The Reality of God

Is the God of the pulpit the God of the Bible, or a god of manmade doctrine?
Are the religious leaders the creation and tool of God or is God the creation and tool of religious leaders?

 The Church View:      There is one being, creator, unseen, all wise, all-powerful, vengeful, and intolerant. And most importantly, if they don’t tell you, don’t ask. 

The Bible View:      The God of the Bible is a family of supreme spiritual beings named the Elohiym, which is headed by the omnipotent and Supreme Being in the universe named El and called the Father in the Bible. All power, love, and substance in the universe is created and controlled by this family and all the power possessed by that family originates with El. The God, who created life on this planet, and known as the God of Israel, is named Yhovah. He is the most powerful and senior family member of the Elohiym under El, and became the man called Jesus.

     The concept of God is a matter of each individual's belief and there are probably no two alike, not much unlike any individual's opinions about any given subject. Therefore, this is not an attempt to form opinions, rather to present what the Bible says about the God of the Bible, not the God of any religious belief.

 How Many Gods?

      The first thing that must be considered is the number of Gods spoken of in the Bible. That would be somewhere between two and an infinite number. The very first time the actual word 'God' appears in the Bible, it is translated from the word elohiym, the plural form of the word elowahh, in the first verse of the first book. In this verse it speaks of the Elohiym creating the known world. And, this is the word that is most often translated into God in the Old Testament, a word that appears almost 4000 times.
      The word that appears over 31,000 times to describe the mightiest of the Elohiym is Yhovah, pronounced yeh-ho-vaw'. This is the Elohiym that first made contact with Moses, appeared to and spoke with the prophets, and became the first human incarnation of the Elohiym, Jesus the Christ. (See JESUS )  Yhovah, though not specifically named, is probably the God of record in the Garden of Eden. Jesus referred to a higher being than himself called the Father from the word "pater", which literally means father.  This distinct relationship is outlined here:
♦  1 Corinthians 8: 5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
      The power is from the Father God and the action is from Jesus, AKA, Yhovah. Therefore, there are at least two distinct entities.  There is one verse in particular that indicates other Elohiym:
♦  Psalms  89:6  For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? 

 And what could be clearer than the following?
♦  Psalms 82:1 God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.
      This verse, more than any, shows that, indeed, there are many Gods ruled by a Supreme God.  The words God and gods in this verse are both taken from Elohiym, which means the mighty ones.  The word mighty is taken from El, which means The Almighty, the Father.  The verse is saying this:
      The Mighty Ones stand in a family with The Almighty who is in the center and He guides the Mighty Ones. 
·  Everywhere the word God is taken from the word Elohiym it is a plural word and should be properly rendered as “Gods”. However, in some instances, the translators were forced to use the plural gods, other than the instances referring to false gods.  They are presented here:
♦  Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
♦  Exodus 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
♦  Exodus 18:11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.
♦  Exodus 22:28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.
♦  Exodus 23:32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
♦  Deuteronomy 4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
♦  Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
♦  Joshua 22:22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)
♦  1 Samuel 4:8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
♦  1 Samuel 28:13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
♦  1 Kings 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
♦  1 Kings 20:23 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
♦  1 Chronicles  16:25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.
♦  2 Chronicles 2:5 And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.
♦  Psalms 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
♦  Psalms 86:8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
♦  Psalms 95:3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
♦  Psalms 96:4 For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
♦  Psalms 97:9 For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
♦  Psalms 135:5 For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
♦  Psalms 136:2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
♦  Psalms 138:1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
♦  Daniel 2:11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh
♦  Daniel 2:47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
♦  Daniel 4:8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of
my God, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,
♦  Daniel 4:9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
♦  Daniel 4:18 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.
♦  Daniel 5:11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
♦  Daniel 5:14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
♦  Daniel 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.