Many take up a position that man is eternal & hence, his destiny is either eternally in heaven or eternally in the lake of fire. Scriptures are not in vacuum in showing us man is mortal and his mortality has an end either in Second death in the lake of fire or translation from mortality to immortality by Yahusha ha Mashiyach.
Gen 2:7 Then
Yahuah Elohim formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath/neshama H5397 of lives/chayam H2416; and man became a living soul/nephesh H5315
Neshama H5397 From H5395; a puff,
that is, wind, angry or vital breath,
divine inspiration, intellect or
(concretely) an animal: - blast, (that) breath (-eth),
inspiration, soul, spirit.
Nisham H5395 ‘to destroy’ or ‘blow away’
Moreover, the
word translated in KJV & other English translation is ‘life’ but the word ‘chayam’
is plural in Hebrew and should be translated as ‘lives’. Why do we see the
lives as plural? To understand this better let’s look at the same usage in
other passages
- "Neshamah
chayam" is in Genesis 2:7 (creation)- Then Yahuah Elohim formed man of
dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath/neshama
H5397 of
lives/chayam H2416;
and man became a living soul/nephesh H5315
- "Ruach chayyam" is in
Genesis 6:17: “And see, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on
the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath/ruach of lives/chayam
from under the heavens – all that is on the earth is to die.
- Genesis
7:15 “ruach chayam" is
in Genesis 7:22 “Nishmat ruach chayam” (everyone dying at flood) :
Gen 7:15 And they went into the ark to Noaḥ, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath/ruach
of lives/chayam.
Gen7:22 all which
in whose nostrils was breathed/nishmat the breath/ruach of lives/chayam
of all that was on the dry land, died.
Three different Hebrew phrases (neshama chayam, ruach chayam
& nishmat ruach chayam), but the same English translation.
What is significant that ‘Adam’ received a plurality of lives
breathed into him?
Chahuah didn’t receive her breath
of life from Aluahym, certainly it doesn’t say Aluahym breath into her nostril
life nor lives. Both
Adam and Eve were housed in the same body initially? And later Eve was removed
and given her own housing/body?
Gen 1:27
And Elohim created the man in His image, in the image of Elohim He created him – male and
female He created them.
Gen 5:1 This is the book of the
genealogy of Aḏam. In the day
that Elohim created man, He made him in the likeness of Elohim.
Gen 5:2
Male and female He created them, and He blessed them, and called
their name ‘Aḏam’ in the day they were created.
Hence, Chauah/Eve’s breath was in Adam as ‘neshama
chayam’
Gen 3:20 Now the man called the name of his wife
Chauwah (Eve), because she was the mother/am of all life/chay
The man was created as the head of all the race, to
rule over the works of Yahuah’s hands. The woman was within the man until she
was housed into her own body and became the mother of all life. Notice here in
Gen 3:20 its says Chauah was the mother of ALL LIFE (Singular)
Psa 8:4 What is man that You remember him? And the
son of man that You visit him?
Psa 8:5 Yet You have made him a little less than Elohim,
And have
crowned him with esteem and splendour.
Psa 8:6 You made him rule over the works of Your
hands; You have put all under his feet,
Psa 8:7 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of
the field,
Psa 8:8
The birds of the heavens, And the fish of the sea, Passing through the paths of
the seas.
While the first man
became the head of all the race, the last Adam became a life giving Ruach, the
dominion of the world to come is in Mashiyach, for the first Adam in His
disobedience brought the entire creation into a need of redemption from
futility with a groaning pain of deliverance. This fell exactly as purposed by
Yahuah.
Rom 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility,
not from choice, but because of Him who subjected it, in anticipation,
Rom 8:21 that the creation itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage to corruption into the esteemed freedom of the
children of Elohim.
Rom 8:22
For we know that all the creation groans together, and suffers the pains of
childbirth together until now.
1Co 15:22
For as all die in Aḏam, so also
all shall be made alive in Messiah.
Heb 2:5 For it is not to messengers that He has
subjected the world to come, concerning which we speak.
Heb 2:6 But somewhere one has witnessed, saying, “What is man that You remember him, or the son of
man that You look after him?
Heb 2:7 “You have made him a little lower than Elohim. You have
crowned him with esteem and respect, and set him over the works of Your hands.
Heb 2:8 “You have put all in subjection under his feet.” Psa_8:4-6 For in that He put all in subjection under
him, He left none that is not subjected to him. But now we do not yet see all subjected
to him.
Heb 2:9
But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the messengers,
יהושע,
because of the suffering of death crowned with esteem and respect, that by the
favour of Elohim He should taste death for everyone.
Chauah
was taken from Adam in whom was the breath of lives/chayam. Hence, even though
she was the first one to break Yahuah’s command of eating from the tree of
knowledge of good and evil, the consequences fell on the man in whom was the
breath of lives/chayam. For she was taken from Him and the breath of Yahuah had
the Torah of divine inspiration was breathed into Adam.
Neshama H5397 From H5395; a puff,
that is, wind, angry or vital breath,
divine inspiration, intellect or
(concretely) an animal: - blast, (that) breath (-eth),
inspiration, soul, spirit.
Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world
His invisible qualities have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made, both His everlasting power and Mightiness,
for them to be without excuse,
Rom 1:21 because, although they knew
Elohim, they did not esteem Him as Elohim, nor gave thanks, but became vain in
their reasonings, and their undiscerning heart was darkened
This divine inspiration of His invisible attributes was in the breath
of lives in Adam and Chauah was brought forth from within him. Hence, Adam was
accountable for actions of his wife and her disobedience first became second in
his.
Rom 5:14 But death reigned from Aḏam until Mosheh, even over those who had not
sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Aḏam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
Adam was a type of
He who was to come i.e. Yahusha ha Mashiyach. Hence, the woman taken out from
Him, he bore her sins. Adam had no capability to redeem his wife or her seed
whereas Yahusha had the power to deliver His bride from her sins and took her
blame upon Himself, though he being blameless. That is why we see Yahuah saying
in perspective of Him being in the realm when Adam and Chauah sinned , he stood
as Yahuah, and in the future realm as Yahusha when He would actually identify
Himself with her sins and its consequences upon Himself. Hence, he said “See, the man has become like one of Us, to know
good and evil…”
Gen 3:22 And יהוה Elohim said, “See, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life,
and eat, and live forever...”
Gen 3:23 so יהוה Elohim sent him out of the
garden of Ěḏen to till the ground from which he was taken,
Gen 3:24 and He drove the man out. And
He placed keruḇim at the
east of the garden of Ěḏen, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the
tree of life.
If man was immortal
then why would He state in the same verse 22 of Gen 3 & verse 23? “… And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of
the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”
Gen 3:23 so יהוה Elohim sent him out of the
garden of Ěḏen to till the ground from which he was taken,
Eph 5:29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but
feeds and cherishes it, as also the Master does the assembly.
Eph 5:30 Because we are members of His body, of His
flesh and of His bones.
Eph 5:31 “For this cause a man shall leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
Eph 5:32 This secret is great, but I speak
concerning Messiah and the assembly.
The first man was
made a nephesh chayah, the last Adam referring to Mashiyach, he was not made
but is a Ruach ma chayah/Spirit of Life
1Co 15:45
And so it has been written, “The first man Aḏam was made/yahay a living being, the last Aḏam a Spirt of life/Ruach ma chayah.
Adam as a
representative of the entire human race had in Him the breath of lives but
Mashiyach born of a woman, under Torah is the RUACH MA CHAYAH i.e. the giver of
life both the temporal as well as eternal
Gal 4:4 But when the completion of the
time came, Elohim sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under Torah,
Gal 4:5 to redeem those who were under
Torah, in order to receive the adoption as sons.
Though He is
termed here as the last Adam, He is the firstborn over all creation, He is
before all things and by Him all things consists. It is evident that Adam was
created by His blowing/nisham (to destroy) into Adam’s nostrils the
breath/neshama of lives/chayam which included His own temporal breath in the
likeness of Adam which He came through to deliver it. Or else Yahuah wouldn’t
have said “ Man is become like One of Us to know good and evil” for He was
taking full responsibility of subjecting the creation in futility, in
anticipation of deliverance through Him (Rom 8:20)
Nisham H5395 ‘to destroy’ or ‘blow away’. Nisham actually is better understood as a
life which would eventually end/ will be destroyed
Col 1:15 who is the likeness of the
invisible Elohim, the first-born of all creation
Col 1:16 Because in Him were created all
that are in the heavens and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or rulerships or principalities or authorities – all have been created through Him
and for Him.
Col 1:17 And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist.
Having died for our sins, He rose from the dead as He is the RUACH LIFE
GIVER. Speaking about the veil being taken away in Mashiyach, Shaul the
emissary speaks of Him ‘’Now the ADO is the RUACH’
2Cor3:16 but at
the time it shall turn to the Adon (Master), the veil is taken away
2Cor3:17 Now
the Adon is the Spirit/Ruach, and where the Spirit of the Adon is, there is
freedom.
He is the
firstborn from the dead. Firstborn from the dead means that He is the first to
rise from the dead to immortality, while the others whom the prophets raised
from the dead and He Himself raised form the dead, died again having the temporal
breath of life in them from Adam. Only Mashiyach can translate into immortality
Col 1:18 And He is the Head of the body,
the assembly, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that
He might become the One who is first in all.
2Co 5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not
for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be
swallowed up of life.
We saw the first aspect as stated in Gen 2:7 ‘breath of lives’ (neshama
chayam)
Now let’s look at Ruach chayam as stated in Gen 6:17, Gen 7:15 & ‘nishmat
ruach chayam’ Gen 7:22 in relation to the flood:
Gen 6:17, Gen 7:15 & Gen 7:22 are scriptural
references to the flood and the breath of lives being destroyed
While we understand that the breath of lives is in
respect to Adam and his race, how does it affect the animals on dry land? Why
did Yahuah ask two by two of each kind be taken into the ark by Noach?
We can understand this from King Shaul disobedience
to Yahuah & the scripture which came later in written Torah which helps us
understand as to why Yahuah destroyed even the animals on dry land. While king Shaul’s
intention seemed right in man’s eyes yet it was a grave sin in Yahuah’s eyes.
1Sa 15:8 And he caught Aḡaḡ sovereign of the Amalěqites alive, and put under
the ban all the people with the edge of the sword.
1Sa 15:9 But Sha’ul and the people spared Aḡaḡ and the best of the sheep,
and the cattle, and the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and
would not put them under the ban. But all goods despised and worthless, that
they put under the ban.
Shaul spared Agag the king of Amalek and the best of
the sheep and cattle which he later tells Shemuel that he kept them to slaughter
to Yahuah
1Sa 15:14 But Shemu’ěl said, “What then is this
bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the cattle which I hear?”
1Sa 15:15 And Sha’ul said, “They have brought
them from Amalěq, because the people spared the best of the sheep and the
cattle, to slaughter to יהוה your Elohim. And the rest we
have put under the ban.”
The sheep, cattle were to be killed with all the
people because we read in Leviticus 18:21-25 that these nations defiled their
animals by having sexual intercourse with even the animals. Here was king Shaul
with his intention to slaughter these sexually abused animals to Yahuah as
slaughter offerings. That’s how grave his sin was.
Lev 18:21 ‘And do not give any of your
offspring to pass through to Moleḵ. And do not profane the Name of your
Elohim. I am יהוה.
Lev 18:22 ‘And do not lie with a male as with a
woman, it is an abomination.
Lev 18:23 ‘And do not have intercourse with
any beast, to defile yourself with it. And a woman does not stand before a
beast to mate with it, it is a perversion.
Lev 18:24 ‘Do not defile yourselves with all
these, for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am driving out before
you.
Lev 18:25 ‘Thus the land became defiled,
therefore I punished it for its crookedness, and the land vomited out its
inhabitants.
The earth had become defiled by men lying with men,
men and women having sex with animals etc which is why Yahuah wouldn’t spare
even the animals of the land. Those from the undefiled were led to the Noach’s
ark two by two. Later we see from the clean kind, Noach post the flood offers
clean animals to Yahuah. The
It’s amazing to see the usage of the plural ‘chayam’
for animals as well and further on understanding the spiritual aspect it is
more amazing.
Gen 6:17, 7:15 & 7:22 is in reference to mankind
& clean & unclean beasts
Let’s view the first passage Gen 6:17. Yahuah says He will destroy all flesh in which is the breath
of life from under the heavens & uses the words ‘ruach chayam’.
Gen 6:17
“And see, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy all flesh
in which is the breath of life/ruach chayam from under the heavens – all
that is on the earth is to die
To understand this better
we need to read Gen 7:2-2 & verse 15
In Gen 7:2 Yahuah asks to bring of the clean beasts
and birds 7 pairs i.e. 7 male & females, and from the unclean two, a male
and his female
Gen 7:2 “Of all
the clean beasts take with you seven pairs, a male and his female; and of the
beasts that are unclean two, a male and his female;
Gen 7:3
and of birds of the heavens seven pairs, male and female, to keep
offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
Gen 7:15 is a summary of
both the 7 clean two’s & unclean two’s taken inside the ark. Hence, its mentioned
two by two
Gen 7:15
And they went into the ark to Noaḥ, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath
of life/ruach chayam.
Now let’s read
Gen 7:22. Gen 7:22 is a summary of mankind denoted by the word ‘nishmat’ which
we saw earlier (neshama chayam), here it’s in reference to the mankind left outside
the ark to be destroyed.
Gen 7:22 All
which in whose nostrils was breathed/nishmat the breath/ruach of lives/chayam
of all that was on the dry land, died.
Similarly, ‘ruach chayam’ is a summary of both the clean & unclean
animals left outside the ark which will be destroyed in Gen 7:22 along with
mankind and those taken into the ark in Gen 7:15 . The clean animals were used
in sacrifice to Yahuah. Sexual intercourse with a clean animal would defile the
animal but that animal would still be part of the clean lot but it cannot be
offered to Yahuah as a sacrifice and we saw why Torah which came written later
said to destroy them all. This category of clean and unclean beasts are denoted
by the words ‘ruach chayam’, for the clean animals, these animals had the
potential to be multiplied and they and
their offspring sacrificed to Yahuah, but now they would also die. We don’t
have any scripture reference anywhere to show that Yahuah breathed into the
nostrils of the beast and they became ‘ruach chayam’. Hence, the term is exclusively
to be understood in terms of qualified/clean sacrificial animals either inside
or outside the ark as we saw in Gen 7:15 (within the ark) & Gen 7:22
(outside the ark along with mankind). Gen 6:17 is the same summary but with the
absence of mankind because in verse 19 of Gen 16 Yahuah is talking about
bringing two of each into the ark. He wasn’t asking two of each from mankind
but from the clean and unclean animals (7 clean pairs and two unclean). Hence,
they are ‘ruach chayam’
Gen 6:17
“And see, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy all flesh
in which is the breath of life/ruach chayam from under the heavens – all
that is on the earth is to die
Gen 6:18
“And I shall establish My covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark,
you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
Gen 6:19 “And of all the living of all flesh, two of each, you are to
bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you – a male and a female.
The sacrificial clean animals without blemish have the breath of lives because they all pointed to the perfect sacrifice to Yahusha who is the Lamb of Aluahym who takes away the sins of Yasharal. Their life is still temporal as Adam who had the breath of lives as what befalls beast befalls man.
Ecc 3:19
For the event of the sons of men is also the event of beasts – one event befalls them: as one
dies, so dies the other. Indeed, they all have one breath/ruach – man
has no advantage over beasts. For all is futile.
