Malkuth is the sphere of the Qabalah that we live in. It represents the Earth and the physical plane of existence. It is a world full of false teachings and deceitful doctrines. Discrimination is an attribute commonly associated with this sphere of the Qabalah. Sifting through all of the false doctrines and manmade religious dogmas is one of the challenges we face as we seek the truth and a better understanding of God. Malkuth is the place where you first begin to figure out what you believe, and is where your journey up the Tree of Life begins.

Another title for Malkuth is The Bride or the Kingdom. It is said that Kether represents the Father, Tiphareth represents the Son (Christ), and Malkuth represents the son’s Bride (the church). The name of God associated with Malkuth is Adonai Ha Aretz, which means the Lord of the Earth (Exodus 9:29, Matthew 28:18)

Revelations 11: 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks, that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Malkuth is a very interesting sphere, because God so loved the World that he sacrificed his only begotten son for it, but at the same time we are told that if we love the world then the Father is not in us.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

How is it that God loves the world so much that he would sacrifice his son for it, yet we are told not to love the world? To answer this question we will look at a few more Bible verses.

Genesis 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

When God created the Earth (described in the Book of Genesis), it was a masterpiece. God saw that it was good. The world really is an extraordinary place. The problem with the world is the evil and sin that exists in it.

Genesis 6:5-6 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

1 John 2:16-17 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

The World is under the curse of Original Sin (Genesis 3:17-19), because Adam and Eve defied God and ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:17).

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Before Original Sin thorn bushes did not exist and man and animals did not try to kill and eat one another. The world was a perfect paradise. Once evil entered into the world, the world became inherently evil. Now both good and evil exist on the earth, but as Genesis 6:5-6 states above, the thoughts of man became consumed with evil, and it caused God to regret even creating man.

It is at this stage that God flooded the earth and only allowed Noah and his family to survive (Genesis 6:7 and Genesis 6:18-20). That is why God loves the world, yet we are instructed not to. The thoughts and intentions of man are inclined toward evil; we are the ones that make the world a bad place. God instructs us not to desire the things of this world, but to seek his kingdom first. This is not a new commandment; the first commandment in the Ten Commandments is to have, “no other god before me (Exodus 20:3).”

Matthew 6:31-33 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We are instructed to put God first in our lives and to seek his Kingdom. This is for our own salvation, and we will still be able to have the things that we need to survive while we are here.

Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

The above verses state why we should be focused on the Kingdom of Heaven as apposed to the material things of this world. The material gains of this world amount to nothing. We are but a vapor that is only here a little while and then is gone.

James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

So if the world is so evil, why would God send His son to die for it?

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

God sent His son into the world to save it, at least those in the world that are willing to listen.

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

In the above verse Jesus states that he will be sacrificed to give life to the world.

Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

John 14:30-31 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do…

The above verses state that it was God’s will that Jesus be sacrificed for the sins of the world, and that Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself in order to be obedient to His father. The above verses also refer to the Devil as the Prince of this world. We will discuss the sacrifice that Jesus made – I its purpose – further in the chapter on the sphere of Tiphareth. Now we will move on to how we are to behave in this world.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

John 17:14-19 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

We are called to exist in this world, but not be conformed to the evil that exists in it. We are to be followers of Christ, and follow the instructions given to us in the Bible. We are called to be holy and to sanctify ourselves. This is what I consider to be the Magnum Opus or the Great Work. We are to exist in a world of evil, yet not be partakers of that evil. This task is not easy, and the world will be against us (because of our beliefs), but for those who overcome the world a Crown of Life awaits.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 11:9-10 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

1 John 5:3-6 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

The above verses state that Jesus is the light of this world, and that if we follow him we will not stumble. We are to overcome the world, and we do this by believing in Jesus and trusting/following Him. This is one of the main lessons of Malkuth. Malkuth is at the bottom of the Tree of Life, you cannot climb above the sphere of Malkuth until you are able to overcome the evils of this world.

The first step in overcoming any obstacle is to become aware of the need to overcome it. If you do not recognize that man is predisposed to evil or that you have sin in your life that needs correcting, then you will not even begin the process of purifying your soul. You don’t need to successfully overcome the world before you can progress further up the Tree of Life, but you do need to understand the need to overcome the world and begin working towards that objective. The battle against sin will be an on going battle you will fight for the rest of your life.

The sphere of Malkuth is also referred to as the Bride. The Bride that is being referred to is the Bride of Christ.

Ephesians 5:22-33 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

The above verses are both metaphoric and literal. The Church as Christ’s bride is to be subject to her husband in everything, but the verses also state how actual husbands and wives are to interact with each other.

Revelations 21:9-10 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God

The above verse refers to the Bride as the New Jerusalem the holy city that will be established on earth at the second coming of Christ. The church is still included in this reference, because they will be the inhabitants of this city. Now we will take a look at some references from the Old Testament regarding the Bride.

Isaiah. 54:5-8 "For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. "For the Lord has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected," Says your God. "For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. "In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you," Says the Lord your Redeemer.

Hosea 2:18-23 "In that day I will also make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, The birds of the sky And the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, And make them lie down in safety. I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord. "It will come about in that day that I will respond,"declares the LORD. "I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth, And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, And they will respond to Jezreel. "I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people,'You are My people!' And they will say,'You are my God!'"

The Old Testament verses (above) make it clear that the followers of the Most High God are the Bride. We will live in peace and in paradise without any fear or worries. One statement that I find interesting is in Hosea 2:23 where it says, “I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people.” This is an unusual statement to be made in the Old Testament. The Chosen People of the Old Testament did not like to share their God with anyone, but this was a prophecy of things to come. The acceptance of the Gentiles by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was predicted.

Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

God’s gift and Christ’s sacrifice is for everyone. There is no longer a distinction between Jew and Gentile. Everyone has an equal opportunity at salvation. This is another lesson that you must learn in the sphere of Malkuth. God does not give wisdom to only a chosen few. There is no secret knowledge or hidden sect that possesses more knowledge then the others. God’s message is available to everyone and hidden from no one.

It is easy to fall into the trap of vanity, and seek knowledge from the occult or some other supposed secret organization that claims to hold information that gives them a leg up on the other groups. The truth is there is know secret information, and no one group has an advantage over the next. They might have a different practice or way of looking at things (that makes it easier to understand for them), but nobody possesses any secret knowledge that others don’t have the same access to. This is vanity and it is wide spread on the earth.

The Mormon’s have the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price, and then there are the Lost Books of the Bible, The Book of Adam and Eve, The Book of Eden, The Zohar, and many others. It is natural for people to want to believe they have secret knowledge that nobody else has, but it is vanity; it seems natural, because man is predisposed to sin. It is vanity that causes people to fall into this trap. It is man’s wisdom that they end up possessing, and it is folly.

1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

1 Corinthians 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Mathew 11:25-30 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

The above verses state that those who consider themselves as wise on earth do not actually even know God; even if they thought they had the inside scoop on Him. If you truly seek wisdom you must receive it from God. You will not find it in any college, or in any philosophy of man. It is a free gift to all. Incase you were wondering, yes, the Qabalah too is man’s wisdom. This book does not claim to give you an inside track on spiritual development, it is only meant to serve as a graphical aid to help make a difficult subject more understandable if you choose to use it.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

2 Chronicles 1:10-12 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

If you ask God, He will give you wisdom, but you have to ask with the right motives – because God knows the desire of your hearts (Luke 16:15). Now that the Holy Spirit has come to the earth, he will be our guide in everything. We will study the work of the Holy Spirit further in the chapter on the sphere of Yesod. For now, we will continue our study on discernment.

Romans 16:17-19 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.

The above verses warn you to avoid those who teach deceitful doctrines for their own material gain. The statement in Romans 16:19 about wishing you to be wise about what is good, but simple concerning evil is not saying that you are to be naïve in regards to evil. I wish my children would never have to deal with evil, but they will have to because evil is rampant in this world. The Bible does not state that you are to be naïve in relation to evil, but you are to be able to recognize the evil in is world and overcome it.

Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

2 Corinthens 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

We are to be aware of the evil in this world and we are to guard ourselves against it. Being as wise as serpents yet harmless as doves, means we are to know about evil in order to protect ourselves against it, but we are not supposed to be partakers of the evil.

I Thessalonians 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Romans 12:17-18 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Do not stoop to their level. It somebody cheats you at something, be on guard not to be cheated by them again, but do not devise an evil plan to try to cheat them in return.

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Ephesians 5:6-8 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Matthew 7:13-15 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

The above verses further warn you to be cautious of the wisdom of man and of deceitful doctrines. Matthew 7:25 warns of wolves in sheep’s clothing. This would represent someone who seems trustworthy on the outside, but inside they are seeking all manner of evil against you. The followers of Christ are often referred to as sheep (Matthew 10:6) with Christ as their Shepherd (John 10:11). Wolves are a natural enemy of sheep and in the above verse represents the devil or other evildoers.

Matthew 24:4-5 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Matthew 24:4-5 states that the things preached by the false prophets may be very convincing, and will deceive many people. The false prophets will even be able to perform great signs and wonders. It will require a great deal of discernment to not be deceived. It requires us to already possess a good understanding of God and the Bible. We need to know the words of God well enough that we can catch a false prophet in their mistakes. If we are being taught a different doctrine, then we should be able to identify where it strays from the truth that we already possess.

1 John 3:7-10 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he migh destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

The above verses help you to distinguish between the children of righteousness and the children of the devil. As you begin your journey up the Tree of Life, you must overcome the world. You must recognize the need to overcome your sins, and begin working at doing so. You must learn discernment, and be able to differentiate between the truth and the false doctrines of man.

The first thing that you need to get past is vanity. The wisdom of man is considered foolishness to God. No person or group has inside information on God that would give them an advantage over anyone else. God wants everyone to come to repentance and offers the gift of eternal life to all. The Qabalah is apart of man’s wisdom and would be considered foolishness to God. That does not mean that you cannot get some value out of studying the Qabalah, this is where your discretion comes into play.

The Qabalah is presented in this book as a graphical aid to help make difficult subjects more understandable. You will benefit from reading this book because it contains scripture, and you are more or less reading a collection of Bible Studies. Using the Qabalah as a visual aid to help you see how the different aspects of the Bible come together in harmony may help you put the pieces together.

As you progress further up the Tree of Life this will become clearer. For example; right now we are studying the sphere of Malkuth, which represents the World. The sphere directly above Malkuth is Yesod, which is associated with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the mediator between Christ (John 14:26) and the people that dwell on the earth (Malkuth).

Tiphareth is the sphere directly above Yesod, which represents Christ. The next sphere above Tiphareth is Kether and represents God the father. Christ is the mediator between us and God (Matthew 10:22), and the Holy Spirit is the mediator between Christ and the World (John 14:26). Using the Qabalah as a visual aid can make these distinctions clearer and easier to understand.

This is far different then other books on the Qabalah, which tell you to burn a certain type of incense, hold a certain type of stone, evoked the names of different angels, and chant different mantras in hopes that you will somehow all of the sudden obtain mastery over the universe. It is easy to see how that might be considered foolishness to God. The only way for you to learn about God and understand Him better is by reading His word.

The information that is presented to you in this book comes straight out of the Bible, but it is organized in a manner to make it more understandable to you. The Bible consists of the canonical books. The word Canon means measuring rod. The books that are included in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible have pasted the test of authenticity. The Old Testament books were written with the authority of the Old Testament Prophet, Lawgiver, or leader of Israel at the time. The books included in the New Testament were either written by an Apostle or the book had to have been indorsed by an Apostle who had first hand contact with Jesus Christ.

The lesson of Malkuth is to learn discernment on the earth and overcome the world. There are many doctrines out there, some may be of benefit to you and some may lead you astray. This is where you need to develop your judgment. The Canonical books of the Bible are considered inspired by God, but that does not mean that you cannot benefit from reading other secular books that are not included in the Canon.

I find the Wisdom of Solomon contained in the Apocrypha – which is included in the Catholic Bible but rejected by Protestant Bibles – to contain very useful information, and it is written similar to the Book of Proverbs. The Apocrypha is a collection of writings that took place in the time frame between the writings of the Old and New Testaments. The Apocrypha is part of the Catholic Bible, but is rejected by most Protestant Churches. In this book, I include scripture taken from the Torah, Septuagint, and New Testament. The Apocrypha was part of the Septuagint, which was the collection of scriptures that was in use and considered scriptures during the lives of Jesus and the Apostles, and some of the New Testament writings reference events in the Apocrypha.

You must develop the ability to discern between doctrines, and recognize the truth. Though not inspired by God, some of man’s wisdom is useful, and can assist you in this world. Some of man’s wisdom is worth reading. As long as you don’t get confused and consider the concepts of men as a divine revelation from God.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for example is a system used to foster employee motivation and is commonly used by managers, and is taught in many colleges and universities. It is okay for you to study and even use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs or something like it. You may find it beneficial to you, but if you get it confused with divine revelation then that is where the problem lies.

The objective of Malkuth is for you to be able to discern man’s wisdom and divine knowledge. In this book the Qabalah is presented as man’s wisdom, but the scripture contained in this book is the inspired word of God. The intent of this book is to combine the two together to make them more understandable, as you seek the truth. All of the doctrines contained in this book come straight out of the Bible, and are more aligned with God’s word then many of the practices and dogmas that exist in some of the Protestant Churches that have surfaced since the reformation of the Catholic Church.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Malkuth is an important sphere in the Qabalah. Besides the attributes that are associated with it, Malkuth also contains the attributes of all of the other spheres. Kether is the top sphere in the Qabalah. It is the beginning. From Kether the Qabalah branches out into the other spheres and they all join back up at Malkuth. Malkuth is the starting point for us, and is where everything for us will take place. You may learn from the other spheres of the Qabalah, but Malkuth is where you actually do the work of perfecting your soul.