26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness... ²⁷So God created man in his own image... Gen. 1:26-27.

God, indeed, made man in His image and after His likeness; and man has the same ability to make things in his own image and likeness, of which, he exercises often. Before noticing some of man’s handiworks, however, let is first note what the image and likeness of God was. The Hebrew word for image in this verse is tselem and means an illusion, a shade, or a phantom. God was not referring to a ghost, as we often think of the word. It speaks of something which is intangible, such as that which was created in spirit in the Beginning. Neither is an illusion tangible, nor is a shade or a shadow. Therefore, we could see the verse as saying, "Let us make man using our intangible image as the pattern for that which is to come." The next phase for man is in the likeness of God. The Hebrew word is demuth and means resemblance, shape, or a model. Therefore, when man was shaped in His likeness, he was a model that resembled what was in God’s mind.

A model is usually built before the real prototype is made, such as cars, airplanes, rockets, etc. For example, a model of the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile was crafted before any were actually built and put into service. The model was the same shape of the real rocket. It resembled that towering space-probe; but the model was never confused as being the Minuteman. It was not the unveiling, the manifestation of the designed purpose, and so it was with man who was created in the image and after the likeness of God. Before he was a physical form, he was intangible in God’s creative mind. He was then given a shape in the form of a physical model. The image was the blueprint, and the likeness was the model. And the prototype, the finished product, the first of its kind, was Jesus. Moreover, He was the express image of God His Father, and each man born of God afterwards would be in that same express image.

Although this is elementary, many today believe Adam, the model, was exactly like Jesus. If we follow this thought to the end, everyone born after Adam would, likewise, have been exactly like Jesus. Quite a number of people embrace this as truth because wise men say it is so. It is also said that since Adam was never awakened after being put to sleep, he has dreamed the whole thing, that everything we see is nothing but a dream. It is true that there is no scripture that says God awakened man after putting him to sleep, unless we consider his eyes being opened after eating the forbidden fruit as being awakened; but that would not be awakened spiritually. In one place, Paul said, ¹⁴...Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Eph. 5:14. Regardless of whether asleep or awake, the story has it that every dark and evil thing in the earth since then has been nothing but a dream, an illusion of man’s sleeping mind. Wow! What a long 6000 year-old nightmare that would be!

Even though man’s eyes are fixed upon many things which are illusions, his being made after God’s likeness is not a dream. Although man without Jesus Christ is only a model, he is not an illusion. He is real. He was first made in the image of God, which speaks of an illusion, a shade, or a phantom, i.e. that which was in the mind of God. However, this is not referring to man being in a dream world, nor does it suggest that God was not seeing clearly.

Man does imagine things which appear to be real but are not; but this is a part of the temporary darkness in which he lives, a real darkness which remains for the occasion. It is a part of the dark occasion which serves to help bring us into a far more weight of glory than we could obtain without it (2 Cor. 4:17). It is a part of the tribulation that works for the occasion of patience (Rom. 5:3). It is part of the dark tribulation which is necessary for us to enter the Kingdom of God. "And that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Most people do not understand the necessity of tribulations, and they will do just about anything to escape it, even if by no other means than to convince themselves that it doesn’t exist, and this is while they are being swept away by the storms of adversity. Mental persuasion is powerful; but it will eventually give way to reality.

In the face of all the momentary light afflictions which are refining us, there is a revival of the "faith" message that swept the country in the early 1970s. Some labeled it the name it and claim it or the bless it and confess it doctrine, because it was said that all a person had to do was to "name" what he wanted, and then "claim it" (in the name of Jesus), and God was bound by His own word to bring it to pass. Or the person could bless it by praying in the name of Jesus and then confess it as being a reality. A couple of derogatory terms were coined — "Blab it, and grab it" or "What the heck, write a check." Notwithstanding, this is still being taught in many churches and by a number of TV evangelists; but the revival I speak of is in the ranks of those who saw the pride, greed, and fallacy of that message and left it. They embraced Kingdom truths. They heard the groan of creation which is waiting for the Manifestation of the Sons of God. They were humiliated, they suffered great loss, and they willingly laid down their positions of glory among men. They took up their cross and followed Jesus. But some, it seems, have grown weary in the journey. They found an island in the midst of the great sea and camped there, and rather than continuing on, they revived the faith message, only to call it by other names — "It Is Finished," "Mistaken Identity," "Illusions," "Paradigm Shift," and others.

There is truth in each of these names, and should not be dismissed just because the term is often associated with error: For instance:

The error of those teachings, not the truth of them, but the error of them, leads us from the cross of Jesus and down the primrose path of delusion. For instance, one Kingdom minister teaches that the cross was not necessary, saying that God never desired it, never planned it, nor ever sanctioned it (see Pub. #142, booklet free upon request). And it is sad that those who are vacationing on the island in the midst of the sea are landing short of the glory of the prize of the high calling found in Jesus.

Please, brethren, let us never think of the Cross of Jesus as having no value; for it is by His blood that we are justified (Rom. 5:9). Think not that it is something we have outgrown; for our identification with Jesus is not only His life, but also the cross. It brings us to nothing so He can be all things in us. When there is no cross in our lives, we stand tall in our own might and wretched glory; this while He is laid deep in our earth and unknown to anyone. Moreover, without the cross, our humility will digress and be replaced with pride, and when the cup of pride is full, we will become "gods," in our own eyes — the very thing man was tempted with in the beginning stages of his darkness. Declarations such as, "I AM that I AM" will be heard from the lips which had once reverently worshiped the Lord Jesus.

The next phase for the "gods" is to make others in their own image and likeness while dwelling in darkness for the occasion. However, it is not only those who grasp after and claim their godhood who make others in their own image and after their likeness. Such is part of the very nature of man; for he was made in the likeness of the One who is the Creator.

Therefore, it is not necessary to rise up in such pride to create others in our own image, or at least to try. It is done day in and day out by the vast majority of those in the world and in the church, especially in the church. Let me explain. Just about every church in the world has its laws, by-laws, doctrines, ordinances, creeds, and standards by which to live. The church leaders have the task of making each member into the likeness of their created image, and their laws, by-laws, doctrines, ordinances, creeds are elements of their blueprint. They form their creations in their own image by writing and sewing their religious blueprints into the fabric of their souls. And after the work is finished, each church will have a congregation of people who looks, acts, feels, and smells just like their creators. They are in the likeness of Pentecostals, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Catholics, Unitarians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Agnostics, Atheists, Satanists, etc. Every one of these churches will assert that their religion sets their members free; but it is clear that they are free only as long as they remain in the confines of their guidelines, which is in the likeness of that which they were created. Moreover, most of what they call freedom is nothing more than prisons. Oh, sure, they are free to move about; but so are inmates in state penitentiaries. They can move from one side of their cells to the other, and they are free to use the toilet when nature calls. But freedom? Ha! Not in a millions years, and so it is with church institutions. The people are free as long as they abide within the bounds and bonds of their formation. If they deviate from the image of their creators — they are rebuked, maligned, hated, cast out, and finally made a laughing stock. If their creators are not pleased with them, be sure to know, they will be utterly destroyed if at all possible. There is little wonder why the religious systems of the world have such an evil image of God; for they have created Him in their own image as well.

Many of the things which eventually deliver some of the greatest grief and pain are deep rooted illusions. It is in the midst of illusions that we often place our trust in others, trust which is based on misconceived ideas. It would be wise, of course, to quickly dispel these illusions from our sight; but that is not always so easily done. Nevertheless, when we refuse to be disillusioned, suffering will be the fruit thereof. If we love someone apart from the love of God, we are likely to demand total perfection from that individual, with ourselves being the standard by which they are judged. And when we do not see them manifesting "our image," we can become extremely cruel and vindictive. The scenario is generally the same — we demand something which is humanly impossible for them to deliver, and that is because we have replaced the Living God with a "human god," and all gods, of course, must be perfect in our lying eyes. This image making goes the other way, as well. Rather than us making religious leaders our god’s, religious leaders make us their workmanship, or pawns.

When people make others in their image and after their likeness, it is essential for such creations to perform according to the desires of their creators. And as mentioned above, if they don’t, they are ridiculed, broken, crushed, cast out, ostracized, maligned, wrecked, and made the offscouring of the earth. Unlike the true Creator, nothing is more devastating to a human god than to have its creation to perform other than what it was created to do. Their retribution can be unparalleled. Such vengeance escalated to enormous heights of insanity with the Inquisition when the Catholic church slaughtered millions in the name of Jesus, and please know that the Protestants were just as guilty at times when they had power. For instance, John Calvin, had his share of blood on his hands as the mayor of Geneva, Switzerland. Under his rule, "Ministers had the spiritual weapon of God's word... the ordinances of 1541 were maintained; the clergy, assisted by lay elders, governed despotically and in detail the actions of every citizen. A presbyterian Sparta might be seen at Geneva; it set an example to later Puritans, who did all in their power to imitate its discipline. The pattern held up was that of the Old Testament, although Christians were supposed to enjoy Gospel liberty. In November, 1552, the Council declared that Calvin's "Institutes" were a "holy doctrine which no man might speak against." Thus the State issued dogmatic decrees, the force of which had been anticipated earlier, as when Jacques Gouet was imprisoned on charges of impiety in June, 1547, and after severe torture was beheaded in July. Some of the accusations brought against the unhappy young man were frivolous, others doubtful. What share, if any, Calvin took in this judgment is not easy to ascertain. The execution of however must be laid at his door...moderate men opposed to extreme views in discipline and doctrine, fell under suspicion as reactionary. The Reformer did not shrink from his self-appointed task. Within five years fifty-eight sentences of death and seventy-six of exile, besides numerous committals of the most eminent citizens to prison, took place in Geneva. The iron yoke could not be shaken off. In 1555, under Ami Perrin, a sort of revolt was attempted. No blood was shed, but Perrin lost the day, and Calvin's theocracy triumphed." (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III))

Our own country which was initially formed by those seeking religious freedom had their hay-day with fire. Their infamy is known as the Salem Witch Hunts. The Muslims can be just as ruthless, perhaps more so. Their members who step across the line of their religion will suffer at hands of their creators. At this very moment, there is heinous crime being committed in the name of the Muslim religion against a young Nigerian mother. Her sin is adultery:

"Amina Lawal, a 30 year-old Nigerian woman, sentenced by a Shari’ah court to death by stoning (August 27, 2003). Amina confessed to having had a child while divorced. Pregnancy outside of marriage constitutes sufficient evidence for a woman to be convicted of adultery according to the new Shari’ah-based penal code for Muslims, introduced in Katsina state. The man named as the father of her baby girl reportedly denied having sex with her, and his confession was enough for the charges against him to be discontinued..." (Amnesty International Australia).

We all have a tendency to create people according to our image, or imagination, and if they do not measure up to our likeness, we will judge them. Such judgment carries with it the spirit of self-righteous, legalistic, policing condemnation. However, we should know that not all judgment can be placed in that category. One type of judgment is simply to discern by the Spirit what is or is not, and there is no condemnation in seeing clearly. Making a decision is another type of judgment, and when we see by the Spirit, understand by the Spirit, and Love by the Spirit — righteous judgment can be made. It is then that we can act, or manifest that which we know by the Spirit. This type of discernment and/or judgment is not being a "Kingdom Cop," as I wrote about a couple of years ago, which is judgement with condemnation. And that spirit can surely rise in us at times. When this happens, we become "Kingdom Cops." It is then that we will have a tendency to ignore many things Jesus said, one being — "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1).

That self-righteous spirit was never in Jesus, and it should be the same with us. If we can hear His voice, I believe we would hear Him saying, "If you bring My own under dominion, let it be the dominion of My love, but never under the dominion of your religious precepts. Let not the scriptures be used to condemn and imprison, but to lead to Me and make men free." Christians, including Kingdom folk, can be the most critical creatures known. Criticism is common among people of the world. It is one of the ordinary, everyday activities in which they indulge. This is to be expected, even though nothing is accomplished by it. However it should not be expected in the ranks of those called by the name of Jesus Christ, and especially not in the Kingdom of God. It serves nothing except to weaken not only the one being criticized, but the criticizer as well, and the Body as a whole. Our Lord is the only one who is in the place to criticize, and only He can reveal the wrong without hurting and wounding. When we criticize by any spirit other than the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we become as gods, elohim, judges of them. When I criticize, I pray that it will be in His Spirit and not my own; but I, no doubt, fail more than I should. If I have hurt you, or made you to feel less than you are, please except my deepest apologies; but if I have made you mad, I am glad; for truth will anger those who abide in and love darkness. They need to be angered, and for that, I do not repent or apologize.

If we expect to enter into fellowship with God, we must shed every form of personal criticism; for that is darkness, and let us be sure to know, there is no fellowship between light and darkness. Criticism can make us hard and crusty, conniving, cruel, and vindictive individuals. It will leave us with the idea that we are superior to others and worthy to judge and set them in their place, which happens to be the place we create for them.

We must keep in mind, however, not all judgment is bad. Only when it is self-serving and is the fruit taken from the tree of knowledge of good and evil is it to be avoided. Righteous judgment should be embraced. Judgment which proceeds from the tree of Life is essential in the Kingdom of God. Without it there would always be a lack. This judgment is good, it is righteous, and righteous judgment heals. Sometimes righteous judgment comes in sharp rebukes, and if you doubt that this is true, for starters, notice a few verses written by the apostle Paul: