Psalm 82: Why All the Foundations Of The World Are Unstable

     I am writing this post today because I have received more and more comments from readers expressing that family members, or close friends, continue to remain blind to the Truth and simply refuse to see the deception being perpetrated upon the world.  Why do some people seem to see the signs and the reality of this world so clearly, while others (often living in the same house, or raised in the same environment) can't -- or refuse -- to see a darn thing?  I think I can explain why.

     For some time now, I have been wanting to bring this concept to you.  It will most likely be viewed as radical, but I feel it must be examined as we approach what I am convinced are the End Times, spoken of in the Bible.  I think a possible answer to the question could lie in Psalm 82 and its verifying Scripture.  Actually, my wise and perceptive husband deserves all the credit for bringing this topic to you.  He received this insight first, and then, together, we have examined the Bible, being good "Bereans"; namely, we approached Psalm 82 with an open mind and were amazed as we willingly received the Word of God from the Holy Spirit.  Then we checked out what was revealed by comparing it with the Scriptures.  And we are seeing something that we have never seen before.  So here goes ....
     Psalm 82 is eight short verses, but it is packed with a powerful image of our relationship with our Creator, and just who we are in His sight.  It also, upon deep reflection and study, explains our role here on earth.  Let's read it:

God stands in the congregation of the mighty;

He judges among the gods.

2 How long will you judge unjustly,

And show partiality to the wicked?

3 Defend the poor and fatherless;

Do justice to the afflicted and needy.

4 Deliver the poor and needy;

Free them from the hand of the wicked.

5 They do not know, nor do they understand;

They walk about in darkness;

All the foundations of the earth are unstable.

6 I said, “You are gods,

And all of you are children of the Most High.

7 But you shall die like men,

And fall like one of the princes.”

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;

For You shall inherit all nations.

     I'm going to give you a short synopsis of my understanding of this important Psalm, and then ask you to consider the Scripture that supports my discernment.  Yahweh, the God of Israel, is standing in the midst of a congregation -- a group, or council -- in heaven.  It says that He is judging among the gods.  Notice that Scripture refers to little "g" gods.  Who are these gods? Most interpreters surmise that God is talking to a group of humans in heaven; humans who have showed partiality to the wicked, failed to defend the poor and fatherless, were unsuccessful in dispensing justice to the afflicted and needy, and did not deliver the poor and needy from their circumstances, nor freed them from the hand of the wicked.  

     I think we can all agree that the answer lies in determining who the little "g" gods are.  The Hebrew word for "gods" is Elohim, and it can refer to five different entities, other than Yahweh, the God of Israel: 

1)  The Elohim (or "gods") of Yahweh's heavenly council, as here in Psalm 82; both loyal and disloyal (including angels and fallen angels);  

2)  The gods of foreign nations (pagan gods);  

3)  Demons (They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear -- Deuteronomy 32:17);  

4)  The disembodied human dead (The king said to her, Be not afraid; what do you see? The woman said to Saul, I see a god [terrifying superhuman being] coming up out of the earth! -- 1 Samuel 28:13);  

5)  Angels 

     As you will notice, each of these interpretations of "Elohim" or "gods" all have one thing in common -- they all inhabit the non-human realm, or sphere.  None of them appear in a fully human body; they are not "human beings".  In other words, they can all be described as "spirit beings".  They all live in a spiritual world and do not inhabit the earth.  The domain, or home, of human beings is completely separate from that of spirit beings.  Can we agree on that?

     If these "gods" are in the presence of Yahweh's Divine Council, as verse one tells us they are, then they must logically be "Divine beings" or "spirit beings", since the domain of human beings is on earth.  And God gives us another clue as to their identity and nature in verses six and seven.  He says "you are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High".  So, here comes the heart of my discussion, and why I think I can explain the reason some people see clearly, and others do not ... 

     If "gods" cannot be human beings, but are spirit beings; and these particular spirit beings are the children of the Most High, can you conceive that God knew us as spirit beings, before we became human beings?  In Psalm 82, Yahweh is standing in the Council in Heaven, among the "gods" (spirit beings) and announces that they are His sons (children of the Most High; verse 6).  But because of their corruption -- He knows which ones will "show partiality to the wicked", or who will "Defend the Poor and Fatherless", etc. (verses 2-5) -- He tells these "gods", or spirit beings that they will lose their immortality and will "die like men" (verse 7) ... in other words in a human, fleshly, host body.  

     Doesn't this make sense when you consider that God tells Jeremiah (in Chapter 1, verse 5), "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  Might Jeremiah have been a spirit being in Heaven, and God knew him in Heaven and called him (or elected him) to be a prophet? 

     Could this explain why we intuitively say we are "going home" when we die?  And could this interpretation give a fuller understanding of Paul's statement in Romans 8:29:  For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.  Kind of gives new meaning to "The Elect" doesn't it?  

     God knows who will choose Him because He knew us in Heaven!  And because He is All-Knowing, He foresaw which human beings would, of their own choice, obey Him and His Son; that they would be Saved by receiving the invitation of the Gospel because they had obeyed and chosen His Son when they were spirit beings in Heaven.
     He also knows who chose to side with Lucifer, and who sided with the Archangel Michael.  And He knows who remained undecided and must make their decision of their own free will, while in this host body.  That's why we are called to preach the Gospel!  Those of us who decided in Heaven are called to present the Word of God to the undecided here on earth, so that they might escape the temptations of Lucifer and his minions.  This would explain why there are those of us who see world events so clearly, those who remain confused, and those who have obviously chosen to follow evil.
     Our fellow human beings who remain undecided about their salvation, are the "gods" spoken of in verse 5 ... They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness.  And that indecision means "All the foundations of the world are unstable."
      As I continue to study my Bible, I am amazed at how many familiar stories take on a bigger meaning, if we consider the possibility that God knew us as spirit beings in Heaven.  The Book of Romans is one of the most celebrated treatises on our Christian doctrine.  There is so much of this Scripture that I have read and struggled to understand.  If the concept I have presented regarding Psalm 82 has some plausibility, then perhaps it can explain some of the reasoning behind Paul's discourse.
     In Chapter 9, (and in full debate mode), Paul asks if there might be some injustice in how God treats people.  In other words, it's natural to ask, "Isn't it unfair for God to choose one person and reject another?"  Paul's answer is an emphatic "NO!"  Take this for example .... how was it that Isaac was chosen over Ishmael?  Jacob over Esau?  Yes, we are not to question God's choices; As He tells Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and compassion upon whom I will have compassion."
     But what if God foreknew these men as spirit beings in Heaven, and their purpose on this earth was designed by God while they were still in Heaven?  Could it be that God chose Isaac because Isaac had already chosen God when he was a spirit being in Heaven, while Ishmael did not?  Likewise, Jacob chose God, and Esau did not ... so God did not choose him here on earth.  In essence, their purpose here on earth had already been established in Heaven.
    And in my favorite Chapter of the entire Bible (Romans Chapter 11), the apostle Paul adamantly proclaims that, "God has not rejected and disowned His people (the Jews), whose destiny He had marked out and appointed and foreknown from the beginning."  If one's destiny is "marked out", "Appointed", and "Foreknown from the beginning", can you see that God would know who would glorify Him from the beginning of time, and would separate out those beings and appoint them for a special purpose here on earth?
     I do not claim that this theory is above reproach or question.  There will be people who suggest that it is an extenuation of "Mormon doctrine", but I am unfamiliar with the theology of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and I do not give the writings of Brigham Young the same credibility as God's Holy Word.  Others will say that Yahweh is asking these beings "how long will they judge unjustly", seeming to point to the human Israelite judges throughout the Ages.  But to me, it seems clear that God is speaking to a council of divine beings in Heaven, who have been given some kind of authority to interact with the disinherited nations of the earth.  I can find no text in the Old Testament that gives the human judges of Israel that authority.  They are only authorized to judge Israel, and Israel only.
     I would simply say that I find the idea of God's foreknowledge of man as a "spirit being" to be a plausible explanation for many questions I have had about man's free will to choose salvation, or not.  I cannot explain Psalm 82 in any other way.  2 Timothy 1:9 finds the apostle Paul stating that he is not ashamed of the Gospel message, and understands that we must all suffer "according to the power of God, who has saved us and divinely summoned us in the sphere of a holy summons, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began".  (Greek translation).
     I do not expect everyone to agree with my interpretation, and fully expect that the idea will be rejected on its own basis, regardless of what Scripture might suggest.  I simply choose to allow the Bible to say what it says.  There is nothing in my interpretation that subverts the Gospel message or denies the Sovereignty of God.  I would ask that you reread this post to discern what I am really saying, and not react from your first impression.  And, in the end, I think we can all agree with what the final verse has to tell us.
     In verse 8, the identity of the "big g" God is clearly the Messiah, who will return to judge the earth, and will inherit the children of the Most High; all the nations who have accepted Yeshua as their Lord and Savior.  It is our responsibility, if we call ourselves His children, to try to bring as many into His kingdom as we can, and keep them from being disinherited.  This is the most important verse in all of Psalm 82.  Whether we can agree on the identity of the "gods" as "spirit beings", is far less important than agreeing on the return of Jesus, as the Son of God, who will judge all mankind.  It is important to know to whom you have given your allegiance to, and who you will obey.  I know that my God knows me .... every hair on my head; every thought I've ever had; every decision I will make in the future.  He made me, and delights in me, because I have chosen to put my trust and faith in His Son.  That is a comfort that will sustain me in this life and the next.

For those who wish to explore Psalm 82 in further detail, I would suggest this article by Dr. Michael S. Heiser, a noted scholar of Hebrew and Semitic Studies.  Among his many accomplishments, he wrote his PhD dissertation on “The Divine Council in Late Canonical and Non-Canonical Second Temple Jewish Literature.”

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5    "For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that He has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction;"