God said, ‘Let us produce man (‘adam) in our image, after our likeness

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

“God said, ‘Let us produce (‘asah – make, effect, bring about, fashion, and celebrate) man (‘adam) in our image (tselem – resemblance, pattern, and model), after our likeness (damuwth – comparable to us). So God created mankind (‘adam) in His image, in the image of God, He created him. Male and female, He created them. And God knelt down next to them, blessing them (barak – greeting and adoring them in love and lifting them up), saying to them, ‘Be fruitful (parah – flourish, be productive, increase) and multiply (rabah – become exceedingly great and numerous, being enlarged, reaching a very high point and status).’” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 1:26-28)

In this passage, Yahowah didn’t reveal what caused Adam to be uniquely like Him. But as you know from the opening of this chapter, He would do so just ten verses later… “Yahowah, Almighty, formed for association and accompaniment ‘Adam/man from the natural material particles of the ground, and He blew into his nostrils a life-giving, restoring, and sustaining conscience (nesamah – seat of judgment, of recognizing the difference between right and wrong, discernment and discrimination), and ‘Adam came to exist as  a living soul.” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 2:7)

Therefore, the living soul known as man was the last animal God created on the sixth day. He fashioned us male and female, as with all other forms of life, from natural elements of the earth by manipulating the DNA code. But something was different about the species Homo sapiens. God designed a unique animal with a special capacity to think, to communicate, to be creative and to be productive, to walk upright, and to conceive and raise children in a loving and nurturing family, teaching and protecting them in a manner which would embrace the covenant He envisioned. Our very nature is symbolic of Yahowah’s character and purpose. We are the residue of God’s design, the living embodiment of His plan.

In this regard, of the millions of animal forms on earth, man is unlike any other. Unlike the others, our species was crafted in the likeness of God. Simply stated, if you can picture a man and woman, who are husband and wife, standing before the protective shelter of their home with a child between them, you envision Yahowah and understand His purpose.

After watching His special creation for some unspecified period of time, God took a member of our species, named him Adam, and gave him a nesamah/conscience so that He could begin a relationship with this solitary soul. Yahowah designed and built a perfect paradise for him, and He placed Adam inside. And hoping that we’d come to appreciate God’s perspective on all of this is the reason that the creation account of Adam and Chawah is told twice, once generally of all humankind and once specifically of two unique individuals.

This vantage point on humankind, on those both inside and outside of Yah’s protection, suggests that they were divergent only in the sense that Adam and Chawah had a nesamah/conscience which enabled them to develop a personal relationship with God. This relationship, in my judgment, was perfect for seventy years. Then, using their nesamah, or seat of judgment, poorly, Adam and Chawah were banished from the garden and exposed to the rest of the world—even to the rest of humanity. If I am right, including his time in paradise, Adam would live one-thousand years. And in this way, he came to symbolize mankind’s first millennium.

These things considered, it matters not if my time estimate is accurate. My purpose was only to provide you with a scenario which was both plausible and completely consistent with Scripture and science. Humankind is a special animal and Adam and Chawah were an especially unique couple. Their ancestry is common, but not their conscience.

Returning to the known and certain, Yahowah provided Adam with some directions. He has done the same thing for us. “And Yahowah (efei), Almighty (‘elohym), provided direction (sawah – instructed, spoke clearly and unequivocally with authority) near (‘al – beside and on behalf of) ‘Adam, the man (ha ‘adam), saying (‘amar – communicating), ‘Eat (‘akal) and consume food (‘akal) from (min) every one of (kol – all) the sheltered garden’s (gan – protected, defended, and covered enclosure’s) trees (‘es).’” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 2:16) As it is with us, the Creator’s prescriptions for living are contained in His Word. Today, we should think of Scripture as “The Owner’s Manual”—God’s instructions for fruitful and productive lives.

You’ll also notice in this passage that Yahowah didn’t cry out from above, from a distant heaven. He was “near,” even “beside,” Adam when He spoke. Further, since Eden is a word picture of paradise, when we spend our eternity exploring the universe, this verse suggests that there will be a countless variety of good options to select from. It isn’t going to be boring.

As God has endeavored to share, for there to be love, there must be choice. So…“But (wa), from (min) the tree (‘es) of the knowledge (da’at – acquisition of information with a focus on discernment, judgment, moral application, and understanding) of good (towb – that which is prosperous, beneficial, and proper, favorable, desirable, and agreeable, even joyful) and bad (ra’ – evil, harmful, morally inappropriate, malignant, and disagreeable, of no value, morally depraved, displeasing, and sad), do not (lo’) eat (‘akal) from (min) it.” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 2:17)

They could eat the fruit of every tree without consequence, save one. In a way, the lone path among countless other choices which led away from camping out with Yahowah in paradise was akin to the singular way, among an infinite variety of fruitless options, which leads to heaven. There was one way out, just as there is but one way in.

The product of choice is consequence. If you choose God, you get to live with Him. That is the most beneficial option. If you opt to reject God, however, based upon whatever knowledge you obtain, you will die separated from Him. This is an inferior selection. “Indeed, because (ky – surely) in (ba – near) the day (yowm) you (‘atah) eat (‘akal) from (min) it, you will become mortal (muwth) and die (muwth).” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 2:17)

This is the first time the consequence for rejecting Yahowah’s direction has been specified. It is death, the end of life. And that means that the consequence of disregarding Yah’s instruction is not eternal suffering. Yet every mainstream Christian derivation—Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical—officially teaches that those who reject God are damned to an eternity of being tortured in hell. Their god is a liar, because Yahowah just said the opposite. Moreover, the Christian god is sadistic. Only a demented deity would say: “Love me or I’ll torture you.” (As it turns out, hellish torture is a derivative of the Babylonian religion, as are the preponderance of Christian corruptions.)

Not only is the Hebrew word for death repeated twice in this passage, muwth is the antithesis of living forever. Therefore, if the Church is right, God is wrong. It is that simple, that obvious, that cut and dry. And yet, not one religious cleric in a million comprehends this divine mandate. It’s as if the fear they engender by errantly presenting their own religious hell serves their interests by frightening the faithful into compliance and contributions. Or else, why would they all promote the same lie?

As you read Yada Yah, you will discover overwhelming evidence that Yahowah lists three consequences related to the choices we make, not just two. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that there must be three, not two, potential fates which await human souls. The most often-presented, and most common result, is death—the cessation of life, as is depicted here. Those who choose not to yada Yahowah, not to trust and rely upon Yah, will live for a short while, but ultimately death will be the end of their brief existence. Upon their mortal demise, their souls will cease to exist. God doesn’t know them and they don’t know God. For the overwhelming preponderance of people, there will be no eternal life in the Father’s home, nor hell by any definition. As Yahowsha’ explained: “The way is broad, and many there are who find death and destruction.”

The two better-known consequences exist as well. There is a place of eternal anguish. While there is no fire in it, nor torture, there will be plenty of emotional suffering in this lightless prison called the Abyss. The closest known allegory to it is a black hole, where nothing escapes but yet time remains eternal. Only those who are actively engaged in leading people away from God (which would be most religious and political, and many media, academic, and societal, leaders) will endure this fate. They will join Satan and his fellow false messengers, known as demons, there. If you go, you will have the opportunity to meet every pope. The Abyss will be a very religious place.

The consequence of carefully observing Yahowah’s instructions and heeding His advice is to live forever with Him in His paradise. Those who rely on Yah become Yahuwdym, His children, and they inherit all that is His to give. After serving with Him during the Millennial Sabbath (starting on the Called-Out Assembly of Shelters in 2033 (year 6000 on Yah’s calendar) and ending one-thousand years later), they will be equipped to campout with God for all time. If you make this choice, look me up and we’ll go off and explore a galaxy together.

As we press deeper into the story of Eden, we discover that Yahowah’s testimony is focused upon developing a relationship with His creation. This loving association is set into the context of family, companionship, of sharing, of marriage, children, and parenting. This essential phase of God’s presentation begins with: “Yahowah (efei), Almighty (‘elohym), said (‘amar), ‘It is not (lo’) good (towb – productive and beneficial) for the man, Adam (‘adam), to exist (hayah – to be) separated (bad – apart and alone). I will make for (‘asah – I will fashion and prepare for) him a helper and supporter (‘ezer – one who assists and serves, a succor who rescues, aids, renews, and benefits) like (ka – in the manner of) his corresponding counterpart (neged).” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 2:18)

This is brilliant. The opening sentence of the passage delineates the consequence of choosing to be separated from God—which is not good. Then in the second sentence, Yah speaks of the epitome of love, which for a man in this temporal world is to be with the perfect woman. This is why God called paradise ‘eden: “great joy, delight, ultimate pleasure, and extreme satisfaction.” But more than this, Chawah (a name which will be revealed later in this story) is being presented as a metaphor for the Set-Apart Spirit. She is our “helper and supporter, the one who assists and serves us, our succor who rescues, aids, and renews us,” providing the “benefit” of eternal life based upon a reestablished relationship with Yahowah. She is the “life-giver” and “protective shelter” which is what the name Chawah means.

Also interesting in this regard, neged means “to correspond,” which is “to be in conformity and in agreement.” The Spirit brings us into conformity with Yah’s instructions. “Neged – to correspond” is “to compare closely, and to be equivalent to someone or something.” When we are born anew from above by our Spiritual Mother, we become more like God, ever more equivalent to Him. Our souls become like Yahowsha’—God in human form. Neged/corresponds even means: “to communicate with someone,” which is the reason Adam and Chawah were created and placed in the Garden.

Before we leave this verse, recognize that while Yah said that Chawah would be Adam’s “helper and supporter,” God also routinely refers to Himself as our helper, so this is not a pejorative term. In truth, the one who serves, the one who rescues, renews, and restores, is greater than the beneficiary.

But there is more. Yahowah said that it would not be productive or beneficial for man to be bad. The primary meaning of this Hebrew word is “alone,” which in this case would mean to be “separated, and be apart by one’s self.” Spiritually, those who are separated from God are forbidden entry to heaven, most ceasing to exist. But even in this temporal realm, there are few things as destructive as being alone. Man is a social creature by design. And that is why very few people can survive the anguish of solitary confinement in prison. Further, the joy of a loving marriage and family supersedes the enduring pleasure of all other human experiences.

Yet that is not the only reason God doesn’t want us to be bad. You see, it’s Yahowah’s job to be bad. Bad’s secondary meaning is “pole with a cross beam (designating the upright pillar upon which God was hung)” which is used “to carry heavy objects (indicative of removing the burden of our sins),” which can be deployed “to embed or facilitate entrance through a doorway (symbolic of Pesach representing the lone door to heaven).” Depending upon how you view these things, and the choices you make regarding them, they will determine your eternal fate.

And if that were not enough, the “bad – branch” is Scripture’s most enduring symbol of the Ma’aseyah. It is through the Ma’aseyah (the Implement Doing the Work of Yah) that the doorway to heaven is opened.

The next two verses speak of hayah nepesh, of living souls, of animals that God created for man’s benefit, and of their introduction to Adam. This passage culminates with the verdict that none of these souls qualifies as “a helper and supporter (‘ezer – one who assists and serves, a succor who rescues, aids, renews, and benefits) like (ka – in the manner of) his corresponding counterpart (neged).”

So…“Yahowah (efei), Almighty (‘elohym), caused the man, Adam, to fall (napal) deeply asleep (tardemah), and while he slept (yasen), He grasped hold of (laqah – selected and took) one (‘echad) of his ribs from his side (sela’ min – bones and cartilage from around the heart and lungs) and closed up (sagar) its place with flesh (basar – living soft tissues). And the rib (sala’) Yahowah (efei), Almighty (‘elohym), took (laqah) relationally (‘asher) from (min) the man, Adam (‘adam), He built (banah – made and erected, constructed and established) a woman and wife (‘isah – female partner in marriage). And He brought her (bow’) to (‘el) the man, ‘Adam (‘adam).” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 2:21-22)

Just as the Set-Apart Spirit is a part of God, taken from God, and sent to us for the purpose of association and life, so it was with Chawah. And in a more plebeian sense, the rib was selected because it surrounded the heart, the seat of love, and the lungs, synonymous with the breath of life, known as the nepesh/soul.

The moral of this story is manifest in the value of fidelity and family, especially as they are enjoyed in a loving, productive, marriage relationship. “Then the man, Adam (‘adam), said (‘amar), ‘This (zo’th) is the foundation for living (‘esem – the skeleton upon which life hangs, the essential substance and essence of an upright life), the way to conduct one’s life (pa’am – the pattern of behavior to be followed): out of (min – from) my (‘any) essence (‘esem – bones and substance, essential nature), life (basar) from my life (basar – flesh, body, and humanity). This (z’oth) shall be called (qara – summoned) woman and wife (‘isah – female) because (ky) out of (min – from) man and husband (‘ish) she was taken (laqah – grasped and obtained, selected and received).” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 2:23) This is the story of life and how to conduct it.

The Scriptural word for “Covenant,” beryth, describes a “marriage relationship. It is based upon beyth, meaning “home,” and thus is symbolic of “building, nurturing, and protecting a family.” So, in this passage, Yahowah is disclosing the model upon which His Word is based. Everything from Genesis to Revelation is predicated upon God wanting to develop a loving familial relationship with mankind based upon the model of marriage, of a man and woman coming together to conceive and nurture life in a loving home. This is “’esem – the foundation for living, the essential substance of an upright life,” and “pa’am – the way we should conduct our lives.”

“Accordingly, therefore (‘al ken – so based on this it is also right that) a man (‘ish) shall leave (‘azab – abandon and reject, desert and forsake, be absent from) his (huw’) father (‘ab) and his mother (‘em) and cling to (dabaq – join fast to, cleave to, stay close to, be united in close association with) his wife (‘isah – woman and female partner in marriage). And they shall exist as (hayah – be) one (‘echad – a singular unity in the) flesh (basar – living being and body).” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 2:24)

There are many much softer, less jolting, Hebrew words Yahowah could have used in reference to a man “leaving” his father and mother. Of the 215 times ‘azab appears in the Tanakh, it is translated “forsaken” on 130 occurrences. To forsake is to “reject, abandon, and damn.” I bring this to your attention because it sheds considerable light on what’s known as the fifth commandment (or more accurately, the Second of Seven Instruction). Based upon this advice, the “Father and Mother” we are to “value and revere, holding in the high esteem” so as to “prolong our days in the land,” cannot be our earthly parents—from whom we are instructed to “’azab – abandon” when we engage in marriage. Not only is it impossible to “reject and forsake” that which you “highly esteem and honor,” showing reverence for a mortal being bears no influence on our longevity. Therefore, to be consistent, Yahowah could not tell us to “‘azab – be absent from, reject, and forsake” our father and mother while at the same time tell us to “honor and glorify” the very same people. That is unless, the Instruction is speaking of our Heavenly Father and Spiritual Mother, and this marriage is equated to the “beryth – familial covenant relationship” Yahowah established with mankind. When these instructions are viewed from that perspective, everything fits, including God’s insistence that this is “’esem – the foundation for living, the essential substance of an upright life,” and “pa’am – the way we should conduct our lives.”

The second profound truth encapsulated in this message relates to God’s very nature. Scripture says: “Hear O Yisra’el, Yahowah, your God, is one (‘echad).” Yah is a singular unity, manifesting Himself as Father, Mother, and Son. There is one God serving man through the Set-Apart Spirit and Ma’aseyah Yahowsha’. There is no Trinity. God does not exist in three persons or in three personas. The Father manifests Himself in human and spiritual forms to serve us. Adam and Chawah were one in marriage, just as we are one in the Covenant. Simply stated, the Covenant upon which all Scripture is based begins with a casual association which includes two individuals, and it evolves into a close friendship, kinship, a nation, and kingdom. It exists as a marriage, one in which a divorce was declared due to man’s infidelity. But this
‘azab – separation” will be resolved on the day of reconciliations leading all who choose to be associated with Yahowah to be adopted into God’s eternal family. (More on this in a moment.)

The third lesson derived from this verse is that Yahowah, like the human family, has male and female characteristics, something made evident in: “So God created ‘Adam in His image (tselem – resemblance, pattern, and model), in the image of God, He created him. Male and female, He created them.” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 1:27) To join God’s family, to become one with Yah, you must be born anew from above by way of the Set-Apart Spirit, our Spiritual Mother.

Fourth, the relationships embodied in marriage and family are synonymous with the beryth/Covenant. Eden represents God’s home, and Adam and Chawah represent the kind of relationship Yahowah designed us to celebrate.

Fifth, while it’s a small point relative to the others, ‘isah, meaning “wife and woman,” is singular, not plural. Yahowah’s wants a monogamous relationship. That is the message inherent in the first three Summary Statements. While there were individuals in the unfolding story of God’s Word who had many wives, most notably, David and Solomon, the quality of their lives deteriorated with each addition to their harems. And with each new wife, they became a less vital part of Yah’s plans. David was forbidden from building the Temple and Solomon was left to call everything he touched “vain”—failed and useless as a direct result of his disdain for marriage.

In this regard, this single verse also destroys Islam’s credibility. Allah repeatedly states that his Qur’an confirms the Towrah, and yet the Qur’an says that a man can have four wives. By saying these things, Islam is rendered false, whether or not Yahowah’s revelation is true.

Properly cared for, the human body is beautiful, and in the right kind of relationship, it is something to be enjoyed and to bring pleasure. “The two (shanaym), the man (‘adam) and his wife (‘isah – woman), were (hayah – existed) naked (‘arowm – unclothed and bare-skinned with no barrier between them) and they were not (lo’) ashamed (bows).” (Bare’syth / In the Beginning / Genesis 2:25)

Most people consider sin to be bad behavior, and along those lines they would condemn nudity. But what God is saying here, is that physical things aren’t necessarily shameful. It’s our attitude which gets us into trouble. A bad attitude is the most disabling of all disabilities. And the right attitude is the catalyst for a good relationship.

As we turn the page and move into the next chapter, be mindful of the shift in attitude which led to Chawah’s exodus from Eden. And contemplate how this change in perspective caused her to consider nakedness offensive. Was it her body or her new attitude that caused her to be ashamed and want to hide?

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