“ENTIRELY ABOVE”: THE EXALTATION OF ISRAEL ABOVE THE STARS THROUGH MESSIAH YESHUA
A Christian Kabbalah Torah Scholar Paper on Deuteronomy 28:13, Luke 20, and the Celestial Body of the Saints in the Ein Sof
- The Promise of the Most High: “You Shall Be Above Only”
Deuteronomy 28:13 (AMP):
“The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen and pay attention to the commandments of the Lord your God…”
This covenantal promise from YHVH is not merely geopolitical or ethnic—it is metaphysical and cosmic. According to classical Kabbalah, “above” refers to the Sefirot above the firmaments of the natural universe (Yesod and below) and even above the governing angelic wheels of the Mazzaroth—the twelve constellations that rule time, fate, and soul embodiment in the lower worlds (Job 38:32).
In the Zohar (Bereshit 1:1), the phrase “above and not below” is interpreted as the dominion of the soul who has ascended the Tree of Life, traversed the levels of consciousness (Olamot), and passed beyond the Mazalot—the realm of fate (mazal). This promise of being “above only” means ruling from Tiferet through Keter, where man is no longer subject to the stars, but judges angels (1 Cor. 6:3), and commands the natural world through union with the Shekinah.
- Resurrection and the Children of the Kingdom Above the Heavens
Luke 20:36 (ESV):
“They cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”
Here, Moshiach Yeshua confirms the true children of the resurrection will exist in a state not beneath but entirely above—equal to angels, not subject to death, which belongs to Malkhut in its fallen shell. According to the Oral Torah and Zoharic understanding, angels operate on the levels of Yetzirah and Beriah, above the wheel of time (Galgalim), and thus above the deterministic astrology of the Mazzaroth.
In Kabbalah, the resurrection body is understood as the “Guf D’Atzilut” (Body of Emanation)—a celestial star-body (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:40–44), rooted in the Ein Sof light, unconstrained by space-time. The resurrected saints live above the firmaments, in realms of pure light and will, as manifest children of YHVH, ruling with Messiah over all the lower worlds.
- Paul’s Revelation: The Celestial Body and Glorification Beyond the Stars
1 Corinthians 15:40–42 (KJV):
“There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial… so also is the resurrection of the dead.”
Paul, trained under the Pharisaic mystical schools (Acts 22:3), draws directly from Kabbalistic tradition when he speaks of the transformation from natural to spiritual bodies. In Sod-level interpretation, this is the transition from the body governed by the Mazzaroth to one governed by the Chashmal of Atzilut—the radiant glory-body that shines as the brightness of the firmament (Daniel 12:3).
This aligns with the Zoharic prophecy that in the days of the Messiah, the righteous will be clothed in “garments of light” (levushim d’nahara) and their souls will ascend in Merkavah chariots of glory—no longer bound to earthly Mazal (Zohar III, 145b). They will be “entirely above,” fulfilling Deut. 28:13 in totality.
- The Mazzaroth: Ladder of Jacob or Prison of Fate?
The Mazzaroth (מַזָּרוֹת), referenced in Job 38:32, is the cosmic wheel of time and stars that governs all souls born under heaven. In the Oral Torah, the stars are described as garments (levushim) for angelic intelligences who transmit decrees from heaven to earth. But these garments also act as limitations, forming the cages of destiny (gilgul, reincarnation) for unrectified souls.
Through the Messiah, however, we are born again—not of the flesh, nor of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13)—meaning a new mazal, a new constellation, is written into our soul from above the stars. Yeshua is the “Bright and Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16), whose light originates from beyond the cosmos and whose inheritance is in the Infinite (Ein Sof).
As Paul teaches, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17)—a creation that originates not from the natural order but from Atzilut, the world of divine emanation, outside the reach of the Serpent (Teli), and the cycles of fate.
- The Body of Christ: A Supernal Israel Above the Firmaments
Ephesians 1:20–23 describes Christ as seated far above all principalities and powers, and the Church (his Body) as filled with that same ascension power. This fulfills the prophetic destiny of Israel to rule over the stars, as God said to Abraham: “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars… so shall your seed be” (Gen. 15:5).
In classical Kabbalah, Abraham was the first to master the Mazzaroth and rise above it by faith and righteousness (Zohar Lech Lecha). Thus, his children, Israel, were promised to be “above only”—above the stars, above the angels, above death itself. The Church, grafted into this promise (Romans 11), becomes a supernal Israel, ruling from heavenly Jerusalem through the ascending ladder of Christ (John 1:51).
- Ein Sof: Our Final Destiny Beyond All Worlds
Ultimately, the destiny of the righteous in Christ is not merely angelic—it is divine. The goal is not simply to rise above the Mazzaroth, but to dwell in the Infinite Light (Ein Sof), clothed in the garments of Shekinah, shining with the brilliance of the Father Himself.
1 John 3:2 (KJV):
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God… but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
This is the Tikkun of the cosmos: the restoration of Adam Kadmon, the glorified Man of Light, in each believer through Messiah Yeshua. It is the resurrection of Israel not just as a nation, but as a cosmic Body whose head is Christ and whose inheritance is the heavens and beyond.
Conclusion: From Mazal to Messiah, from Below to Entirely Above
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of every Kabbalistic promise ever made to the children of Israel. Through Yeshua, the stars no longer define us. The serpent no longer constrains us. The soul is no longer bound to its natal fate.
Those who follow Him up the ladder of the Sefirot—cleansed by His blood and resurrected by His Spirit—will be clothed in celestial garments, become as the angels, and live forever entirely above, fulfilling Deuteronomy 28:13, Luke 20, and the eternal counsel of God.
For as it is written:
“They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.”
(Daniel 12:3)
By Baal Brandon Barthrop
Red Letter Ministries, RLM TV
