The sphere of Binah is associated with the creation aspect of God. The divine name associated with Binah is Elohim. Binah translates as Understanding, and the lesson of this sphere of the Qabalah is to understand the God of Creation. Man was created in the image of God, and therefore we share many traits with Him. Since the creation of the world seems [to us] to have been formed out of a magical and mysterious process, some people have an inherent desire to explore the magical arts or the occult – seeking to emulate the creative aspect of God within us (as will be discussed in the path of the magician connecting Binah and Kether).

God created man by breathing His own breath into him, and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). The divine spark within us intimately connects each of us to God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit intensifies that link. As we seek to purify our souls and grow in character, we must gain Wisdom and Understanding; we must understand the need for Mercy, the need for Justice, and the appropriate balance between them. We must obtain Victory over sin if we are to enter into God’s Glory. Understanding these aspects of God, and the example that Christ left for us can aid us in transforming ourselves into what we are called to become (Romans 8:29).

In graphical depictions of the Qabalah, the sphere of Binah is colored black. The color black represents a combination of all other colors, but each individual color is veiled within it. Binah represents veiled or hidden understanding, and a deeper understanding of the events/concepts contained in God’s creation/plan than what may be readily identifiable on the surface. In this study, we will examine patterns in and the logic found in God’s foreordained plan.

The entire Bible contains the logic of God; this chapter will focus solely on how Jesus fits into God’s plan, and more specifically, how the lives of individuals in the Bible paralleled the life of Christ, foreshadowed key events in His life, and/or paved the way for His purpose. This study deals with predestination and foreordination, and will address God’s plan or purpose, which was determined before the foundation of the world.

In the beginning was the logic/concept/plan; the concept was with God in the beginning and the plan was God’s. God’s plan has existed since the beginning. All things take place according to God’s plan, and apart from God’s plan nothing takes place that has taken place.

The above is a paraphrase of the first few verses in the Book of John. Traditionally, the Logos is translated as ‘Word’ and as a personified title. Logos is the Greek word from which we derived the English words ‘Logic’ and ‘Logo’ – referring to concepts and symbols/representations of concepts. Regardless of how you interpret the Logos in the Book of John, God’s son Jesus has been a central aspect of God’s plan since the foundation of the world.

Matthew 13:34-36 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD."

God’s plan has been in place since the beginning, and was not fully understood or revealed to previous generations.

John 17:24 "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST, "although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.


1 Peter 1:19-21 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Acts 2:23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

1 Corinthians 2:7-8 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

Jesus plays a central role in God’s plan, and the events of His life were ordained by God before the foundation of the world (and were foreshadowed by events in the lives of others). Jesus was given glory and love by God, because He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Jesus wasn’t actually slain before the world began, but He was ordained or predestined to be since that time. God foreknew and loved Jesus before He was born; similar to how God loved Jacob and hated Esau prior to their births, and before they had yet done anything good or bad (Romans 9:13). Before the world began, the works that Jesus would do, were considered to have already been completed actions in God’s plan. God ordained the final outcomes of every individual prior to creating the world; some were destined for honor and others for dishonor (2 Timothy 2:20, Romans 9:21).
Matthew 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Ephesians 1:4-6 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Romans 8:28-31 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Like Jesus, every individual person has their specific roles to play in God’s preordained plan. Though some religions – such as Mormons – claim that prior to creation we existed as angels – only to have our memories erased so that we can live human lives – it is more plausible that we existed in God’s plan, concept, and purpose. We may not have existed as preincarnate beings, but we were destined to be called and chosen to enter the kingdom – solely by God’s grace.

Jesus is central to God’s plan. It is almost as if God created the world in order to glorify His Son and establish Him as the ruler of it. The lives of many of God’s servants paralleled/mimicked the events of Christ’s life, and provided a foreshadowing of Christ’s purpose and the work He would accomplish. Of course, the entire Bible reveals Christ to us and helps us to understand God. This study will focus only on a few of the major characters in the Bible whose lives seem to be interrelated/interconnected with Jesus Christ.

Abraham and Sarah traveled to the Promised Land (Genesis 12:1) and were diverted to Egypt in order to avoid a famine (Genesis 12:10). Similar to Joseph and Mary (Matthew 2:13), Abraham and Sarah fled to Egypt to escape from a danger. Abraham and Sarah would then return to the Promised Land to give birth to a miraculous child (Genesis 17:19) (Isaac – who would born when Sarah was past her child bearing years) who God would form an everlasting covenant with and as Abraham’s only begotten son, he would be offered as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:2, Hebrews 11:17) to God (though an angel prevented the sacrifice). Similarly, Jesus would return from Egypt, establish a New Covenant in His Blood, and would serve as a sacrificial lamb (Genesis 22:6, 1 John 4:9, Hebrews 11:17, Luke 22:20, John 3:16). Some of the events in Isaac’s life and the events of Passover (Exodus 12:1-11) are directly related to Jesus’ life and purpose.

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son

1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

God tested Abraham by basically saying, ‘If you love me, sacrifice your son.’ To display His love for us, God sacrificed His son for us (John 3:16). Because the Egyptians killed all of the Hebrew sons (Exodus 1:22), God punished them by killing every first born son in the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:12) – an event commemorated by the Feast of Passover, which is the meal that Jesus ate prior to His crucifixion (Matthew 26:17) and where He established the Blood of the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). The New Covenant being that Jesus would become the sacrificial lamb of the Passover in order to save His followers (who were predestined/foreordained) from death (Revelations 13:8).

Isaac fathered Jacob who would go on to father the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph’s life also has many similarities to the life of Jesus. Joseph was a shepherd and reported to his father the evil deeds of his brother; Joseph’s father loved Joseph more than all his other children (similar to how Abraham had other sons, yet Isaac was considered his only begotten, because Isaac was the one he loved) (Genesis 37:2-3). Jesus referred to Himself as the ‘Good Shepherd’ (John 10:11), Jesus rebuked those around Him for their evil (Matthew 9:4), and He was God’s beloved son in whom He was well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Joseph would tell his brothers of a dream he had in which they would all one day bow down to him (Genesis 37:9); similarly, in the future, every knee will bow to Jesus (Philippians 2:10). Like the Chief Priests and the Pharisees’ response to Jesus’ message, Joseph’s brothers were jealous and rejected his claim that he would one day rule over them – so they sought to kill him (Genesis 37:19-20, Matthew 26:59, Matthew 19:14).

Joseph was sold for 20 shekels of silver (Genesis 37:20); Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 27:3). Joseph was falsely accused of and condemned for a crime (Genesis 39:19-21), Jesus was also condemned by false testimony (Mark 14:57, 15:3). To cover their crime, Joseph’s brothers claimed that he had been killed by an evil beast when tending the sheep (Genesis 37:33); Jesus taught the parable of the Good Shepherd, and described the Good Shepherd as someone willing to die defending the sheep from the wolves (John 10:11) – though neither Jesus or Joseph were literally killed by wolves while defending actual sheep. Due to the betrayal of his brothers, Joseph started a new life in Egypt; as time went on, he was given great authority in Egypt (Genesis 41:41). Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples (Judas) and condemned and resurrected, and now all authority has been given unto Him (Ephesians 1:20-22, Revelations 5:12).

Due to another famine, the Hebrews again needed to travel to Egypt for their survival (Genesis 42:1). Joseph’s prediction came true and his brothers did bow down to him, and he was placed in a position where he could punish them for their sins (Genesis 41:21). From Jacob’s point of view, his beloved son had died defending the sheep, but he later learns that his son now lives and has been given authority to either rescue his people or condemn them; this is similar to Christ’s death and resurrection, followed by Him being granted authority to save or condemn sinners.

When Moses was born Pharaoh had ordered all male Hebrew children to be killed at birth (Exodus 1:16-22), so Moses was placed in a basket and found and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter – where he escaped death by hiding in an Egyptian household (Exodus 2:3-5). When Jesus was born, His family escaped to Egypt, because King Herod had ordered all male children two years old and younger to be killed (Matthew 2:13-16). Moses would serve as God’s spokesmen, perform miracles, and would aid in saving his people from bondage. Jesus delivered the word of God to the Lost Sheep of Israel, performed miracles, and saved his people from the bondage of sin. The events of Passover were deeply related to the mission of Christ (Exodus 12:1-11).

Moses later lifted up a bronze serpent in the desert, so that anyone who looked at the serpent lifted up on the tree would have the punishment for their sins removed (Numbers 21:6-9); the serpent in the tree relates to the tempter in the Garden of Eden and Original Sin (Genesis 3:1-4) and the bronze serpent is an example of sin judged, which would be fulfilled by Christ (John 3:14). Moses would start God’s people on a journey out of bondage, which would eventually turn into a military campaign to reclaim the Promised Land. Jesus’ life and death paralleled many aspects of the life of Moses, and both concluded with people being freed from bondage and awaiting a war to reclaim the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12, Deuteronomy 1:37-39, Joshua 1:2, Revelations 19:11-21).

King David is another individual whose life is deeply intertwined with Jesus. King David provides an example of the Good Shepherd in action.

1 Samuel 17:34-36 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.

King David was a ‘mighty man of valor’ and a ‘man of war’ (1 Samuel 16:18). David defended his father’s flock and later defended God’s people from their enemies. King David represents the justice aspect of God, and serves as a model for the role Christ will play when He leads the Armies of Heaven in the final battle to establish justice on earth (Revelations 19:11). While on earth, Jesus revealed the scriptures and God’s message of salvation to the Lost Sheep of Israel. He taught forgiveness and empathy for our fellowman, but that was only one aspect of Christ’s purpose. Christ did not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword (Matthew 10:34, Revelations 6:4).

Contemporary Christians will often ignore the harsher aspects/passages of the Bible (such as those relating to justice), but these things are key traits of God and one cannot truly be a follower of God or Christ without accepting these basic aspects of their personalities. It is true that King David fought many wars and killed many people, but at the appointed time, Jesus will lead the Armies of Heaven to liberate the Holy Land very similar to the events in King David’s life.

Revelation 19:11-21 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Revelations 14:14-20 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia

Another relevant association between King David and Jesus is the fact the Jesus is destined to sit on King David’s throne.

Acts 4:27-28 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and your purpose predestined to occur.”

1 Samuel 13:14 "But now your kingdom shall not endure The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

Acts 13:22 "After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, 'I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.'

Psalm 89:20-29 I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him. My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him. The enemy will not get the better of him; the wicked will not oppress him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries. My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted. I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers. He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’ And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail. I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.

Before rejecting King David as a harsh warrior whose actions might seem repugnant to contemporary Christianity; it is important to note that David was a man after God’s own heart. God approved of David’s actions and found him to be a faithful servant in all matters, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

1 Kings 11:38 'Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

1 Kings 14:8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you-- yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight;

1 Kings 15:4-5 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

Jesus is portrayed in the New Testament as being faithful to God’s will and without sin. Likewise, King David was God’s faithful servant throughout his lifetime in all but one occasion (for which is suffered greatly). King David was God’s anointed King, and God promised to establish an everlasting kingdom through the descendants of King David.

Psalm 89:35-37 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness— and I will not lie to David—that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun; it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.”

Isaiah 11:1-5 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

2 Samuel 7:15-16 “but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”

1 Kings 9:4-5 Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

Psalm 45:6-7 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows.

The Kingdom of David did not last long after his death, but God will keep His promise to King David by establishing Jesus – as one of David’s descendants – to sit on David’s throne forever. The words ‘Christ’ and ‘Messiah’ refers to an anointed king. Many people do not understand the meaning of these terms and also mix up the terms LORD (which when written in the Bible in all capital letters is referring to the Tetragrammaton or four letter name of God) with lord (which is translated from adonai or dominus, meaning master or sir). The terms ‘Christ’ and ‘Messiah’ do not refer to a member of the Catholic godhead, but refers to an anointed king who in Hebrews prophecies will reestablish the throne of David and rule in the Holy Land. Jews do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, because Jesus did not (yet) do what the Messiah is supposed to do.

Christians recognize that during Jesus’ life He fulfilled His role of the Passover Lamb, but Christ’s role as the conquering Messiah King has not happen yet, and will not happen until the prophecies in the Book of Revelations are fulfilled – though we do recognize that Christ’s work is already finished, because He is predestined to fulfill this role in God’s foreordained plan. Jesus has been given all authority in Heaven and on Earth (Ephesians 1:20-22, Revelations 5:12), but Jesus does not occupy God’s throne – Jesus sits at God’s right hand and will rule from the throne of David, which will be reinstituted as an everlasting kingdom (in fulfillment of God’s promise) at the Second Coming of Christ. Besides the prophecies in the Old Testament, the New Testament also refers to Jesus as being a king who will sit on the throne of King David.

Luke 1:31-33 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Luke 23:1-3 Then the whole body of them got up and brought Him before Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." So Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He answered him and said, "It is as you say."

Matthew 16:13-18 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

John 19:19-21 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS." Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'"

Matthew 19:28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Revelation 21:2-4 I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 22:3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him

The Book of Revelations states that New Jerusalem will have two thrones – one for God and one for the Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb and sits at the right hand of God (on the throne of David). At the Second Coming of Christ, Jesus will lead the Armies of Heaven, dispense justice, administer God’s wrath, and He will reestablish the throne of David – fulfilling the Messiah prophecies for both the Jews and the Christians at that time, and completing the master plan of God that was written before the foundation of the world.

As one final parallel, during Jesus’ life, He sometimes referred to Himself as the ‘Son of Man.’ Ezekiel is the only other person in the Bible besides Jesus who is referred to by the personal title ‘Son of Man’. Like Ezekiel, Jesus served as God’s messenger to warn the people to repent of their sins or face judgment (Ezekiel 3:17). In the Book of Ezekiel, the good and the evil are sealed for redemption by marks on their foreheads, in the same manner they are in the Book of Revelations (Ezekiel 9:4-5, Revelations 7:2-3, 9:4, 14:1, 20:4, 22:4).

Both books also discuss the four living creatures (Ezekiel Ch 1, Revelations Ch 4-7). Ezekiel’s life was a foreshadowing of the ‘calling to repentance’ aspect of Christ’s life, similar to how Moses represents the rescuing from bondage, and David represents the avenging ruler aspects. Together and combined with many other Biblical characters not covered in this chapter, the lives of these individuals provided a foreshadowing of the insurmountable mission, purpose, and role that Christ plays in God’s foreordained plan.