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]”.