In the days of Lucifer when timelessness was the ruler of Eternity, all legions of angels who were men used to worship, praise and glorify the God of hosts in perpetuity. All the angels who are male worship a male God in essence. Adam also a male in essence was created first as a random guinea-pig experiment for testing whether he would survive alone among the legion of fallen angels who had thought of rebelling and defying in worshipping the Eternal God. God felt that it was not good for man to be alone in the midst of a horde of dark angels, the reason for creating Eve also, the flesh of the flesh and the bone of his bone. Eve was again the first random woman that God created among the celestials. Eve might have been a ploy thwarting for Devil’s cunning way of disguising as a goddess and enticing Adam to violate the first commandment of God. If the Devil could appear as a serpent that seduced Eve to her perdition, a goddess of Devil’s model could tempt Adam also to sin..

Thus a farsighted and foresighted God divided, not dissected, Adam into two bodies that could create billions and trillions of human beings from a random sample of one body of adam; here comes the proof for God’s boundless ability of confronting any scenario. Assuming that the forbidden tree was a joint adventure of both the angels of darkness and light, we can find the immense power of God in defeating His adversary by accepting the joint venture in the beginning and “having cancelled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross”, Col.2: 14. The forbidden tree was thus proved as a bond with its legal demand that stood against God and the Devil in time. However God’s one body that He created should eventually come into unison ultimatelt, despite His hands separated it tempororaly for vanquishing His enemy permanently.

God, Male or Female:
"I do not believe that God is male in the conventional sense. I believe that God is neither or both. The Hindus believe in Ardha Nareeswara. The Hare Krishna temple shows the evolution from the Fish to Radha Krishna. Why is Sofia depicted as a Woman? Is she not part of the Triune God? I cannot think of the Transcendent as a Macho Chauvinist Man. Why does Genesis 1.27-28 say that God created Man as Male & Female? So God created Man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them'"

Orthodox mysticism is an explosive mix, when we look at a distance. Gen.1: 27 is an introduction and the creation of Adam and Eve in detail is given in ch.2, Adam first and Eve later for a special purpose of killing his monotony, "It is not good for that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him, Gen.2:18, could be the reason for J.Milton to write, "He for God and she for God in him". Because there is only manhood in Heaven, Adam was created as a man, then Eve as the only mother of all children on earth, provided they violated the commandment. Just like Eve was contained in Adam prior to the creation of her, life after death manhood of both man and woman will be as separate entities that reflect the earthly complementing roles of oneness which make as `one body' affirmative given by Jesus and apostles. The one body nuptial role on earth and other complementing functions are manifestations of mature manhood in the afterlife which is a reality of Adam alone in perfect Heavenly harmony that existed prior to the creation of Eve..

Image and likeness of God:
"Perhaps someone would explain why there is both Masculine and Feminine in God the Father and whether Jesus denied this. Can we limit God to a gender?"

No gender action or gender balance in Heaven. If God created man and woman in His image, God has a form that is proven as a man’s image because there is only `mature manhood in Heaven', to the measure of the stature of the fullness of christ', Eph. 4: 13. Eve lived in Adam prior to her creation, just as Levi was in the loin of Abraham at the time when Melchizedek met him. As Eve was separated from Adam with a likely future intention of replenishing the earth, they were created separately, Adam first as a man, woman later for maternal roles. Though woman was separated from Adam, their wedlock oneness and reproducing baby sons and daughters in the same image and likeness continue to work the sameness that existed before the creation of Eve. Man and woman may be clothed with mature manhood again in resurrection like Adam before his fall, despite the feminine form seemingly remain there with no sexual propensity. But Jesus only testifies the presence of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God, not the presence of Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel. As angels are men, Eze.1, man and woman also get that Heavenly sonship that was at the creation of Adam, for which our imperfect mortal bodies `groan inwardly as wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies', Rom.8: 23; 9: 4; Mt.5: 45. “Yet thou hast made him little less than God,, and dost crown him with glory and honour”, Ps.8: 5. “Since all have sinned and lost the glory of God….”, Rom.3: 23, the lost glory and honour will have to be earned by our strivings and penitence that are incorporated in parenting highest quality breed of noble, spiritual human beings who regain the lost Heavenly manhood.

God: Spirit or Body:
Some religions and our own religious veterans teach that God is Spirit, not having any form or image. Man's inner body is a spark of the Spirit of God; does it mean that man has no form or image? Not only man has an inner body, but also he has a physical body with shape and size. Man is a trinity of body, soul or inner man and spirit that has a body image, so also the triune God is having form and image. If the spirit of man disappears from him, he becomes a dead body that decays in this plane. Similarly, God is Spirit who has an image and likeness, the frame that Adam before the fall was created with. `Deham, dehi, atmavu'. Man is seemingly a nuclear translation of the Trinitarian God who is in the image of man. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another ; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit", 2.Cor. 3: 18; Jn.4: 24. “His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen…", Jn.5: 38. This confirms that God has a form. This form is in the image or form of a man who passed walking in front of Moses. God also walked in Eden, could be interpreted by some theologians as a hyperbolic conjecture.

"And above the firmament over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness as it were of human form…appearance of his loins…..", Eze.1: 26-28. "All the Heavenly creatures had the form of men”, Eze.1: 5, 10. What form did the son of Amos see Him in the Temple? Do you need more proofs, if you believe in the bible? That human form is reveled as man or Father, not mother from the very beginning of human history because jesus came down in the form of His Father. “…which is yours in jesus, , who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men”, Phi.2: 5-11. “God and I are the same”, Jn.10: 30.

Look how many times the phrase `Father in Heaven' is repeated by Jesus the Son who has equality in the Triune God. The pronoun `He', `not she' is also another suggestion for your pondering. The Son of the Father, Jesus, is a man, not a woman. The clear proof is that He became Incarnte in a woman without an earthly father. Therefore it proves that the Heavenly Father is Jesus' Father, Lk.1: 35. `Begotten, not made; being of the same substance with the Father'. The third personae of the Triune God, the Spirit of God, is man, not woman, but a feminine solace of consoling, loving and caring aspect is reveled in the New Age because Jesus' selfless sacrifice is a sign of woman's nature of love, affection and care; men also are ought to be clothed with love, care, compassion and duty. I repeat: there is no womanhood or femininity in heaven, there is only mature manhood and sonship there.

Jesus emptied His Heavenly equality and lived in the mortal frame for carrying the yoke of sufferings for our sins. This is what man and woman are expected to do. If you are called as woman, it is her duty to fear, obey and serve in faith and modesty, so as to be a model for their children, and man to honour and work for the safety and protection of the `weaker vessel' and their children. If man and woman are claiming for the artificial equality freedom of utopia, it is not possible for one to interchange the complementing roles and functions of each other every second day because we are tied up with natural and instinctive laws which cannot be severed in this plane. Only in the Lord (Heaven), there is no difference between man and woman, Greek and Jew…., as all are clothed with the garment of incorruption that has no sexual impulse. All in Heaven are heavenly men; no place there for any Heavenly womanhood.

Marriage union:
In every Marriage sacrament we read Ephe.5. The celebrant dictates and the couple obey the Pauline creed, “Wives, be subject to your husband, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church., his body, and is himself its Saviour. As church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands”, Epe.5: 21-24. Or explain, has God changed His law? “…In pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you? Gen.3: 16; 1.Tim.2: 15. If the Christ is the Saviour of the church, husband is the saviour of the wife, even in physical terms for her biological developments. Thus the oneness that existed before the creation of Eve continues also in physical terms through nuptial union that begets children in the same image and likeness. “…man shall leave his father and mother and joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder…Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so”, Mt.19: 5-9. Apart from maternal instincts and their varying role functions, man and woman are one in the physical plane also; they both transforms to the heavenly manhood after leaving from this spehere of life.

One body transformation:
While the conjugal union that is the source of reproducing the progeny in our own image and likeness, the most important one body spiritual accomplishment takes place by becoming a part of the Divine flock is through the receiving of the Blood and Body of Christ. Jesus is the bread that came from Heaven, Jn.6. “Give us our daily bread” refers to the mystical body of Christ, in Syriac ‘lahamo’ that means the Heavenly bread as well as the food for the body. The Body of Christ is a tonic for the spirit and also the body. In Lord’s prayer, we say it ‘appam’, not food like tapioca, yam or saussage roll. This liturgical bread that electrify the flock of Jesus is a common food for the believers who is conjoined as a single unit. This oneness of the flock on earth is a precursor of the sameness of one body Heavenly concept of the spiritual body.

Oneness in the Lord:
“So there shall be one flock, one shepherd”, Jn.10: 16. “…and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church,… that in everything that he might be pre-eminent, Col.1: 15-…For in whoim the whole fullness of deity dwell bodily, and you have come to fullness of life in him, who is the head of all rule and authority”, 2: 9-10. we are all one in the church, we will share the same oneness in the the everlasting life. “ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body”, col.3: 15. Thus the manifestations and the workings of the Heavenly oneness begin by being a part of the church, and the physical signs of the bodily oneness start by nuptial union. As Christ, the head of the church, is a man, the person serving the mysteries must be a priestly man. Since the maleness is the Celestial reality, no woman who is called for replenishing the earth should be a part of the decision-making body in the church that already is a symbol of femaleness.

Just as the Triune God is one and of the same essence, but of three personae, we also may enjoy the same privilege of adorning with the same status, despite there are big and small in the Kingdom of God.

[The contents of this Perspective Article are solely the reflections of the Author - LOL]