intimate, relationship with every person on earth.  He will make clear impressions on a person’s mind and in the person’s heart, sometimes in response to prayer, other times completely out of nowhere.  When a person responds freely and willingly, he/she has entered into the greatest, most ultimately fulfilling friendship that it is possible to have in the universe.

On the other hand, it is possible for a person to “grieve” the Holy Spirit—Who is, I believe, the Heart and Emotion of God—and to “sear” the relationship severely enough, due to ignoring or blaspheming Him persistently.  This can cause God to cease His pursuit of the person altogether.  If this status quo is permanent, the person will be lost forever.  Although many who believe in God feel that His sole emotion is Love, the fact is that God is just as capable of feeling and expressing intense Anger.  Thus, for this reason, it is completely proper—wise, in fact—to possess a healthy fear of God.

In a chronological reading of the Bible, one will see that, originally, God was extremely personal with mankind—beginning with Adam and Eve, when He walked in the Garden of Eden with them and spoke to them directly.  (Yes, I do believe that Adam and Eve, literally, were the first human beings.)  As time went by, however, and man continued to disobey, God withdrew more and more, because He has hated the sin that constantly has disrupted—and continues to disrupt—the cherished relationship God has desired to have with mankind.

God’s Holy Spirit communicated with people and came upon them in Power not only on Pentecost and thereafter, but also previous to that point.  There were numerous, extremely personal encounters that God had with people in very ancient times: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (renamed Israel), Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, and many others.

It is written that mankind was made in the “image” of God (Genesis 1:26,27).  I believe the term “image” here has more than one connotation—the most significant of which, I feel, is the pattern of a triune nature of humans: spirit, soul, body.

Since the intimacy shared by the three members of the Trinity transcends our understanding and comprehension, I believe that God also has made triads of people, some described in the Bible.  These have been examples for all to see of how all the members of the Trinity of God work together as a perfect “team.”

God often uses people with great humility to perform enormously critical tasks for Him.  Humble people typically know that they, in and of themselves, are insignificant; thus, they are much more likely to allow God to do things through them without claiming any of the power or glory for themselves.

Moses, Aaron, and Miriam—two brothers and their sister—led the Israelites out of Egypt (Micah 6:4) and then around the Sinai desert for forty years.  Not only did the lives and roles of these three people demonstrate how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together and cooperate in an intimate partnership, but each of these three also was an exhibit of how “dissociating” from and “losing harmony” with God, or with the other two, resulted in very unpleasant consequences.

Withn the Trinity, the Father has absolute Authority over all things.  Whatever He says, goes.  The Father extended to Moses His absolute Authority in commanding and leading the Israelites.  The reason Moses was given this position as the ultimate “person in charge” is because “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3).  God tends to use people who are humble, who understand that they, in and of themselves and without God, are insignificant.

In fact, Moses thought he was so unworthy, so tongue-tied, and so insignificant, that he felt he was the wrong person to be called by God to do anything.  This was exemplified by these statements made by Moses:

But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11).

Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.  I am slow of speech and tongue” (4:10).

But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (4:13).

The Israelites had no water to drink.  God told Moses to speak  to a rock, so water would pour out of it for everyone to drink (Numbers 20:7,8).  Instead, though, Moses struck  the rock twice, bringing forth water (20:11).  Because of this episode, God told Moses that he would not enter the promised land (20:12).

Some believe that it was simple disobedience for which God later prevented Moses from entering the new land promised to the Israelites.  However, I believe there was more to it than that.  At the place which later would be known as “the waters of Meribah” (or quarreling), Moses had said to the people, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10).  The key word here is “we.”

Having been the conduit through which God had performed so many miracles up to that point, I believe that Moses, in his prideful anger at that moment, assumed that he had the power to bring water out of the rock, so he did it his own way.  Forgetting briefly that he could do absolutely nothing without the Power of God, he assumed that he could be like God.  It was the same faulty assumption that Eve had made before eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:5,6).  This is the reason for which Moses was punished, just as Eve was, because no one can be like God, other than God Himself.

The Son, Jesus, is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14,15a) and was the once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  Similarly, Aaron, the brother of Moses, was the first priest of the Israelites (Exodus 28:1-4).  He was in charge of making sacrifices for the sins of the Israelites.

Aaron also was Moses’ “mouthpiece” and spoke the words of Moses to the Israelites, just as Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1,14).  Aaron’s relationship with Moses is similar to Jesus’ relationship with the Father.  Aaron and Moses were two entities, but for all intents and purposes they acted as a unit.

As much as Aaron was a good “team player,” he also made a few serious blunders.  While Moses was up on the mountaintop, communing face-to-face with God, the Israelites grew restless and asked Aaron to make them a god or gods to lead them.  Unwisely, Aaron was persuaded into doing this (Exodus 32:1-4).  Interestingly, no direct punishment was administered upon Aaron for this act.  Perhaps this was because, in making a golden calf to replace God, he did not actually usurp his authority.  Rather, he merely was doing the will of the Israelites, and they were punished with a plague for demanding it (32:35).

However, at a later time, Aaron did  attempt to usurp his authority.  He and his sister, Miriam, began talking against Moses and then said, “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? ... Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” (Numbers 12:1,2).  At that time, Aaron was not punished; but Miriam was, possibly because she had voiced the greatest opposition against Moses.

At the place called “the waters of Meribah,” where Moses struck the rock twice with his staff to bring forth water (Numbers 20:10), God evidently held Aaron equally guilty with Moses in usurping God’s Authority.  After all, Moses had stated, “...must we bring you water out of this rock?”  When it was time for Aaron to “be gathered to his people” (that is, to die), God told Moses that Aaron “will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah” (20:24).  Then Aaron died (20:28b).

For the most part, Moses and Aaron successfully had exhibited the intimate sense of “teamwork” that is present between God the Father and God the Son.  Moses’ every word was law, and Aaron (mostly) put this law into action, without question or disagreement.

The fatal mistake of both Moses and Aaron was in momentarily—just once—behaving as though they were God (Numbers 20:7-12); and that “tiny” hint of sin was enough to keep them out of the land promised to their forefathers (although I do believe that, ultimately, they will inherit eternal life, due to their belief and faith in God).

Similarly, multitudes of people have rejected God and will continue to do so—which, essentially, is the same as insisting that they are their own gods.  Unfortunately, they will miss out on experiencing the next realm of Creation after this present one has passed away (Revelation 21:1a,8—see old and new Creations).

The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity of God.  Of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, one important gift is that of prophecy or prophesying (1 Corinthians 12:4,10).  Miriam was a prophetess (Exodus 15:20).  As such, I believe that, in the “triad” with her two brothers, Miriam was symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

The primary role of the Holy Spirit is to “point to” the Father and to Jesus, the Son.  It is notable that Miriam sang, “Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted” (Exodus 15:21).

As has been mentioned in the Aaron section, there was a time that Miriam and Aaron rebelled against the authority of Moses (Numbers 12:1,2).  God Himself reprimanded Miriam and Aaron for this (12:8b).  However, Miriam got the brunt of the punishment for this act of rebellion by becoming leprous (12:10).  Perhaps she, more than Aaron, had violated her “prime directive” of focusing the attention of the Israelites on Moses and on God.

It was not long, after that, until Miriam died (Numbers 20:1b).  Soon thereafter, Moses and Aaron usurped their authority with God (20:10,11).  Symbolically, this could have indicated that any of the members of the Trinity of God (after which I believe Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were modeled) would be unable to continue in a relationship of perfect intimacy if one of the Three, somehow, were absent.  Of course, in reality, this never would happen, because no part of God can cease to exist, nor can it “defect” from the others.  Perhaps Satan’s main intent, in his attempt to destroy Jesus, was to cause the Trinity to “fall apart,” thus enabling Satan to take charge of God’s Creation.

The Tanakh or Tanach (the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament of the Judeo-Christian Bible) is replete with accounts of how God interacted with the ancient Israelites and with all of their enemies.  The Israelites knew Whom the Lord was, because He had made everlasting covenants with their forefathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the latter also known as Israel—Psalm 105:8-10).  The Lord’s relationship with Israel is a model illustrating a pattern of how God relates and reacts to all  people on earth, whether nations or individuals.

One of the basic themes running through the ancient accounts, described in the Old Testament, is that when the people maintained their belief and faith in God, and followed all of His commands, He protected them from evil and harm and bestowed countless blessings upon them (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).  However, when the people failed to obey the commands and decrees of God, strayed into their own way of doing things, and worshipped other gods, He removed His protective hand from them; then hard times and calamities would befall them (28:15-68).  This is as true today, with all people, as it was in ancient times with the Israelites.

It is not possible for anyone lacking faith in God to please Him; only those who seek God will be rewarded by Him (Hebrews 11:6).  I believe an implication of this is that when “good people” do “good things,” simply in the name of “goodness” rather than out of obedience to God’s commands and laws, they cannot expect to be rewarded by a “higher power” for their deeds.  Perhaps they must rely on fickle, unpredictable “karma” to be compensated for the things they do.

God deeply values humility, which often is evidenced by sacrifice.  The consummate humility of Jesus was prophesied by Isaiah, centuries before Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity actually took place:

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:2-7).

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8).

Another extraordinary example of humility and willingness to sacrifice was shown by Abraham.  God tested Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his son, Isaac (Genesis 22:1,2).  Abraham was prepared to do so, because he was humbly obedient to God.  However, God stopped him just in time, knowing that Abraham had been willing to give his own son back to God (22:9-12).

In like manner, God Himself was an infinitely greater model of humility by allowing His own physical nature, Jesus (the Son of God born into humanity), to die on a cross, for the benefit of mankind.  Interestingly, the area of Mount Moriah, where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed, is in present-day Jerusalem and is where Jesus was crucified.

Because of Abraham’s humble compliance and willingness to sacrifice his own son to God, it was promised to him that he would be greatly blessed by God’s making his offspring extremely numerous (Genesis 22:17).  Furthermore, it would be through Abraham’s son, Isaac, that the Messiah, Jesus, would come, through Whom all nations on earth eventually would be blessed (22:18).  The incomprehensible humility of God and of His willing servant, Abraham, are examples of how obedient sacrifice, on our parts, can result in abundant and bountiful blessings in our lives, and in the lives of others.

All the emotions of God, including Love and Anger, are conjoined in the Holy Spirit.  Those who think that God is capable only of “pleasant” emotions, like Love, but not “unpleasant” ones, like Anger (even leading to great Wrath), are only deceiving themselves.  Some people even feel the opposite is true: that God is always angry and never loving.  They, too, are unaware of the whole picture of God.

David demonstrated the conjugation of these two diverse emotions within God in the following passage:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:8-12).

The picture of a compassionate and loving God clearly is revealed throughout Scripture.  Thus, it is difficult for some to understand why, if God is so loving, He should be feared.  In fact, “the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13b).  Furthermore, “from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him...” (103:17a).

It is wise for people to have a healthy fear of God—not only because He holds our destinies in His hands, but because He is the One who is able to allow or to disallow adverse circumstances to befall us at any time.  We do not know, in any given situation, whether God is permitting natural conditions (affecting us individually/personally or on a more global scale), or is initiating supernatural intervention (via Satan, angelic or demonic beings, or His own Holy Spirit), to curb our indulgences and transgressions.  Just as God can allow both natural and supernatural means to restrain us when we are on the wrong path, He also can disallow unpleasant intrusion into our lives when we are on the right path that pleases Him.

The ideals of God’s righteous laws and precepts, fearing God, and God’s love all are interrelated concepts—certainly not always in the world, but constantly within God Himself:

At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.  I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.  The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees (Psalm 119:62-64).

King Solomon, the wisest man in the ancient world (1 Kings 4:29-34), said, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (Proverbs 1:7).

I believe that God has placed countless aspects of Himself in nature and in the world, each representing and pointing to the existence of the multiplicity of God, in particular the Trinity.  (This is not  to say that God is equivalent to nature or the universe, a pantheistic view, which I absolutely reject.)  As stated by Paul,

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

I believe that God has made triples of essentials and systems in this realm to point to His triplicity.  For instance, every physical object in our domain, existing at a given moment in time, is 3-dimensional, having length, width, and height.  Time itself has 3 subdivisions: past, present, and future.  In only one of 3 states—gas, liquid, or solid—can anything exist at any given point in time.  There are 3 basic constituents of the world in which we live: air, water, and land.  Three spheres exist in the universe about which we are the most familiar: the sun, the moon, and the earth.  And from 3 spectral hues—red, green, and blue—all other colors of light can be obtained (run The Color Machine program to see this first-hand).

Even the USA’s system of government—the greatest the world has ever known—is a triad of elements, all (ideally) having one accord and purpose: to protect and to serve the people:

1. the Legislative Branch (Congress, who originates the laws),
2. the Judiciary Branch (Supreme Court, who deems the laws “legal” and brings them to the people), and
3. the Executive Branch (President and his Cabinet) who enact and enforce the laws.

As an optometric physician, with additional degrees in mathematics and visual science, I am fascinated with optics and visible and invisible electromagnetic radiation (ER), including light.  Nothing else in this universe can attain the speed of ER (about 299,792,458 meters/second, or 186,282.397 miles/second, in a vacuum).  As ER travels through space, it skims along this side of the impassable barrier between our realm and the multi-dimensional realm of the infinite on the other side; though it may “dent” the time barricade, it never can quite break through it.

I believe that God cleverly has made properties of electromagnetic radiation to match qualities of Himself, so as to give us valuable insights into His nature.  The ER spectrum is divided into the following:

1. ultraviolet or “UV” radiation (and beyond),
2. visible light, and
3. infrared or “IR” radiation (and beyond).

But visible ER, a transition between the two, is light that we can perceive, because our eye systems respond best to moderate wavelengths (even though all wavelengths of radiation are pure energy and all travel at exactly the same velocity in the same medium).  Likewise, Jesus is “...the light of the world” (John 8:12a, 9:5), the only aspect of God that has ever been seen by natural human eyes.  Any light that we see around us is only a representation, a projection, of the True Light, which is Jesus.  When we eventually see Him as He is (1 John 3:2c), we will see a Light more brilliant than any light which any of us has seen or of which we ever could conceive in the natural, physical world and universe (Matthew 17:1,2).

Pure purple and red colors are invisible.  Absolute purple is just off the visible spectrum in the invisible ultra-violet (UV); any “purple” that we can see actually is tinged slightly with violet.  If we imagine for a moment that “Authority” is represented by “pure purple,” Jesus by the visible spectrum, and the Father by UV radiation (and beyond), it can be visualized that, for Jesus to obtain and secure real Authority, He must “merge” completely with the Father—which He has done (John 10:30, 16:15a).

Similarly, absolute red  is just off the visible scale in the invisible infra-red (IR); any “red” that we can see is tainted with orange.  If we think of “Power” as “pure red” and the Holy Spirit as represented by IR radiation (and beyond), then for Jesus to employ and actuate complete Power, He must “blend” totally with the Holy Spirit—which He has done (John 1:33b, 16:15b).

To turn on a light, one must do these things:

1. formulate the idea that the light should be on, then
2. physically walk over and flip up the switch, and finally
3. the transmitted electricity will illuminate the bulb.

1. the Father conceived of the existence of everything (and has the Authority to carry out His Plan),
2. the Son materialized the universe into existence (by the Power of the Holy Spirit) and rules over it (by the Authority of the Father), and
3. the Holy Spirit is the agent by which everything operates (due to the Power He generates).

Just as the visible spectrum of light contains an infinite array of colors, so the people of the earth have a countless number of problems.  The remedy for all the difficulties in life and in the world is Jesus, because He has an infinite number of correct solutions to all problems.  When Jesus returns again, as the Rider on a white horse, the whole world will experience the glorious reign of Jesus, from Jerusalem.

The rainbow, containing all visible colors and being a sign of God’s covenant with Noah and all life on earth (Genesis 9:13-17), is a fitting symbol of Jesus.  Ezekiel saw Him on God’s throne and described the radiance around Him as resembling a “rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day”:

Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.  I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.  Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.  This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.  When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. (Ezekiel 1:26-28).

John, in his vision of the future (see The Chronology of Revelation), saw the throne of God, just as Ezekiel did.  John also saw a rainbow surrounding Him:

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.  And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.  A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne (Revelation 4:2,3).

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the original Holy Trinity.  But there is a “Holy Triad,” modeled and imaged after the original.  It consists of these:

1. Jesus Christ,
2. the Church of Believers, and
3. the Holy Spirit.

It is important to read and study what the Messiah, Yeshua, has said and done in the Old and New Testaments and give Him as much love, respect, and obedience as He has given the Father.  Plus, we should observe how perfectly the members of the Holy Trinity work and coordinate together so that we can worthily fulfill our place as the “Body” of Christ in the “Holy Triad.”

Each human being, though not a god, is modeled after the Trinity, having mental, emotional, and physical activity.  We each should try, constantly, to imitate God by keeping the emotions of our soul (heart) and the acts of our body (flesh) under the control of our spirit (mind).  Jesus, as a man here on earth, was able to do this completely and perfectly, as He was the most “balanced” person ever to live (see Christ’s self “compass”).  This represents full potential and spiritual maturity, and it can be approached only by allowing the Holy Spirit to direct each of our own spirits.

Without the Holy Spirit’s direction, any person’s spirit is “lifeless.”  Lacking control by one’s spirit, a person is merely a mass of chaotic, conflicting emotional outbursts and compulsive, impulsive physical actions.  (This is similar to the way that someone who is experiencing doubt, when praying, “is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind”—James 1:6.)  Unfortunately, without one’s “dead” spirit being “born again” (John 3:3,5,6) into God’s Holy Spirit, one’s soul and resurrected body will remain fused in this disordered, bewildered, muddled state of turmoil forever, never able to reach the Father, the Source of our being.

Not one of us can achieve, absolutely, the ideal state of spirit, soul, body unification by oneself (nor via “seminars,” “encounters,” or “New Age” philosophies), particularly in this realm in which we now exist, because there is too much influence and distraction by the enemy (see Lucifer/Satan, Angels & Demons , Realities vs. Counterfeits, and Spiritual Warfare).  But with the miraculous workings of the Father, through the Son and by the Holy Spirit, we can come as close in this life as we wish, and actually can reach it in the next  (infinite and eternal) Life.  When, by faith (given by the Holy Spirit—see gifts of the Holy Spirit), we know this to be a fact, the things of this world continually become dimmer and less important, compared to the joy of experiencing the fullness of our triune nature in God.

The great price for this eventual perfection and transcendent unification of the three elements of our nature already has been paid by Jesus’ blood on the cross.  But one must desire this consummate state, to ever be able to attain it, which will be at the time of the body’s resurrection and/or transformation at the Rapture (see changed bodies).

Imitating God means surrendering to the Will of the Father, just as Jesus surrendered to His Will (see humility, surrender, and exaltation).  That is, our self-will surrenders to God’s perfect Will.  The benefits of doing so are incomprehensibly wonderful; whereas, the consequences of refusing to do so will be devastating.  There is no “in-between” state in the realm of eternity, the ultimate fulfillment of which will be a brand new, glorious and pristine Creation (Revelation 21:1a—see old and new Creations), in which those who truly love God will exist, flourish, and thrive.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he [Jesus] is pure (1 John 3:1-3).