The Four Worlds:
The four worlds is a mystical concept that describes what happens in-between God and us. They are never named outright, but the closest image we have for them in the Bible comes from Isaiah 43:7 "Everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made (NASB)." An important question to ask is, why all the repetitions? Why does God talk about being called, created, formed, and made? Isn't it enough just to say that God created us in God's image and let that be that?
The reality in Scripture is that everything is there for a reason. Sometimes we need to dig very deeply to get to that reason. Mystics interpret this verse from Isaiah as a way of understanding four separate worlds - a world of Emanation (I called you), a world of Creation, a world of Formation, and a world of Making or Action. The Hebrew for these worlds is: Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyyah. As one ascends the four worlds, you find that each higher world is closer to God's will and design, yet less actualized. It's only at the lowest level, Assiah that creation as we normally think of it exists. For a more detailed discussion, I refer you to Yashanet studies: The Tree of Life and The Four Worlds.
Rabbi Jacobson of the Meaningful Life Center describes the four worlds like any created project. In any project, you have your initial vision (Atzilut). From there you create an outline of what needs to be done (Beriah). Next you flush out the outline with details (Yetzirah). Finally you execute your total plan (Assiah). Anyone who's tried to build something knows that you need checks and balances along the way, because when you get to the actual execution, you need so much help from others that they may not understand the reason for all of the details. In my own ministry, I'm dealing with a building that has a special flame-retardant roofing material. This material requires special expensive screws otherwise it will leak. However when it was initially installed, the contractor didn't understand this and used ordinary screws. The end result is a leaky roof. A big part of the spiritual life is returning to God's intentions and plans, and making necessary adjustments in our own life. Doing so brings harmony between the upper and lower worlds.
In the New Testament we have a few passages that reference these worlds, while at the same time not describing them outright. 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago ... was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man ... was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which man is not permitted to speak (NASB)." If Assiah is our world, the Third Heaven must be all the way at Atzilut. When St. Paul says that this man heard inexpressible words that no one is permitted to speak, this is a common devise among kabblahists. It doesn't mean that this man is keeping a major secret, it does mean that he experienced things that are so far beyond our common experience that to describe them to someone who wasn't there would be simply impossible.
Another New Testament passage is the rather cryptic phrase from Jesus, "Whatever you bind on Earth is bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth is loosed in Heaven (Matthew 16:19 and 18:18, paraphrase mine)." This goes back to a concept I mentioned earlier, that what you do on earth has an effect on the upper worlds. This doesn't mean that you can somehow manipulate God or the divine. That would be impossible at best and witchcraft at worst. What it does mean is that your actions on earth can either build harmony with the upper worlds and what exists there or can remain out of sync and disruptive. You can either facilitate this process, and work to join the spiritual with the material, or ignore it.
This concept of The Four Worlds is a very interesting lens with which you can read scripture. It has some pretty profound implications that I will reflect in future posts.
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