“In the second chapter of Genesis begins the use of the name Yahveh, frequently in connection with that of the Elohim – Yahveh Elohim. In the consideration of the name Yahveh, we have tried to present it as the embodiment of the idea of the Universal Spirit, the Mind and Will, which is the source of all life, mind, and action. Consequently, in the union (unity) of the two Divine names, Yahveh Elohim, is brought to light throughout the Scriptures, and in cases too numerous to mention, the conception of the final attainment of man being the unity of his mind and will, with the mind and will of God.
Reasoning along this line of thought we come to the following conclusion: Yahveh being the source of all life, of all mind, of all action – Spirit – man in his creation must have been formed of the substance of Yahveh, as Yahveh is the source of all that is. And not only is he the cause of all energy, but his Infinite Mind is the source of all order; and in order there must be a purpose, for without a purpose, mind is in discord.
Therefore, when Elohim said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, that declared purpose necessarily embodied the thought of taking of the Father and forming the Son; and, while we have no authority in the Scriptures for the statement, we have reason to believe from what has been said, that the Elohim are a body of men that, in the aeons of time past, were created even as we have been created, and that having developed through all the experiences of an earthly life, they attained to the unity of their mind and will with the mind and will of their Creator. And, as to the processes of evolution, development, there is no end, they have passed on in knowing the Father, Yahveh, becoming more and more like him, until they have reached heights of attainment so far beyond the possibility of our conception, that they have become the Creators, Preservers, and Rulers, not of this earth alone, but probably of the whole solar system.
Thus, they have become the embodiment and expression of Yahveh, and have a right to be called Yahveh Elohim; and when they said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, they expressed the thought that man, their creation, must pass through all the experiences of an earth life, as they themselves had done, and that, in order to go on in his attainment to that likeness, he must turn his thought and aspiration toward Yahveh, and seek with all his heart to be like him, in perfect harmony with the laws that gave him (man) existence, with the life of which he is the embodiment.
When man has reached the point in his experience, where through knowledge, he is able to give free expression to the life that animates him, he will awaken to the realization that he is the embodiment of Yahveh, and in his unity with the body that is to be formed … he becomes the image of Elohim. That is – as we shall have occasion to say further on – the “image” spoken of by Elohim in Genesis 1:26, was not that of one man, but of a plurality of men; as the Spirit said by the apostle, speaking as by the Christ, “a body hast thou prepared for me”; “many members in one body, and all members in that body.” (See Romans 12).
Consequently, the revelation of Elohim in material and spiritual form must necessarily be found in the revelation of the ultimation of the expressed purpose, to make man in his image, and like him. The revelation of this ultimate is brought to light by John the anointed, in his Apocalypse, chapters 1, 7, 14, 21, and 22. One fact, however, is clearly manifest, which is this: All life is of the substance of God; and as Yahveh is one, the one in which not only we, but all that is, lives, moves and has its being; therefore the life of man is the same life – on a lower plane, however – as that which animates Yahveh Elohim.
Consequently, all are brethren; and, this being true, the Elohim, through the person of the Lord Christ, called himself our brother, and the mighty angel who gave the Revelation to John and whose glory was so great that the beloved disciple fell down to worship him, said, “See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren.” While Elohim rightfully commands our highest love and admiration, and even veneration, yet our worship is of Yahveh; and in our prayers when we feel the need of help, the real need of something, we ask Yahveh Elohim as our Elder Brother.
When we have come to know him, to have some idea of the depth of his love, of the grandeur of his nature, the tenderness of his brooding care of us, we approach him with a confidence that is born of boundless love alone – we feel the absolute assurance that we shall always have that which we desire; for, while Elohim is so far beyond us and so incomprehensible to us, we must remember that we are his special care. No wonder that, by the prophet, he compared us to “the apple of his eye” – the strongest thought-presentation possible. We know how sensitive the eye is, and how much more carefully we preserve it from injury than any other member of the body; such then, is the loving care and protection extended over us by Yahveh Elohim.
When, through loving devotion to God, our true relation to him begins to be the individual experience, then we shall be given to know God. No longer through belief, no longer by faith, will we apprehend God; but we shall know the Father, and the Father will reveal himself to us as he does not to the world – reveal himself to us not merely in thought, but we shall see his form, feel his mighty power, hear his words, and be fed from the limitless fountains of his love.”
Hiram Butler
The Mark Of God: Understanding Your "I AM Presence" 