At the time that
Purphoros, God of the Forge enters the battlefield will determine if he is a creature or not. If, when he ETB, he is not a creature then he will not become a copy of
Essence of the Wild. Below is the relevant gatherer ruling
9/15/2013 If a God enters the battlefield, your devotion to its color (including the mana symbols in the mana cost of the God itself) will determine if a creature entered the battlefield or not, for abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield.