Devotional
Short Note to Psalm 82: At last we have our clear example of a denial of the
Trinity and its role in the Old Testament by Judaism. The literal translation
of the role of Christ as Highpriest before the “Ancient of Days” in Daniel
7:13-14 is described by David, using Asaph’s music notes here. The original
words of David read: “God is placed in the congregation of God in the midst of
God He will judge” (82:1b-c). The Targum scribes were so confused with their
monotheistic solo God concept, and they did not want to accept the Christian
Trinity concept with the Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit as all three God,
that they changed the text from “God” to “Judges”. So later in the Middle Ages,
the Rabbi Rashi understood it also this way since they cannot understand how
God can stand in the midst of God in the congregation of God. This maths was
too difficult for Judaism. That is why Christ was crucified. This is an
academic reality that has nothing to do with hate-speech. It is a fact and
their denial of the true text here calls for a red card, especially from
Seventh-day Adventists. Rabbi Ibn Ezra who lived after Rashi, translated “God”
with “angels”. It does not say that God judges the gods as many commentators
try to explain. It uses the preposition “in the midst of God He will judge”.
The Greek translator Aquila in 150 A.D. translated it as “God stands in the
congregation of the strong, in the presence of the Lord He judges”. Except for “the
strong” the translation derived from some passages that translated the word
that way, Aquila is on the right track here. Christ is the One Who is standing
before the Father in the Investigative Judgment (Pastors who want to follow
Aquila’s reading please download Origen’s Hexapla volume 2 at page 234). Symmachus
read “in the midst (plural) of God (singular) He judges” in 170 A.D. in his
Greek translation. Origen in 250 A.D. went bananas by making the singular a
plural “but in the midst of gods (plural) shall He judge”. Those who do not
know Hebrew may take note of this point: in Hebrew, the word God is spelled
singular but appears only in the plural. The context will determine whether it
is the heathen gods or whether it is the True one God. P. Sabbatier who published
the Vetus Latine translated the Hebrew in Latin exactly the way I translated
the Hebrew supra in Vol. 2 page 166. (Pastors can download it from www.archive.org). The way I translated it is
also read by Aquila and Symmachus and also the Vetus Latine which came 20 years
after Symmachus in 190 A.D. It translated “in His midst God judges” (in medio
autem deos discernit). These are all those who one can say should have
recognized the Trinity’s role in these words similar to the theology of the
Judgment in Daniel 7 with Christ as Highpriest. Also Jerome translated in his
Vulgate in 389 A.D. the same as the Vetus Latine.
The
Book of Hebrews and Daniel 7 are combined giving the full answer and
understanding to the literal direct translation of 82:1. Yet, Judaism has cut
out any “Christ” or “Binity” [meaning Father and Son mentioning] with the Holy
Spirit in the background references of the Bible to complete the “Trinity”
statements of the Bible as Frank Hasel in the Sabbath School Series on the Holy
Spirit online available explained so well between January 2017 until April of
2017 week by week. Some exotic groups cling to the Unitarian position of the
early pioneers as the biblical view and try to force Ellen White also in this
view but that is not possible. They actually promote a Binity view of the Trinity
with the Holy Spirit as just a kind of power or energy shared by Jesus and the
Father. They also teaches subordinationism, namely that Christ is under His
Father in origin even, actions and functions forever, which is true as far as
the function of Christ is concerned and the Holy Spirit for this history of
ours, namely that they chose to submit themselves to one another, but
everlasting absolute subordinationism Adventist do not belief in. Other
denominations are teaching that but deny Jesus Lordship and divine God attributes.
David
did not believe in absolute monotheism as Jews and Islam is teaching.
Adventists also do not believe in absolute monotheism, a monotheism unmodified
by the Trinity concepts.
David
then asked the same question Daniel asked when the Investigative Judgment of
Christ in Heaven was discussed in Daniel 8:13-14, “How long” (ad-matay). How
long will You judge evil and the face of the unrighteous You will lift up”?
David wants to know how long will Christ be in the Investigative Judgment to judge
evil among the saints and investigate all books to see who is to be saved at
the Second Coming. If there is a delay then it means that for some time the
faces of the unrighteous will be lifted up (82:2).
David
wanted to know how long Jesus as High Priest will judge the poor in spirit, the
fatherless, the afflicted for His name sake and the destitute of His people “they
will make righteous”. They, because it is the Trinity [God Christ standing
before God the Father = “they”].
“They
rescue the poor [in spirit] and needy [of salvation]” (82:4). “They [Trinity] cause
them to be delivered from the hand of the unrighteous ones” in the Time of Trouble
before the Second Coming (82:4b).
The
unrighteous “know not, and not do they understand, in darkness they walking
back and forth, all the foundations of the earth are removed” (82:5). When the
plaques are going to fall on earth it will be on the unrighteous and before the
Second Coming there will be migrationism of a big scale. The form of the verb
here shows back and forth movement (hithpael [yithhalaku] is a repetitive action
and is used in this form to express the uncertainty and restlessness of the
action, like an iterative). The prophets also predicted this migrationism as we
can see in Isaiah 24:1. Plaques is also predicted in Isaiah 24:1 and Joel 1:15.
Isaiah said “those in the east want to stay in the west and those on the west
in the east” (Isaiah 24:1).
When
David saw this, probably in vision, he said: “Godlike are you and all of you
are like the sons of the Most High” (82:6). The remnant taken care of by Christ
in the Investigative Judgment is clothed with Christ’s Righteousness and those
who overcome and persevere will be Sons of God and godlike in their pursuit for
perfection. It is biblically from God’s perspective in the Investigative
Judgment. Isaiah also saw it that after the Time of Trouble at the Resurrection
happening at the Second Coming “it will come about that he who is remnant in
[heavenly] Zion and remaining in [heavenly] Jerusalem will be called holy to
Him, all who is recorded for [eternal] life in [new or heavenly] Jerusalem”
(Isaiah 4:3).
The
condition of perfect saints and sanctified holy ones of the Lord is that they
still will die, David could see, even though saved by the Lord (82:7). “Like
Adam you shall die”.
David
knows that the Investigative Judgment did not start yet, so he wished God to “stand
up O God, judge the earth” (82:8). Why? David knows that when this action takes
place the Door of Mercy will close when the Investigative Judgment is done and
Christ receives the kingship in full and will come “for You shall possess all
the [saved] nations” (82:8b). The purpose of the Investigative Judgment that
Daniel 8:14 is speaking about later and also Isaiah 51 saying “a Law will go
forth from Me [Christ as High Priest] and I will set My justice [court scene
term] for a light of the people”. This word “possess” or “inherit” is used in
synonym by Micah 1:15 namely, that Christ the real Possessor [hayaresh] will
come then the glory of spiritual Israel will come. Satan is the thief and fake possessor
of this earth. Maleachi 3:17 also understood this possessive function of Christ
at the Second Coming: “they shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, for that day
when I [Christ] make a treasure [Second Coming]”.