Does the “Us” in Genesis 1:26 Refer to God and the Angels?

False Insistence: The “Us” in Genesis 1:26 Refers to God and the Angels

In order to deny God the Mother, some people insist that the “Us” in Genesis 1:26 refers to God and the angels. They insist that God worked together with the angels to create mankind. Furthermore, they insist that since angels too created mankind, human beings must worship the angels as well. This insistence comes from a lack of understanding of who the angels are and what their role is.

Can Angels Create Human Beings?

Genesis 1:1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 16, 20, 24 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light…And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”…And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so…Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so…And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,…God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars…And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”…And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.

Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

In the beginning God created all things with God’s word. However, when God was about to create mankind, God spoke differently.

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

If the “Us” refers to God and the angels as people insist, then the angels too become the Creators. This insistence leads to the conclusion that mankind must worship angels as their Creators. However, the first commandment of God in Exodus 20:1-3 says “you shall have no other gods before me.” This is why when the Apostle John wanted to worship the angel who delivered God’s message to him, the angel strongly prevented him from doing so.

Revelation 19:9-10 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

After receiving the message about the wedding supper of the Lamb, the Apostle John was amazed and fell at the feet of the angel to worship the angel. At that time, did the angel receive the praise as the Creator? No, the angel strongly said “don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you…Worship God!”

Through the angel’s reaction we can see that the insistence that the angels are the Creators and must be worshiped is false. The angel in the above scene called himself a “servant.” Let us understand more about the true nature of the angels.

Who Are the Angels?

Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Who are angels? Angels who are called the sons of God (Job 38:7) are ministering spirits to serve those who will be saved. They protect those who will inherit salvation (Acts 12:11) and carry their prayers to God to bring them good tidings (Rev 8:4). From this we can understand that the angels are one of God’s creatures and servants who were created to carry out the will of God.

The Bible also says that the angels will be judged by the saints of God.

1 Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

The saints of God will judge the angels. Since the angels serve the saints and will be judged by the saints, how can the angels be the Creators of the saints?

Moreover, the Bible testifies that angels are capable of sinning and being sent into hell.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;

Angels are punished when they sin and are sent into hell. However, God the Creator is without sin and is the One who executes punishment upon those who sin.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

The Creator God takes away the sins of the world and punishes those who do evil. Angels are capable of sinning and receive punishment for their sins. From this comparison, it is clear that the angels are not the Creator God.

Whom Does the “Us” in Genesis 1:26 Refer To?

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Before the Bible was translated into various languages, it was originally written in Hebrew. At that time, the word “God” was written as “Elohim.” In Hebrew, the word “El” or “Eloah” means God in a singular form. However, the word “Elohim” means Gods in a plural form. This means from the very beginning God was not one but more than one.

Then, how many Gods were there in the beginning?

Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Whom does the “Us” and God “Elohim” refer to? Through the images that came out, we can see the image of the Creators. Which images came out from the image of God and how many were they? The male image and the female image came from the image of God. These are two images and whom do they represent? They represent God Elohim the Creators. People are familiar with the male image of God and call Him God the Father.

Additionally, there is also a female image of God, what must the female image of God be called? She is called God the Mother. The book of Genesis 1:26-27 testifies that we have two Gods in Heaven, God the Father and God the Mother. They are the very Ones who said “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.” They are God Elohim the Creators of the Heavens and the Earth. The insistence that the “Us” in Genesis 1:26 refers to God and the angels is false. It was God the Father and God the Mother who created mankind in the beginning saying “Let us make mankind.”