Jesus as the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament

JESUS WAS AN ANGEL
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
NOTE:This study is short even though there are dozens of articles that could
be presented. It is because the few I share coverthe whole issue of
Christophanies. The issue is clearfrom Scripture that Jesus was not isolated
and indifferent to what was happening on earth in the Old Testament. He was
one of the persons of the Trinity and was active in ways we cannotimagine.
Howeverthere is the Angel of the Lord that appears in events that fit so
perfectly with the role of the pre-incarnate Christ. Some doubt it, but read for
yourself and you will love what you can know about Jesus in the Old
Testament.
Galatians 4:14 14andeven though my illness was a
trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or
scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel
of God, as if I were ChristJesus himself.
Paul’s View of Jesus as an Angel
Here’s a bit from my chapter 7 of How Jesus Became Godwhere I talk about
why I think Paul understood Jesus, before coming to earth, to have been an
angel. There’s more to the argument than just this, but it’s a start. As you’ll
see, this isn’t just a crazy idea I had. I learned this from some very smart
colleaguesin the field, who have convincedme. It’s one of the HUGE surprises

that I’ve had writing this book, coming to this realization. It affects a LOT in
terms of New Testamentinterpretation.
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Many people no doubt have the same experience I do on occasion, ofreading
something numerous times, over and over, and not having it register. I have
read Paul’s letter to the Galatians literally hundreds of times in both English
and Greek. But the clearimport of what Paul says in Galatians 4:14 simply
never registeredwith me, until, frankly, a few months ago. In this verse Paul
indicates that Christ was an angel. The reasonit never registeredwith me is
because the statement is a bit obtuse, and I had always interpreted it in an
alternative way. But thanks to the work of other scholars, I now see the error
of my ways.
In the context of the verse Paul is reminding the Galatians of how they first
receivedhim when he was ill in their midst, and they helped restore him to
health. This is what the verse in question says:
Even though my bodily condition was a test for you, you did not mock or
despise me, but you receivedme as an angelof God, as Jesus Christ.
christophany old testament
1. Jesus appears as an angelto Hagar.
We first meet Him in Genesis 16, whenSarahtreats Hagarso badly the slave
runs away.
The angelof the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of waterin the wilderness,
along the road to Shur. The angelsaid to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where
have you come from, and where are you going?” (Gen. 16:7-8, NLT).

The angelof the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her
authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can
count.”
And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has
heard your cry of distress. This sonof yours will be a wild man, as untamed as
a wild donkey! He will raise his fist againsteveryone, and everyone will be
againsthim. Yes, he will live in open hostility againstall his relatives.”
Thereafter, Hagarused another name to refer to the Lord, who had spokento
her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly
seenthe One who sees me?” (Gen. 16:9-13, NLT).
Hagarmeets an angel, but this angel is unlike any other. He sees the future,
He is holy. In short, He is God-in-flesh. He is Christ before Bethlehem. In
theologicalterms, these Old TestamentappearancesofGod-in-flesh are
known as theophanies, and the Scriptures are filled with them.
2. Jesus appears as an angelto Abraham.
We see Him againin Genesis 22:11-12whenAbraham picks up a knife and is
about to slayIsaac as a sacrifice:
At that moment the angelof the Lord calledto him from heaven, “Abraham!
Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angelsaid. “Do not hurt him in any way,
for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even
your son, your only son.” (NLT, italics added).
Do you see? Abraham was sacrificing his son to God, and the angelof the
Lord said, “You have not withheld your only sonfrom me”—speaking for
God.
3. Jesus appears as an angelto Moses.

In Exodus 3, Moses metthe angelof the Lord:
There the angelof the Lord appearedto him in a blazing fire from the middle
of a bush. Moses staredin amazement. Although the bush was engulfed in
flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Mosessaidto himself. “Why isn’t
that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closerlook, Godcalledto him
from the middle of the bush, “Moses!Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take offyour sandals, for you
are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, andthe God of Jacob.” WhenMoses heardthis,
he coveredhis face because he was afraid to look at God (Exod. 3:2-5, NLT).
In this passage, the angelof the Lord expressly declares He is the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And Mosesis afraid to look at God.
So, when you read about “the angelof the Lord,” you are reading about an
Old Testamentappearance ofthe Son of God, the secondmember of the
triune Godhead. Notice, “anangel of the Lord” could be speaking about any
holy angel, but “the angel of the Lord” refers to Christ.
4. Jesus appears with God the Father.
The Bible records severalconversationsbetween“the angelof the Lord” and
the Lord God—they are two separate persons. Look atZechariah 1:8-17:
In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was
standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were riders
on red, brown, and white horses. I askedthe angelwho was talking with me,
“My lord, what do these horses mean?”
“I will show you,” the angel replied.

The rider standing among the myrtle trees then explained, “Theyare the ones
the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth.”
Then the other riders reported to the angelof the Lord, who was standing
among the myrtle trees, “We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole
earth is at peace.
Upon hearing this, the angelof the Lord prayed this prayer: “O Lord of
Heaven’s Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem
and the towns of Judah. How long until you againshow mercy to them?” And
the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angelwho talkedwith me.
Then the angelsaid to me, “Shout this messageforall to hear: ‘This is what
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:My love for Jerusalemand Mount Zion is
passionate andstrong...’” (NLT)
After the Son of God is born in Bethlehem, lives, dies, is resurrected, and
returns to Heaven, He is no longerknown as “the angelof the Lord,” but as
Jesus the Christ. This is why references to “the angelof the Lord” are found
only in the Old Testament.
Question:"Who is the angelof the Lord?"
Answer: The precise identity of the “angelof the Lord” is not given in the
Bible. However, there are many important “clues” to his identity. There are
Old and New Testamentreferencesto “angels ofthe Lord,” “anangel of the
Lord,” and “the angelof the Lord.” It seems when the definite article “the” is
used, it is specifying a unique being, separate from the other angels. The angel
of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself with God, and exercisesthe
responsibilities of God (Genesis 16:7-12;21:17-18;22:11-18;Exodus 3:2;
Judges 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-24;13:3-22;2 Samuel 24:16;Zechariah 1:12; 3:1;
12:8). In severalof these appearances,those who saw the angel of the Lord
fearedfor their lives because they had “seenthe Lord.” Therefore, it is clear

that in at leastsome instances, the angelof the Lord is a theophany, an
appearance ofGod in physical form.
The appearancesofthe angelof the Lord ceaseafterthe incarnation of Christ.
Angels are mentioned numerous times in the New Testament, but “the angel
of the Lord” is never mentioned in the New Testamentafter the birth of
Christ. There is some confusion regarding Matthew 28:2, where the KJV says
“the angelof the Lord” descendedfrom heaven and rolled the stone away
from Jesus’tomb. It is important to note that the original Greek has no article
in front of angel;it could be “the angel” or“an angel,” but the article must be
supplied by the translators. Other translations besides the KJV say it was “an
angel,” which is the better wording.
It is possible that appearances ofthe angelof the Lord were manifestations of
Jesus before His incarnation. Jesus declaredHimself to be existent “before
Abraham” (John 8:58), so it is logicalthat He would be active and manifest in
the world. Whateverthe case, whetherthe angelof the Lord was a pre-
incarnate appearance of Christ (Christophany) or an appearance ofGod the
Father (theophany), it is highly likely that the phrase “the angel of the Lord”
usually identifies a physical appearance ofGod.
Old TestamentAppearances ofChrist
Theophany is a combination of 2 Greek words, “theos”whichmeans “God”
and “epiphaneia” which means “a shining forth,” or “appearance” andwas
used by the ancients to refer to an appearance ofa god to men (Vine’s,

“appear” in loc.). In theology, the word “theophany” refers to an Old
Testamentappearance ofGod in visible form.
Christophany is by definition an Old Testamentappearance ofChrist, the
secondpersonof the Trinity. Mosttheophanies (Old Testamentappearances
of God) are Christophanies (Old TestamentappearancesofChrist). We will
examine some of these Christophanies and see how to discern which ones are
actually appearances ofChrist or not.
Dr. John Walvoord in his greatbook, Jesus ChristOur Lord, makes the
following statement about these Old Testamentappearances. “Itis safe to
assume that every visible manifestation of God in bodily form in the Old
Testamentis to be identified with the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Walvoord, 54)
In John 8, Jesus made the statement that Abraham rejoicedto see His day.
Earlier we askedthe question, “Did Abraham meet the pre-incarnate Jesus?”
(Pre-incarnate = before the incarnation, or before Jesus’birth by Mary in
Bethlehem.) Jesus’enemies understoodthe implications of His statement and
questioned him about it. They were so enragedby Jesus’claim to be older
than Abraham that they picked up stones to try and stone Him to death.
In this chapter we will investigate that question. (We could also ask, “Did
Moses evermeetthe pre-incarnate Christ?”)
Let’s look at a list of Scriptures that have been compiled by Bible teachers
over the years that seemto be Christophanies. We will also compare a few
passageswhere people thought they were seeing God, but were only seeing an
angel. Will will look at a list of interpretive “signposts”that will help us

decide if the “person” referredto in the Bible passageis actually Christ, or
merely an angel. And we will look at a few very specific passages with
significant characters who met Christ in the Old Testament.
A List of Old TestamentChristophanies
In the Old Testamentwe run acrossa mysterious “being” in numerous places
who is most often called, “The Angel of Jehovah.” He is a mysterious “being”
because He is like no other angelwe meet in the Old Testament.
http://www.Christology101.com
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He is identified with God:
 Genesis 16:7-13  Genesis 22:15-18  Genesis 31:11-13 Exodus 3:1 ff 
Acts 7:30-35  Exodus 13:21  Exodus 14:19  Judges 6:11-23  Judges
13:9-20
He is also revealedto be a distinct Person.
 Genesis 24:7 , 40  Numbers 20:16  Zechariah 1:12-13

Some interesting thoughts about Theophanies and Christophanies.
“The Angel of Jehovah” no longerappears after the Incarnation.
Both “the Angel of the Lord” and Jesus are sent by God the Fatherto reveal
truth and lead and protectIsrael.
No one has seenGod the Father (John 1:18).
Old Testamentreferencesto the Trinity.
Genesis 1:26 “Letus make man in our image.”
Genesis 2:24 “Theyshall be one flesh.”
Deuteronomy 6:4 “One” = “Unity”
Genesis 3 Godwalking in the Garden. Who was that?
Beginlooking for Jesus in your Old Testament.
Some Interpretive “Signposts”

The writers of Scripture give us some clues or signposts that can guide us as
we seek the meaning of a passage. Here are some interpretive questions to ask
as you considerthese passages to determine if they are referring to Jesus
Christ or
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someone else. Some Interpretive Questions:  Is the personidentified as the
secondPersonofthe Trinity?  Is the person identified as God?  Is the
person given any characteristics thatare reservedfor deity?  How do others
in the story respond to him?  Does the person receive worship?
Let’s examine some other definite instances where Christ appearedand where
He definitely did not appear.
Revelation1:12-18 (Definitely Jesus Christ—PostResurrection& Ascension,
not a Christophany, but definitely Jesus.)
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having
turned I saw sevengoldenlampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands
I saw one like a son of man, clothedin a robe reaching to the feet, and girded
across His chestwith a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like
white wool, like snow;and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were
like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His
voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven
stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edgedsword;and His face was

like the sun shining in its strength. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feetlike a
dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I
am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I
am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
This is definitely a New Testamentappearance ofJesus to the Apostle John on
the Isle of Patmos. What signposts let us know this? (Ask the questions that
were given above.)
Readand examine the passagesbelow.
Revelation10:1-11 (NotJesus Christ, but a Very Powerful Angel)
Daniel 10:2-14 (NotJesus Christ, an Angel from God)
Genesis 18:1 (Christophany) 1 Now the LORD appearedto him by the oaks
of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 When
he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite
him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and
bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, "My Lord, if now I have found favor
in Your sight, please do not pass Your servantby. 4 "Please leta little water
be brought and washyour feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; 5 and I will
bring a

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piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves;after that you may go on,
since you have visited your servant." And they said, "So do, as you have
said." 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly,
prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes." 7
Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to
the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He took curds and milk and the
calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing
by them under the tree as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, "Where is Sarahyour wife?" And he said, "There, in
the tent." 10 He said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year; and
behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." And Sarahwas listening at the tent
door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarahwere old, advanced
in age;Sarah was pastchildbearing. 12 Sarah laughed to herself, saying,
"After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"13
And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, `Shall I
indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' 14 "Is anything too difficult for the
LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and
Sarahwill have a son." 15 Sarah denied it however, saying, "I did not laugh";
for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh." 16 Then the men
rose up from there, and lookeddown toward Sodom;and Abraham was
walking with them to send them off. 17 The LORD said, "ShallI hide from
Abraham what I am about to do, 18:1 “Lord” = “Yahweh” Three Primary
Names used of God in the Old Testament, “Yahweh,” “Elohim,” and
“Adonai”
The Lord came personally to Abraham and Sarah and made his promise in
the intimacy of a meal. What a wonderful picture of the close relationshipthe
Lord wants to have with eachof us. Cf. Revelation3:20

19:1 1 Now the two angels came to Sodomin the evening as Lot was sitting in
the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed
down with his face to the ground. (The Other Two Guys from chapter 18)
Genesis 22:1-19 (Christophanyor not? Apply the signposts)
New TestamentCross Reference (AnotherSignpost: What does the NT say?)
Hebrews 6:13-19 13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He
could swearby no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "I WILL
SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU." 15 And
so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. 16 For men swearby one
greaterthan themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an
end of every dispute. 17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to
the heirs of the promise the
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unchangeablenessofHis purpose, interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two
unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have
takenrefuge would have strong encouragementto take hold of the hope set
before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and
steadfastand one which enters within the veil,
Genesis 22 is a definite test for Abraham. It came after he had receivedthe
promised son he had so long awaited. Since it was a test, God never intended

to let Abraham actually sacrifice his son. Godhowever did sacrifice His Son.
Cf. Romans 8:32.
Romans 8:32 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over
for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
After this Divine Intervention, The Angel of the Lord, restates the Abrahamic
Covenantor Promise, but this time, both Abraham and Isaac hearit.
Question: Do you think Abraham rejoicedto see “His” day? Cf. John 8:58
Did Jacobevermeet the pre-incarnate Christ?
Considera couple of new questions:  Does the scriptural writer (Moses, for
example) leave you with the understanding that the person is God?  Using
the Principle that “Scripture interprets Scripture,” are there other passages in
the Old Testamentor the New Testamentthat shed light on the identity of this
person as Christ?
Genesis 31:11-13 Jacob’s Dream11 "Thenthe angelof God said to me in the
dream, `Jacob,'and I said, `Here I am.' 12 "He said, `Lift up now your eyes
and see that all the male goats which are mating are striped, speckled, and
mottled; for I have seenall that Laban has been doing to you. 13 `I am the
God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now
arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.' "

Genesis 32:24-32 Jacob’s Wrestling Matchwith a Man (not called “Angelof
the Lord”)
24 Then Jacobwas leftalone, and a man wrestledwith him until daybreak. 25
When he saw that he had not prevailed againsthim, he touched the socketof
his thigh; so the socketofJacob's thigh was dislocatedwhile he wrestledwith
him. 26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But he said, "I
will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 So he said to him, "What is your
name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28 He said, "Your name shall no longer be
Jacob, but Israel;for you
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have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." 29 Then Jacob
askedhim and said, "Please tellme your name." But he said, "Why is it that
you ask my name?" And he blessedhim there. 30 So Jacobnamed the place
Peniel, for he said, "I have seenGod face to face, yet my life has been
preserved." 31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossedoverPenuel, and
he was limping on his thigh. 32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israeldo not
eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socketofthe thigh, because he touched
the socketofJacob's thigh in the sinew of the hip.
Apply the signposts.
Questions:  In the context of the story, do you think Jacobwantedto initiate
a fight?  Who initiates this wrestling match: Jacobor the “man?”  Is this

an ordinary man? Why or Why not?  Why would God have wanted to
“fight” Jacob?  Have you everbeen in a fight?  Have you ever fought with
God?  In what way is this an example of prayer?  Who did Jacobbelieve
this personwas? “Peniel”  DoesJacob’s statementin verse 30 conflictwith
John 1:18?
Compare What the Prophet Hosea wrote about this incident. Hosea 12:2-5 2
The LORD also has a dispute with Judah, And will punish Jacobaccording to
his ways;He will repay him according to his deeds. 3 In the womb he took his
brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contendedwith God. 4 Yes, he
wrestledwith the angeland prevailed; He wept and sought His favor. He
found Him at BethelAnd there He spoke with us, 5 Even the LORD, the God
of hosts, The LORD is His name.
Did Moses evermeetthe pre-incarnate Christ?
Exodus 3:1-4:17 Mosesand the “Angel of the Lord” in the Burning Bush
1 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of
Midian; and he led the flock to the westside of the wilderness and came to
Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 The angelof the LORD appeared to him in a
blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was
burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, "I must
turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up."
4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, Godcalledto him from
the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5
Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet,
for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 He said also, "I am
the Godof your

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father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, andthe God of Jacob." Then
Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Ask the interpretive questions:  Does Exodus (Written by Moses)seemto
leave any doubt about the identity of this “Angel?”  What is Moses’
response to the Angel’s appearance?  Do you think this is an encounter that
Moses initiated?  Was this an encounter that Mosesexpectedor sought? 
Is there any consistentthread about the appearance ormessage ofthis
“Angel” in the book of Genesis and Exodus? (Answer: The Covenantor
Promise that is made with Abraham. At every point there is a connectionto
keeping that covenantwhich will eventually result in the Messiah’s coming.)
Acts 7:30-35 Stephen’s last sermonbefore he was martyred. (PS Why was
Stephen martyred? Did it have anything to do with his “Christology?”)
30 "After forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE
WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING
THORN BUSH. 31 "WhenMoses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he
approachedto look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: 32 `I AM
THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC
AND JACOB.'Moses shookwith fear and would not venture to look. 33
"BUT THE LORD SAID TO HIM, `TAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM
YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS
HOLY GROUND. 34 `I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF
MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I

HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM;COME NOW, AND I WILL
SEND YOU TO EGYPT.'35 "This Moses whomthey disowned, saying,
`WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?'is the one whom God sent
to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angelwho appearedto
him in the thorn bush.
Exodus 13:21 and Exodus 14:19 identifies the “Angelof God” with the Pillar
of fire http://christology101.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Christology-
101-Lesson-4-Christophanies.pdf
Jesus Christ in the Old Testament(Christophany: Genesis 3:8)
Question: I have been dialoguing with a personwho claims that God
Almighty Himself couldn't have been walking in the garden of Eden
(Gen.3:8), because "no one can see Godand live." He claims that "YHWH
Elohim" there should be translated as:'Him who is and who was and who is
to become [one of the] mighty ones/gods'. This would mean angels, whomhe
claims were worshipedin the Old Testament(in whose ranks he seems to
include Jesus). I know that all this is very wrong, but I would appreciate some
linguistic ammunition to refute it.
Response: To start with, Adonai Elohiym (‫הוהי‬ ‫)םיהלא‬in Gen.3:8 is the
familiar formula for LORD God found everywhere in the Old Testament. The
verb is singular here (as usual) because the grammaticalsubject of Adonai
Elohiym is Adonai = YHVH which is singular and controls the construction.
The translation supplied by your contactis, as you suspect, very wrong. In
fact, this is not really a translation but an interpretation basedupon some
alternative theology(or perhaps I should say "theosophy"). The worship of
angels in place of God has always beena cult tendency (cf. Col.2:18, and the
book of Hebrews) - after all, Satanis an angel(cf. 2Cor.11:14).Also, the claim

that Jesus is somehow not really or originally God or not truly Man is also a
common cult tendency (I recommend having a look at these treatments of cult
characteristics:ReadYour Bible; Peter lesson#17;and Peter lesson#27).
As to the specifics ofthe translation you have been given, I suppose we are to
understand "Him who is and who was and who is to become" as his
translation of YHVH, and "mighty ones/gods"as his translation of
ELOHIYM. The name YHVH expresses the fact that our God is the essence
and origin of being (the name is derived from the Hebrew verb "to be": see
"EssentialDoctrinesofthe Bible in Outline: Part 1 Theology:The Study of
God, sectionI, 'the EssenceofGod'"). The name ELOHIYM is the Hebrew
plural of EL which, while it does mean "mighty (one)" and can refer to angels
on occasion(cf. Jesus'statementthat angels and men are "mighty" as
creatures with free will and authority by THE Mighty One, our God:
Jn.10:34-35). The factthat this name is plural when applied to God reflects
both the superlative nature of His mightiness as well as the plurality of
personality in the Trinity (cf. Gen.1:26, "letus make man").
Properly considered, these divine names tell us much about the awesome
nature of our God. But there is nothing here that canbe used (legitimately) to
build such a theologyas your conversantis adducing which makes God the
Creatorinto a mere being, just because He has graciouslyusedlanguage to
explain Himself to us which we might understand (He is mighty beyond
mighty; He is the source of all existence, He exists in three Persons)? We are
finite and our words are finite. Of necessitythen, they will fall short in giving
the infinite God His due, and, inevitably, opponents of truth will twist any
name God uses for Himself to advance their own ends.
On the issue of "worshiping angels", the first thing to say is that we are to
worship God, not angels, and that we are to worship the Son of God, truly
God, Jesus Christ, not the present ruler of this world who seeks to imitate
Him (cf. Matt.4:10). This is clearthroughout scripture, including the Old
Testament. Evenwhen people try to "worship" angels in the Bible (which may
be an understandable reactionto the appearance ofsuch glorious creatures),
they are told that it is wrong to do so (cf. Rev.19:10;22:8-9). Now having said
that, it is also important to note that, in the Old Testament, people do worship

"the Angel of the Lord", but this is in fact an appearance ofJesus Christ
before His incarnation (on the subject of such OT "Christophany", see
"EssentialDoctrinesofthe Bible in Outline: Part 1 Theology:The Study of
God, sectionII.C, 'The Trinity in the Old Testament'"). The word for "angel"
in both the Hebrew and the Greek means "messenger",so that this makes
perfect sense as a title for our Lord as well who is the Logos (ὁ λόγος)or very
Word of God, the essenceofthe Father's message (cf. Heb.1:1-4; Jn.1:1-5),
sent into the world to accomplishall His will.
This brings us to back to Genesis 3:8. In my view (and not only in my view) it
was our indeed Lord Jesus Christ who appearedto Adam and Eve in the
garden (in Christophany, see the previous link), for He has always been the
Father's representative on earth, appearing for Him and as Him. To take but
one example, in Isaiah6, God appears in every way as He does in His holy,
heavenly temple (cf. Rev.4), but we know from John that it was Jesus whom
Isaiahreally saw. This is also explained by Jesus'words to the effectthat
anyone who has seenHim has in fact seenthe Father - they are One in every
purposeful way (Jn.10:30), and the Son is the true reflectionof the Father
(Heb.1:3). No one has (in this presentbody) seenthe Father in all His true
glory (cf. 1Tim.6:16), but Jesus came that the world might see Him in Him
and believe in Him through Him. And in the Old Testament, He appeared"in
many ways and at many times" (Heb.1:1), always through Jesus, but not
evidently and clearly through Him until Christ's incarnation made it clearfor
us that such was ever the case (cf. Is.48:13-17 where "Iam the Lord your
God" who has been "sent" by "the SovereignLord" with "His Spirit"; cf.
also Zech.1:7-17).
https://ichthys.com/mail-Christophany%20in%20Genesis%203.htm
What is a theophany? What is a Christophany?

Question:"What is a theophany? What is a Christophany?"
Answer: A theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to
the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of
God in the Old Testamentperiod, often, but not always, in human form. Some
of the theophanies are found in these passages:
1. Genesis 12:7-9 – The Lord appearedto Abraham on his arrival in the land
God had promised to him and his descendants.
2. Genesis 18:1-33 – One day, Abraham had some visitors: two angels and
God Himself. He invited them to come to his home, and he and Sarah
entertained them. Many commentators believe this could also be a
Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance ofChrist.
3. Genesis 32:22-30– Jacobwrestledwith what appeared to be a man, but was
actually God (vv. 28-30). This may also have been a Christophany.
4. Exodus 3:2 - 4:17 – God appearedto Moses in the form of a burning bush,
telling him exactly what He wantedhim to do.
5. Exodus 24:9-11 – God appeared to Moses withAaron and his sons and the
seventy elders.
6. Deuteronomy31:14-15 – God appeared to Moses andJoshua in the transfer
of leadership to Joshua.

7. Job38–42 – God answeredJobout of the tempest and spoke atgreat length
in answerto Job’s questions.
Frequently, the term “glory of the Lord” reflects a theophany, as in Exodus
24:16-18;the “pillar of cloud” has a similar function in Exodus 33:9. A
frequent introduction for theophanies may be seenin the words “the Lord
came down,” as in Genesis 11:5;Exodus 34:5; Numbers 11:25; and 12:5.
Some Bible commentators believe that wheneversomeone receiveda visit
from “the angelof the Lord,” this was in fact the pre-incarnate Christ. These
appearances canbe seenin Genesis 16:7-14;Genesis 22:11-18;Judges 5:23;2
Kings 19:35; and other passages. Othercommentators believe these were in
fact angelophanies, orappearancesofangels. While there are no indisputable
Christophanies in the Old Testament, everytheophany wherein God takes on
human form foreshadowsthe incarnation, where God took the form of a man
to live among us as Emmanuel, “Godwith us” (Matthew 1:23).
https://www.gotquestions.org/theophany-Christophany.html
Christophanies ~ The Old Testamentand Jesus
03/05/2016· by Brent L Bolin · in ARTICLES & POSTS, BRENT'S -Biblical
Tools ofInterpretation, BRENT'S -Biblical Word Quest, MOST VITAL
ARTICLES, REASONS FOR FAITH · Leave a comment
A Christophany is pre-incarnate appearance ofJesus in the Old Testament.
Introduction
While some competentscholars may disagree with some of the following; the
Theophanies (Theophanies:a visible manifestationof a deity) of Jesus Christ

in the Old Testamentis an accepteddoctrine, beyond dispute based solely
upon Scripture.
One of the examples which proves that God visited the Earth, taking on a
human form is firmly establishedin Exodus 3:3-5; and Joshua 5:15, which
state:
“And the angelof the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the
midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and
the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see
this greatsight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he
turned aside to see, Godcalledunto him out of the midst of the bush, and said,
Moses,Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put
off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereonthou standestis holy
ground.” (Exodus 3:3-5)
And
“And the captain of the LORD’S host saidunto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from
off thy foot; for the place whereonthou standestis holy. And Joshua did so.”
(Joshua 5:15)
The pertinent excerpts from these 2 passagesare:
“put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereonthou standestis
holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
“… loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereonthou standestis
holy...” (Joshua 5:15)
Identifying Characteristics
These two passages are absolute proofthat God visited during at leastthese
two situations.
The common response ofmen when they are aware that they are in the
presence ofAngels is to fall upon their face prostrate in fear.
Whenever this is happened, and it is an Angel of the Lord that is being
worshiped, Angels advise the humans to stand up; to not worship them

because they are servants of God just like the people they are visiting (Acts
19:25-26;Rev. 19:10;Rev. 22:8-9); with the exception of these 2 passages.
there is only one Angel that has ever soughtto be worshipedas God, his name
was Lucifer, and now is Satan.
Angels understand the blasphemy of allowing themselves to be worshipedby
man.
Yet, on these 2 occasions worshipis just not allowed, it’s demanded. The only
logical answeris that this is God demanding worship of man. And to give
further insight into these expressions.
The reasonwhy God tells these 2 men to take off their sandals is because the
ground that they are standing upon is hollowed, it is holy because God is
there.
In oriental and Easterncultures, the ground that is ownedby a man is his and
his alone (this is seenin Oriental houses in that when you enter their house,
you take your shoes offas the sign of respectto the ownerand to the house).
The point that God was making is that He not only owns the ground where
these 2 men stood, and therefore they had no right to wearman-made sandals,
wherein they would stand upon their own work – they were to stand
according to God’s mercy, not their own ability.
Part of the reasoning was that man does not have the RIGHT to step upon the
flowers, the grass, oreven the sand of God wearing shoes he made himself
while in God’s presence.
No, the point that God was making is that they were only allowedin God’s
presence, according to God’s mercy and they needed to recognize that they
were nakedand prostrate before Him.
In these cultures there is greatsymbolism in the feet and there coverings,
sandals. To have the right to untie a man’s sandals displayed authority over
him, this is seenwhen John the Baptist declares that he is unworthy to
unstrap Jesus is sandals.

This is seenin that the lowliestjob a servant could do was to washthe feet of
guestentering a house, as seenin Christ humbling Himself in doing so. Feet
always symbolized a man’s walk, how he conducted his life, his decisions, his
power.
And notice that when Jesus shows the lowliestactof servitude, it is when he is
cleaning feet.
The reasonwhy cleaning feet was the job for the lowestservantof the
household is because atthat time walking through the streetyou collected
mud, animal thesis, and all kinds of unsightly rubbish.
It should also be noted that within typology Jesus use the word “walk,”
“follow me”, and other terms involving one’s feet concerning how one carried
out their life, on a daily basis.
There is greatsymbolism within the Bible (known as typology which shall be
addressedbelow). What a display of characterthat the Godof the universe
would choose to step into this dirty arena on earth to die for sins, and yet also
display this same humility in washing the dirty feetof his disciples.
Also, notice that Christ’s feet were nailed to the cross as wellas His hands
(Psalms 22:16).
See Endnote #4 concerning passagesthat display symbolism in regards to feet
in the Bible.
Grace Seenin the Burning Bush – Typology
As noted over 100 years ago this incident concerning Moses andthe burning
bush is more remarkable than we might observe at first.
Seeing a burning bush in the deserts surrounding Israel is not that unusual
due to lightning strikes.
Howeverthis burning bush was unusual in that it caught Moses’attention
wherein he approachedit to investigate what he was observing.
The fact that the bush was on fire holds no significance, the factthat the bush
was not consumed is miraculous.

Many times we fail to see the significance built within the symbolism of the
burning bush.
What we calltypology, is the study of symbols as used throughout man’s
existence.
However, it is only the typology found within the Bible that we are addressing,
though man has used symbols from the beginning in order to extend
understanding within communication.
Symbols, as in biblical typology are never meant to replace the meaning of the
literal thing, words, or acts, to do so is calledallegoricalinterpretation; and
takes awayfrom the literal text which is never to be done.
typology is always meant to add perspective, intensity, and clarity.
Re: what is referred to as allegoricalinterpretation, Origen of Alexandria (AD
185-254;though many pastors and scholars teachthat Origin was one of the
Orthodox fathers the church, this is due to a lack of investigationwherein
even a superficial investigationinto Origen uncovers that he did not believe
and denied the deity of Jesus Christ, the atonement, and embraced many of
the prevalent Gnostic heresies ofthe period from the headquarters of the
Gnostics, in Alexandria Egypt. it is studying his writings as recordedby
others as well as the history of the church fathers that this is validate. Yet
many that believe in higher criticism, who respectand admire Westcottand
Hort, attempt to give origin credit as they both greatlyadmired him, though
they too did not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ or the atonement. See
Endnote #1 for more on him), a teacherthat greatlyinfluenced Augustine;
divided Scripture into three segments;introducing allegoricalinterpretation
as one of those segments which has been abusedfor over 2000 years.
Allegoricalinterpretation, which Origenreferred to as the spiritual
interpretation (which I will refer to as allegorical, becauseit is not spiritual
and should not be referred to as such), was according to him to be the first
and most important form of interpretation, giving it preeminence over literal
translation as well.
Next he taught the literal and typologicalform of translation.

He taught that the highest form of biblical interpretation was allegorical.
Yet, according to this warped sense ofinterpretation, the allegoricalwould
take the place of the literal to the extent that he could make Scripture say
anything he wanted. This is where Amillennialism has its roots, where
Scripture concerning prophecy as symbols only are used and turned into an
allegorywith no literal interpretation concerning real events which were yet
future in their occurrence.
This is why many Orthodox churches which came out of the Reformation,
basedupon Luther’s unwillingness to fight directly againstallegorical
interpretations has continued this teaching which origin beganand became
the foundation of the Catholic Church, as he is one of the main fathers of
Catholicism.
When Luther broke away from the Catholic Church, this is one of the few
areas where he maintained their doctrine (See Endnote #2), wherein
allegoricalinterpretationtook the book of Revelationand states that it is not a
future event, that it is merely symbols to be understood allegorically –
theoretically, rather than prophecies which will physically occur. Now back
to the subject of typology.
Typology
It should be understood that typology does not embrace what is known as
allegoricalinterpretation, which we would refer to as allegoricalin nature as
seenin Origen of Alexandria‘s example.
When typology uses the word allegoricalit is not in the same sense oftaking
the place of the literal, as Origen did.
Biblical typology simply states that on top of or added to the literal meaning,
when words are used in a manner which is unusual to the text or in nature,
that this unusual wording holds further value to be investigated.
Examples
An example is seenin the building of the tabernacle, as also seenin every
chapter in the Bible.

The tabernacle utilized precious metals for specific meanings.
Gold is always been used concerning deity (as seenin a Kings crownwhich
was made of gold, 2 Samuel 12:30;1 Chronicles 20:2; Esther 8:15; Psalms
21:3; Revelation4:4; 9:7; 18:9-12), which is seenin the furniture which was
woodenwith gold overlay.
Wood(shittim wood, the same as acaciaswood, also spelled:arcade, and
acadia)was always considereda symbol Christs natural human life
(Zachariah 3:8; 6:12;Isaiah 11:1-3;Isaiah 4: 2; even the town that he was
raisedin regards this issue; as Jesus was referredto as the Nazarene. The
Hebrew root for the word Nazareth, which comes from netseris literally
translated, “shootor sprout” wherein the teaching that Jesus was the branch
of God is yet further seenin translating the title: “Jesus the Nazarene“, as
“Jesus the branch.” In the Hebrew these or synonyms).
The furniture of the tabernacle is woodcoatedin gold, which is a symbol of
the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
He was all of man, represented by the wood, and completely divine,
representedby the gold.
Silver is always used as a symbol of redemption (Numbers 3:45-47).
The Levitical law statedthat every male that opened the womb belongedto
the Lord (Regarding the ministry) and had to be redeemedwith a Temple
silver shekelin order to redeem the child back to the family.
If you remember that Jesus was betrayed for 30 silver Temple coins, which is
also referred to in the book of Zachariah (Zachariah 11:12)concerning
Judas’s betrayal of Christ (Matthew 26:15), wherein Christ became the
redemption of mankind.
If you approachthe tabernacle you would notice that there is a white linen
fence taller than you can see overso that there is nothing remarkable to it
(“Forhe shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry
ground: he hath no form nor comeliness;and when we shall see him, there is

no beauty that we should desire him.” ~ Isa. 53:2), the same way is there was
nothing beautiful concerning Jesus regarding the exterior.
Linen was always a symbol of purity and sinlessness, also symbols ofChrist.
The outer wall which was coveredwith linen was held up by sockets ofsilver,
againpointing to the fact that redemption surrounded the tabernacle of God,
that you could not go over it or under it, but you had to make your way to the
only entrance that was allowed.
We could talk about the outer covering of the tabernacle building which was
made out of different skins which were not comely or beautiful, yet on the
inside the first covering you saw as you walkedin was linen with purple and
gold figurines. Purple and gold always addressedroyalty.
As you approachedthe tabernacle you would see that there was only one way
into it (“Jesus saithunto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.” ~ John 14:6), always facing the east,
which pointed towards JerusalemGod city (“Him that overcomethwill I
make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will
write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God,
which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and
I will write upon him my new name.” ~ Rev. 3:12), where God met man in the
Temple.
Indicating that there’s only one way to salvationthrough this opening, which
had no door to stop a man (Because Jesus was the door – “Then saidJesus
unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” ~
John 10:7“), who could enter in basedupon belief.
After you entered the tabernacle enclosure the first thing you would run into
is the brazen (bronze) altar of sacrifice.
You have no chance of relationship with God without first dealing with your
sin, and God’s sacrifice through Jesus Christ for it, all of which was
symbolized but the brazen altar of sacrifice.

Bronze was always a typology of judgment because it was the only metal that
could maintain fire without melting, as the metal regarding sacrifice and
judgment.
It is the fact that we must first come through Jesus Christ in order to
approachGod, understanding that Jesus is the only sacrifice acceptedby God,
wherein fire was usedto concerning the sacrifice as judgment, typifying the
fact that Christ died on the cross paying the price for our sin.
One last interesting fact, have you ever consideredwhy within the Holy of
Holy, the Ark was not a singular piece of furniture, it is addressedas two
separate pieces.
The Ark (the box with no top) and the MercySeat(a temporary lid which
served anotherpurpose other than being connectedwith the box).
But what was a symbol behind these articles.
The Ark was a sepulcher; and the Mercy Seatwhich was placed on top of it is
a throne seat.
These two articles are not directly fused togetheror connectedwith
attachments.
The Ark is made of shittinm wood (shittim wood, the same as acaciaswood,
also spelled: arcade, and acadia), woodcoveredin gold, where the Mercy Seat
is made of pure gold.
A sepulcher is normally connectedto the lid which is not the case here, which
is why the lid is separate to indicate it is temporary in the same case that
Christ was temporarily a human being coveredin gold symbolizing His deity,
wherein he would physically die in being identified as deity only afterward.
And the sepulcher had no lid because the grave could not hold Him
Yet the Mercy Seatwas made with two angels symbolizing where Christ
would sit in Mercy to those He loved, and judgment for the others.

The Angels bowed their heads in inverted their eyes from looking where Jesus
would be sitting on the seatwhich was a sign of reverence, and fear
concerning the Majestyand deity of Jesus Christ.
What this is amazing is that the same type of wood(shittim wood, the same as
acaciaswood, also spelled:arcade, and acadia)which was the type of thorn
bush that was burning, the same word that was used on the tabernacle, the
same woodof the cross, and the same wood which made up the thorns on
Christ’s brow; symbolized would that had been alive in now was deaddue to
sin, due to the curse of sin which is also seenin the thorns.
Shadows
What’s amazing is that there are other types of woods that could’ve been
used, yet it is the consistencythat is necessaryfor typology to be maintained
within the Bible, God does not show himself inconsistentin validating the
types and models he utilizes, also referred to as shadows.
Regarding the tabernacle being a model which symbolized other things we
need only refer to Hebrews 8:4-6 which states:
“Forif he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are
priests that offer gifts according to the law: Who serve unto the example and
shadow of heavenly things, as Moses wasadmonishedof God when he was
about to make the tabernacle:for, See, saith he, that thou make all things
according to the pattern shewedto thee in the mount. But now hath he
obtained a more excellentministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a
better covenant, which was establishedupon better promises.”
As well as Hebrews 10:1,
“Forthe law having a shadow of goodthings to come, and not the very image
of the things, can never with those sacrifices whichthey offeredyear by year
continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”
And Colossians 2:16-17 whichstates,

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respectof an
holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of
things to come;but the body is of Christ.”
Many types to illustrate the many facets ofthat which is being symbolized in
order to enhance perspective, yet none of the types or examples are never used
concerning a different substance which is being symbolized, otherwise there
would be in inconsistencywherein contrary and confusing symbolisms would
be made.
God does not work this way.
Becausethe Bible is God’s vehicle of where we are to obtain faith (“faith
cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” ~ Romans 10:17), and
faith cannot grow where there is inconsistency.
The Bible is one volume made up of 66 books, with 40 scribes, yet only one
author
It is amazing of the 40 some odd authors of the Bible they never contradict
eachother concerning typology, this displays a single author of one mind
which we refer to as a Holy Spirit, He is a true author of God’s Word,
wherein man were utilized as scribes, yet still contributing part of themselves
without violating God’s design – this is something only God could do.
This begs the question why use typology, or better statedconcerning our
above example, what was the tabernacle an example of?
The tabernacle is a symbol of Jesus Christ.
Remember Jesus’words as found in John 5:39:
“for in the Scriptures you seek life, it is these that speak of me.”
Have you noticed how little many people think that the Old Testamentspeaks
of Christ.
Yet through typology Christ is seenin every book, every chapter; such as the
tabernacle.

Now Back to the Subject Matterconcerning the Theophanies ofChrist,
Considering the Burning Bush
It’s very easy, whatMoses saw whenhe sought a bush that was on fire and not
consumed, wherein he understood the symbolism; was grace.
The arcade bush was a symbol of the curse wherein thorns were created.
Fire has always beena symbol of God’s judgment, which is why the sacrifices
of the and the Temple used fire on the brazen altar’s.
So what was so amazing about this bush was the fact that when Moses looked
upon it it was a symbol of sin being judged, yet not being consumedor
destroyed-this was an enigma, a mystery that would exist decades until a
soldier would look up at a man being crucified in saying this was truly a
righteous man, with the man making a statement (not a question), father, why
have you forsakenme.
This is the question of the ages?
Why would Godjudge and condemn a righteous man who was innocent?
It was so that the condemned would be set free!
This is another example of Jesus Christ, and God’s grace.
Jesus Christ was judged for the sins of the world, in fact it says that He was
made sin for us (“Forhe hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness ofGod in him.” ~ 2 Cor. 5:21), this
judgment came from God because ofsin, yet concerning the burning bush, it
was not consumed and destroyed.
The reasonwas, JesusChrist was sinless deity, wherein Godprovided grace
for us that deservednone, we who are the Acadia (shittim wood, the same as
acaciaswood, also spelled:arcade, and acadia) bush in the world, because he
who deservedno judgment, took our judgment upon himself and became a
curse judged yet not consumed, the same as the was on fire yet not destroyed.
What Moses saw was grace.

Men are not attractedto God out of judgment and fear, they are attractedby
grace. This is not to say that man should not fear God, he should have a
healthy respectfulfear for God understanding that he is simple and God is
deity.
There is a difference betweenbeing attracted to God, and being fearful to the
place of not having a personalrelationship out of fear.
We need to have a fear of hell and judgment, yet what keeps bringing me back
to God’s throne after I mess up is God’s grace.
It is his grace that is so appealing, so compelling that even after I fall down yet
one more time, I crawl to the cross where he stands me up, not because I am
fearful, because feardrives me awayfrom God the same as it did with Adam.
Fearmakes me attempt to get right before God in an attempt to find my own
type of fig leafs. And while fear is healthy, it is grace that attracts me, like
him off to the flame of his love.
This is why the wonderof the burning bush was so important – it was an
example of grace that caught Moses’sattention.
And is one of the thousands of Scriptures which display at typology, a model,
a symbol, a shadow, a representationof Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the Only One
What also should be noted concerning the exactidentity of the deity that
spoke out of the burning bush, as well as the other listed times in the Bible
that deity is seenin the Old Testament, it is the factthat God the Father’s
dwelling place is in heavenupon His throne, He is never seenleaving it.
This is because Godcannot be in the presence ofsin, in facthe can’t even look
at it according to Habakkuk 1:13 which states:
“Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:
wherefore lookestthou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy
tongue when the wickeddevoureth the man that is more righteous than he“

God is never seencoming to Earth after the fall, when the Earth is cursed
because it is a sinful place.
The Holy Spirit, is a spirit and does not maintain a physical body (Re:
Matthew 3:16 concerning the spirit of God the descending “like” a dove, we
must understand that the word “like” points out that this is a type, not an
actualDove. When the words; “as” or“like” are used, they are used to
indicate that the substance is not complete or real, it is only the appearance of
something not the substance itself. This is seenwhen Satanis referred to as a
“roaring lion” in 1 Peter5:8 – it uses the word “as”. The Lion of the Tribe of
Judah, wherein typology is utilized, is always a reference to Jesus Christ the
MessiahofIsrael. Whereas in Peter this is where Satanattempts to look like
Jesus, in the same way that the antichrist attempts to present himself as the
Messiah. It is when we understand Greek grammar and how words work that
we come to better understand the complete consistencyofGod’s Word), or the
ability to be contained within one (you talk about a mystery).
Therefore, the only Divinity to make an appearance in the Old Testamentis
Jesus Christ.
And it is He that becomes a human in the New Testament, a Kinsmen
Redeemer(please see the article concerning “Kinsman Redeemer“), to die for
the sins of the world as one of us.
It was by man that sin enteredto the world, and it is by the God/man that sin
is paid for.
Jesus is the only one that is God, and that has visited man.
The following is an excerptfrom the acclaimedtheologianand scholar;Dr.
Herbert Lockyer’s book “All the Doctrines of the Bible,”3 concerning Christ’s
pre-incarnate appearancesin the Old Testament.
The Theophanies ofJesus
The most striking Old Testamentpreparationfor Christ’s Advent, however,
were those wonderful theophanic appearances.

These pre-incarnate manifestations of His were designedto prepare the world
for Christ’s more permanent abode in human flesh.
Biblical scholars identify “The angelof the Lord” – “The angelof his
presence” – “The angelof the Covenant” (Genesis 22:14;31:11, 13;Exodus
14:19;Isaiah 63:9; Malachi3:1), as Christ, the Sonof God, in pre-incarnate
manifestation.
‘His incarnation is the centerby reference to which all angelic ministrations
are bestunderstood.’
The most striking Old Testamentpreparationfor Christ’s Advent, however,
were those wonderful theophanic appearances.
These pre-incarnate manifestations of His were designedto prepare the world
for Christ’s more permanent abode in human flesh.
Biblical scholars identify “The angelof the Lord” – “The angelof his
presence” – “The angelof the Covenant” (Genesis 22:14;31:11, 13;Exodus
14:19;Isaiah 63:9; Malachi3:1), as Christ, the Sonof God, in pre-incarnate
manifestation.
‘His incarnation is the centerby reference to which all angelic ministrations
are bestunderstood.’
His Manifestationin Eden (Genesis 3:15)
The pre-existent Christ as God, spoke of Himself as the coming Seedof the
woman. As GodHe was the promised; as the God-Man, He became the
promise. (see Genesis3:22-24;Exodus 6:3, 5; Jude 1:14, 15;2nd
Thessalonians 1:7, 8).
His Manifestationto Hagar(Genesis 16:7-14)
This is the first time the angelis named. Four times over we have the title,
“The angelof the Lord,” “Jehovah”. Here we have Him seeking the miserable
outcast– a prophecy of His coming redemptive mission. (see John 4:14).
His Manifestationto Moses(Exodus 3:2, 6, 14; 23:20, 21;Acts 7:38)

Typical deliverances were wroughtby “The Angel of his presence,”who was
no ordinary angelbecause ofHis exercise ofdivine prerogatives, the
manifestation of divine preferences, and the claiming of homage due to Deity
alone.
His Manifestationto Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15)
As Joshua succeededMosesas the leaderof Israel, the same mysterious
Personageappeared, this time as “the captain of the host of the Lord.” Joshua
had to learn that he was subordinate to another Leader worthy of adoration
and worship.
His Manifestationto Abraham (Genesis 18:1-2;22:11-13;26:2, 5, 24, 25)
One of the three heavenly visitors entertained by Abraham repeatedly
assumed, and received, the name of Jehovahwith honor due only to Him.
Both Abraham, and his son, Isaac, were the recipients of promises from the
Lord of Glory.
His Manifestationto Jacob(Genesis28;32:24-32;48:15, 16;Hosea 12:4, 5)
The angel, who redeemedJacobfrom all evil was no common celestial
messenger, but “the angelof the covenant” Himself who, at different periods
of the patriarchs life, visited him with words of reassurance.
His Manifestationto Manoah(Judges 14:15-23;Isaiah9:6)
As the Omniscient One, the angelappeared to Manoahforetelling the birth
and characterofan extraordinary son, Sampson. Here we have a visible
revelation of divine majesty and a forgleam[“foreshadow”]ofthe character
of the coming Messiah.
His Manifestationto Isaiah(Isaiah 6:1-13;John 12:39-41;see Ezekiel1:1-28)
In his pre-Incarnate appearance to prophets, Christ came as the Revealerof
God. The words and burdens communicated to Isaiah, and others, came from
“The angelof his presence” Isaiah’s Savior. (Isaiah63:8-10).
His Manifestationto Zachariah(Zachariah 1:8-13; 2:8-11;3:1-10; 6:12-15)

The Prophet Zachariahdescribes a glorious Person, intimately acquainted
with the counsels ofthe Most High, and as presiding over world affairs,
directing, vindicating and interceding as no ordinary angel could do. This
Personexhibited the attributes of omniscience, omnipresence, and
omnipotence. God’s name was in Him. (Exodus 23:21). (Endnote# 3)
Other evidence of Christ pre-existence are hinted at in Daniel 3:25 (RV), John
1:15; 6:22; 1 Peter1:10, 11; Psalms 110:1;judges 6:12; 1 Corinthians 10:4, 9;
Exodus 14:19;Colossians1:16.
“The difference between‘involvement’ and ‘commitment’ is like an eggs-and-
ham breakfast:
the chickenwas ‘involved’ – the pig was ‘committed’.”
bb
Endnote
1. Origen, Augustine, & Allegoricalinterpretation (Referencesconcerning
allegations are within the body of this text)
Allegoricalinterpretation was allowedto cultivate due to a non-literal
interpretation of the Bible. Allegoricalinterpretation was referred to as
spiritual interpretation, or figurative interpretation. This type of handling of
God’s Word startedwith the work of the third century Alexandrian
theologian, Origen(Origen Adamantius), (ca. 185-254).
He was completely dedicatedto the allegoricalmethod of interpretation like
his mentor, Clement of Alexandria (Another teacherwhich many think of as
so greatwherein the reality displays he taught an immense amount of un-
orthodox teaching as well).
Origen spiritualized virtually every Christian doctrine.
Under Origen’s influence, the blessedhope of the Christian apologists—belief
in Christ’s imminent return to establish His kingdom—beganto yield to the
spiritual hermeneutics of Alexandria.

He maintained a theoreticalthreefold understanding of the meaning of
Scripture: the literal, typological, and spiritual that supposedly corresponded
to the threefold human nature—body, soul, and spirit.
In practice, however, he most frequently made a distinction betweenthe
literal and the spiritual method of interpretation of Scripture (e.g., De princ.
1.3.3).
The literal method, which Origen consideredcrude and unreliable, was
allowedto the weak ofintellect, the mass of Christians in general. The
spiritual method, extolled by Origen, was reservedfor a few like himself on
whom the grace ofthe Holy Spirit is bestowedin the word of wisdom and
knowledge (De princ. Preface, para. 8).
Origen did not believe in the deity of Christ in the normal sense. he believed
that all humans including Christ had a pre-existence before the creationof the
earth, wherein that those that did not maintain their love for the father
became demons, and others in question became humans born on the Earth.
He believed that Christ was one of those that loved God the most and
therefore became Lord. He does not believe in the deity of Christ in the
normal extent as a preexistent eternal God that is presentedin the New
Testament. He also had issues with the atonement. He is one of the last
people you would ever want teaching in your Sunday school, in fact as the
original author of Catholicismhis salvation if basedupon his own belief
system is completelyin doubt. a simple reading of his own works is shocking
to the Orthodox Christian.
Origen believed that there was a specialspiritual meaning to text which
supported his belief in a spiritual interpretation which only a very few,
including himself were able to understand. He taught a form of elitism which
denied the Holy Spirit would open up the understanding of God’s word to the
ordinary believer. It is because ofthis that he came up with so many un-
biblical and on Orthodox interpretations which many today refused to focus
on, attempting to claim that he is Orthodox because the translators Westcott
and Hort thought so highly of him.

Origen’s method of exegesis wasso subjective that it allowedfor an almost
infinite number of symbolic meanings and interpretations of the Biblical text,
most of which bore little resemblance to the plain meaning of the words.
Mysticaltheologicalspeculationwas typicalof Origen’s eschatology.
For example, according to his doctrine of the apokatastasis(restorationof
everything in the universe to its original, spiritual, primeval state), there will
be no hell or eternalpunishment. Rather, the Logos will purify every living
being, presumably even demons and Satanhimself. Then Christ can return
and raise all people, but in spiritual bodies only (De princ. 1.6.1-3;3.4-6).
As for the meaning of the Second Coming, Origen explained awaythe gospel
references to a literal, visible return of Christ and substituted a completely
spiritualized interpretation (De princ. 2.11.2).
In essence, Origentaught that Christ’s return signifies His disclosure of
Himself and His deity to all humanity in such a way that all might partake of
His glory to the degree that eachindividual’s actions warrant (Comm. On
Matt. 12.30).
In effect, Origen took the catalytic event of the prophetic calendarand
reduced it to a kind of general, mysticalencounter [that was only in the past,
no future hope] with Christ.
Origin taught physics as well as metaphysics and other disciplines which
would ingratiate themselves to an allegoricalmindset. This seems unusual in
that he took a literal Christ declarations to castoff your eye if it causedone to
sin (Matt 19:12 ?) defend you in that Origencommitted self-castration, which
he later regretted.
He was an apparent followerof the philosopher Plato, entertaining ideas quite
outside the Christian orthodoxy, teaching a form of re-Carnation wherein the
individual would repetitively be reborn going through stages andtell being
united with God, to the extent that he believed demons would eventually be
acceptedofGod through this process. (Also see Wikipedia –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origen)

Origen’s allegoricalinterpretations, including his views on Bible prophecy,
gained wide acceptance in the church of his day. His influence, followedby
Constantine’s “Edictof Milan” (313 A.D.), which createdreligious tolerance
within the realm; prepared the wayfor creationof Nicene Christianity as the
state religion by Theodosius I (AD 347-395)in 380 A.D, with him being the
last Emperor of both the Easternand Western RomanEmpires.
Augustine’s (354-430)teaching in the fourth century, are usually cited as the
principal causes ofPremillennialism’s eventual replacementby Amillennial
eschatology.
Augustine became the most noted and influential theologianof the Western
Church, writing “The city of God,” which portrayed the church as a new civic
order during the ruins of the Roman Empire, which fractured into pieces by
476 A.D.
All of the above statements that Origen has made are taken from his own
writings has found in his book “De principiis” which is translated to mean
“first principles.”
It is no coincidence thatthe dark ages accompaniedthe allegoricalteachings
founded by Origen, and made fashionable by Augustine. It is during this time
that the Bible was abusednot only by a lack of handling by the masses, but by
biblical figure to teaching by the clergy. This was the hallmark of the
medieval church, with the Roman Catholic Church utilizing this type of
butchery concerning God’s Word concerning any problematic doctrines, in
which they turned into heresies, perhaps the most prominent eschatology.
2. Martin Luther and & AllegoricalInterpretation
As the Reformationwas springing up across Europe, and Martin Luther
among others there came a move to a literal interpretation, yet they
maintained a spiritual interpretation / Allegoricalinterpretation concerning
eschatology, whichhas been prevalent in the Orthodox churches for almost
500 years.
It was not until the late 1800, andthe work of individuals such as John Darby,
Cyrus I. Scofield, and Charles Caldwell Ryrie, that a return to literal biblical

interpretation once againbecame predominant within the church, as it was
for the first three centuries wherein literal interpretation is all that the church
fathers utilized.
It was through a literal teaching that God dealt with man according to a
progressive revelationof His will, which became known as dispensationalism.
Dispensationalism;is based upon a literal form of hermeneutics, which
became defined according to the dividing of certain responsibilities or
stewardship(the meaning of dispensational)of the man into ages (time
periods) according to God’s revelation in which the return of Jesus was
understood to be literal, wherein eschatology(Lastdays events)became
known as pre-millennialism.
There are 3 major forms of eschatology, they are:Amillennialism (meaning
no millennium, whereas in the Greek “A” in front of the word means “none,”
or against), Premillennialism (which is a literal translationmedium, meaning
before the millennium), and Post-millennialism (meaning after the
millennium, which is a teaching that the millennium occurredshortly after the
time of Christ within the first few centuries of the church).
Dispensationalism, whichmay be subject to debate, yet it is the literal
interpretation which it utilizes which should never be subjectto debate. When
one examines individuals within the Bible that were interpreting prior
prophecies, they always without exceptioninterpreted those prophecies as
literal and never figurative. This is always the case, and therefore is the
model that we must utilize.
To re-state again, if the people that God calledto do his work interpreted
prior prophecies written within the Bible in a literal manner, this is the only
example we are allowed.
This is not to say that there is no place for typology, which is where words are
used in unusual form to indicate that they do not have a typical meaning. in
this case where the word meaning is clearwith in the passagethere is always a
literal interpretation, and wherein words are used in an unusual manner these
words indicate a symbol which is to be used in conjunction with the literal, not
opposedto it.

Therefore, whenthe tabernacle is spokenabout in a manner that utilize
certain elements, those elements were literally used. Yet on top of this literal
interpretation we understand the symbols of those elements which reinforce
clarity concerning whatGod wants to bring forth.
It has been statedthat typology is like adding colorto a black-and-white
picture, it never takes overor changes the literal elements of the picture. It
simply adds nuance an understanding wherein clarity is gained and the
picture becomes more beautiful than it was before.
3. Source: ALL THE DOCTRINESOF THE BIBLE, Herbert Lockyer,
Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI 49502, USA, 1964-1975.
4. Scriptures Regarding “Feet”
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiverfrom betweenhis
feet, until Shiloh come;and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
(Gen 49:10)
For Aaron and his sons shallwash their hands and their feet thereat: (Exo
30:19)
Every place whereonthe soles ofyour feetshall tread shall be yours: from the
wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the
uttermost sea shall your coastbe. (Deu 11:24)
And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that
Joshua calledfor all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men
of war which went with him, Come near, put your feetupon the necks ofthese
kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. (Jos
10:24)
And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he
shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he
will tell thee what thou shalt do. (Rth 3:4)
He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places. (2Sa
22:34)

Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked
nothing; their clothes waxednot old, and their feet swellednot. (Neh9:21)
For he is castinto a net by his own feet, and he walkethupon a snare. (Job
18:8)
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast
put all things under his feet: (Psa 8:6)
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
(Psa 18:9)
He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. (Psa
18:33)
For dogs have compassedme: the assemblyof the wickedhave inclosedme:
they pierced my hands and my feet. (Psa 22:16)
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeththe vengeance:he shall washhis feet
in the blood of the wicked. (Psa 58:10)
Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth
with his feet sinneth. (Pro 19:2)
Moreoverthe LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and
walk with stretchedforth necks and wantoneyes, walking and mincing as they
go, and making a tinkling with their feet: (Isa 3:16)
And whosoevershallnot receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart
out of that house or city, shake offthe dust of your feet. (Mat10:14)
My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet
with ointment. (Luk 7:46)
And whosoeverwillnot receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the
very dust from your feet for a testimony againstthem. (Luk 9:5)
(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet
with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) (Joh 11:2)

Then cometh he to Simon Peter:and Petersaith unto him, Lord, dost thou
washmy feet? (Joh13:6)
Petersaith unto him, Thou shalt never washmy feet. Jesus answeredhim, If I
washthee not, thou hast no part with me. (Joh 13:8)
Simon Petersaith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my
head. (Joh13:9)
Jesus saithto him, He that is washedneedeth not save to washhis feet, but is
cleanevery whit: and ye are clean, but not all. (Joh 13:10)
And casthim out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laiddown
their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. (Act 7:58)
And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not
he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoesofhis feet I am not
worthy to loose. (Act13:25)
Their feet are swift to shed blood: (Rom 3:15)
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospelof peace; (Eph 6:15)
And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of
the way; but let it rather be healed. (Heb 12:13)
https://faithbibleministriesblog.com/2016/03/05/christophanies-the-old-
testament-and-jesus-2/
Christophany in Exodus
Question: Hi Bob, Regarding Exodus 24:9-11 - could you tell me if this was
the Fatheror the Son that these men saw? Thank you as always.
Response: This vision of God which the elders of Israel see is comparable to
the one seenby Isaiah(chapter 6) and the one seenby Ezekiel(passim). The

image is of the Almighty God, which we might naturally take to be the Father,
for so He is. However, when John writes about the vision Isaiahsaw, for
example, he tells us that Isaiah was beholding Christ's glory (Jn.12:41), and
we understand now (with our New Testamentperspective)that this was a
vision of our Lord Jesus Christ in His capacityof King of Kings and Lord of
Lords, the glorified ruler of the earth who has acceptedthe mantle of
rulership from the Father (as He will return to reign until "He has placedall
enemies under His feet" 1Cor.15:25). Jesus is the only way to the Father,
whom "no one has seenat any time" (Jn.1:18), but if you have seenJesus, you
"have seenthe Father" (Jn.14:9). So with the additional revelationprovided
by the New Testament, we now understand that these apparent visitations of
the Fatherwere really the Son appearing in the Father's steadas His prime
representative in all things. We call these appearances "Christophanies", and
they are so prominent in the case ofthe Exodus as to warrant special
treatment. Here is what I have written about this in the first installment of
EssentialDoctrines ofthe Bible in Outline: Part 1, Theology:
[from sectionII.C.3.f.2.d]:"Despite the fact that no one has ever seenthe
Father while on this earth (see above), we are told that the elders saw the God
of Israel (in company with Moses andAaron: Ex.24:9-11), and we know that
Moses enteredthe cloud of glory and spoke with the Lord on Sinai (Ex.24:16-
17) and petitioned the Lord to "show me Your glory" (a request He granted:
Ex.33:18ff.). We also find in Numbers 12:8 that Moses saw "the form of the
Lord" and from Deuteronomy we know that unlike any other servant of the
Lord, Moses spokewith Him "face to face" (Deut.34:10). This then surely is
once againthe Angel of the Lord, not the actualpresence of the Father, but
the appearance ofthe One who is sent by Him, speaks forHim, and who has
undertaken to fulfill His plan of salvation in this world, our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, appearing in pre-incarnate Christophany."
The entire of issue of Theophany and Christophany, the "Angel of the Lord"
and relatedtopics, will be found in the Theologystudy as well(see the link).
Please also seethese links:
Jesus Christ in the Old Testament(Christophany: Genesis 3:8).

Old TestamentAppearances ofJesus Christ (in BB 4A)
Melchizedek and the high priesthoodof Christ
Yours in Christ,
Bob L.
Christophany: Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord?
Date:March 25, 2015
Author: Craig Truglia
0 Comments
There is some debate among theologians whetheror not Christ has any “pre-
incarnate” incarnations throughout the Scripture. Neitherside is heretical,
though those who see pre-incarnate Jesus in one passagepracticallysee Him
everywhere:He’s Jehovah, He’s the Angel of the Lord, He’s Melchizedek,
He’s any angelthat appears to be doing anything important or cool, etcetera.
MostEarly Church Fathers ascribedto this, and most theologians into the
modern era have done the same.
Interpreters commonly believe Christ was the Angel who appearedin the
furnace episode in the Book of Daniel.
For a long time I believed that there were not any Christophanies in the Old
Testament, because twice in the New Testamentit says that “the Law was
ordained by angels” (Acts 7:53, see also Gal3:19). These “angels”are
seemingly addressedas “God” or“Jehovah” whenthe Law is actually given in
Exodus and recountedin Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Therefore, it is not

necessarilya stretchto imagine that these angels were messengersforthe
King so to say.
However, one passagein the Book of Genesis whenproperly exegetedmakes it
very likely that Christophanies are a common occurrence in the Old
Testament. In it Jacobsays the following:
The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
The angelwho has redeemedme from all evil,
Bless the lads;
And may my name live on in them,
And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth (Gen 48:15, 16).
In the Septuagint (LXX) the terma “Ho Theos [The God]” and “Ho Aggelos
[The Angel]
are used, so we know that the early Jews who translatedthe Book ofGenesis
were speaking ofa singular, specific Person. Further, being that God
redeemedJacobfrom all evil, and the sentence constructionis identical, the
easiestexplanationis that “the God” is “the angel.”
Being that “the Angel of the Lord” has a definite article in front of it, we know
that this is a specific Angel, a specialone setapart from the others. Being that
Christ alone is the Redeemer, and He is God (John 1:1, 3), we have good
reasonto believe that any references to “the Angel of the Lord” are
addressing the same Angel in Gen 48:16.
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This is not a mere createdbeing that acts as a messengerfor God, but God
Himself. Jesus Christis the one who “exegetesthe Father” (John 1:18). So, in
this sense, Christis indeed the MessengerofGod the Father.
Who else can“the angel” of Gen 48:16 be? A random angelthat happens not
to be God? How can such an angelredeem Jacobfrom all evil? Jehovah’s
Witnesses might take this to mean that Christ is merely an angel, and thereby
a createdbeing. However, contextheavily mitigates againstthis. The Angel
appears to be one and the same with the one true God.
The only reasonable conclusionis that Jacobwrestledwith Christ, that he
built altars to Christ, that his vision of the ladder (Gen 28:10-17)was that of
Christ’s mediation betweenman and the Father, that Jesus is the God whom
Jacob’s fathers walkedbefore, and He is the one who redeemedhim from all
evil.
https://orthodoxchristiantheology.com/2015/03/25/christophany-is-jesus-the-
angel-of-the-lord/
Appearances Of Jesus Christ In The Old Testament
ChronologicalOrderOf Christ In The Old Testament
How much do you really know about the Old TestamentMessiah?
The PhysicalAppearances of Christ in the Old Testament
Genesis 14:17-20(Hebrews 5:6; 7:1-8) - Jesus is calledMelchizedek, priest,
man, Sonof God. He blessedAbraham.
2 reasons why some sayMelchizedek was not Christ:
Hebrews 7:3,15 - made like unto the Sonof God(Daniel 3:25)
Hebrews 7:4 - calleda man (Genesis 18:1-2;32:24;Joshua 5:13)
5 reasons why I believe Melchizedek was Christ!

calledpriest of the most high God (before the Law was given) - Hebrews 7:1
calleda priest forever(like Jesus) - Hebrews 5:6; 7:3,17,21
called"king of Salem" (peace) - Isaiah 9:6; Ephesians 2:14;Hebrews 7:1-2
called"king of Righteousness" - Romans 10:1-4; Hebrews 7:2
without genealogy(EternalOne) - Hebrews 7:3
Genesis 16:7-13
(called angelof the Lord - blessedHagar)
Genesis 18:1-14
(called Lord, man - blessedAbraham)
Genesis 32:24-30(Hosea 12:2-5)
(called man, God, angel - blessedJacob)
Numbers 22:22-35
(called angelof the Lord - warnedBalaam)
Joshua 5:13-15
(called man - fought for Joshua & Israel)
Judges 2:1-4
(called angelof the Lord - rebuked Joshua & Israel)
Judges 6:11-22
(called angelof the Lord, Lord - fought for Gideon & Israel)
Judges 13:1-22
(called angelof the Lord, God, man - raisedup Samsonfor Israel)
2nd Samuel 24:13-17;1stChronicles 21:12-18;2nd Chronicles 3:1
(called angelof the Lord, Lord, angel - chastenedking David & Israel

1stKings 19:1-7
(called angelof the Lord, angel - strengthened Elijah)
Daniel 3:23-28 (Hebrews 7:3)
(called Sonof God, angel - protected Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego)
Zechariah 1:7-19;2:1-3; 3:1-6; 4:1-5; 5:5-10; and 6:4,5
(called angelof the Lord, angel, man - revealedtruth to Zechariah)
The PersonalAppearances ofChrist in the Old Testament
Genesis 21:17,18
(called angelof God - caredfor Hagar)
Genesis 22:11-18
(called angelof the Lord - blessedAbraham)
Genesis 28:13-16
(called Lord - blessedJacob)
Genesis 31:11-13
(called angelof God - instructs Jacob)
Exodus 3:1,2 (John 8:58 and Acts 7:30-33)
(called angelof the Lord - instructs Moses)
Exodus 13:21 (Exodus 23:20-23)
(called Lord - leads and protects Israel)
Exodus 14:19
(called angelof God - leads and protects Israel)
2nd Kings 1:3,15

(called angelof the Lord - protectedElijah)
2nd Kings 19:35 (2nd Chronicles 32:21; Isaiah37:36)
(called angelof the Lord - Zechariah1:11,12;3:1,5,6;12:8)
Daniel 6:22 (Numbers 20:16 and Isaiah63:9 and Daniel 3:28)
(called angel - protectedDaniel)
The PersonalReferencesofChrist in the Old Testament
Genesis 24:7,40
(called angel - Abraham instructs servant)
Genesis 48:16
(called angel - Jacobrecalls Genesis 32:24-30)
Exodus 23:20-23;32:34; 33:2 (Numbers 20:16)
(called angel - Exodus 13:21;14:19;Isaiah 63:9)
Numbers 20:16
(called angel - Exodus 13:21;14:19;Isaiah 63:9)
Judges 5:23
(called angelof the Lord - Judges 2:1,4;6:11,12,21,22;13:3,13,15, 16-18,20,21)
Psalms 34:7; 35:5,6
(called angelof the Lord)
Isaiah63:9
(called angelof his presence - Exodus 23:20-23)
Hosea 12:4
(called angel - Genesis 32:24-30)

Zechariah 12:8
(called angelof the Lord - Zechariah1:11,12;3:1,5,6;12:8)
Ecclesiastes5:6
(called angel)
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Believer's%20Corner/Doctrines/ot_christ-
chron.htm
THEOPHANY AND CHRISTOPHANY(deeper life)
1. THEOPHANY & CHRISTOPHANY DEEPER LIFE By: Ptr. Paul John
Morales Azores
2. TEXT READ GENESIS 16:1-16
3. INTRODUCTION• KNOWING GOD AND BE CHRIST-LIKE IS ONE
OF OUR MAJOR GOAL AS BELIEVERS. • WITHOUT THIS: • WE ARE
POWERLESS• WE ARE USELESS • WE HAVE NO GOAL • WE HAVE
NO VISION • WE CANNOT PERFORM THE GREAT COMMISSION•
GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ALL POWERS • ALL POWER IS IN THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST (MATTHEW 28:18)
4. MANISFESTATIONSAND DEALINGS OF GOD •THEOPHANY- is a
manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses. In its
most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance ofGod in the Old Testament
period, often, but not always, in human form. •CHRISTOPHANY-the visible
and bodily manifestation of God the Sonbefore His incarnation.
5. GOD IS A SPIRIT •John 4:24 •God[is] a Spirit: and they that worship him
must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.(KJV)
6. NO MAN HAVE SEEN GOD •John 1:18 •No man hath seenGod at any
time; the only begottenSon, which is in the bosomof the Father, he hath
declared[him].(KJV)

7. CHRIST AND THE FATHER ARE ONE (JOHN 10:30)•John 14:10-11
•Believestthou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words
that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in
me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father
in me: or else believe me for the very works'sake.(KJV)
8. GOD MANIFEST AS THEOPHANY AND CHRISTOPHANY1. Genesis
12:7-9 – The Lord appeared to Abraham on his arrival in the land God had
promised to him and his descendants. 2. Genesis18:1-33 – One day, Abraham
had some visitors: two angels and God Himself. He invited them to come to his
home, and he and Sarahentertained them. Many commentators believe this
could also be a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. 3.
Genesis 32:22-30– Jacobwrestledwith what appearedto be a man, but was
actually God (vv. 28-30). This may also have been a Christophany.
9. GOD MANIFEST AS THEOPHANY AND CHRISTOPHANY4. Exodus
3:2 - 4:17 – God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, telling him
exactly what He wanted him to do. 5. Exodus 24:9-11 – God appeared to
Moses withAaron and his sons and the seventy elders. 6. Deuteronomy 31:14-
15 – God appeared to Moses andJoshua in the transfer of leadership to
Joshua. 7. Job 38–42– God answeredJobout of the tempest and spoke at
greatlength in answerto Job’s questions.
10. Frequently, the term “glory of the Lord” reflects a theophany •Exodus
24:16-18 •And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud
coveredit six days: and the seventh day he calledunto Moses outof the midst
of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the LORD [was]like devouring fire
on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moseswent
into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses wasin
the mount forty days and forty nights.(KJV)
11. Frequently, the term “glory of the Lord” reflects a theophany •the “pillar
of cloud” has a similar function in •Exodus 33:9 •And it came to pass, as
Moses enteredinto the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood [at]
the door of the tabernacle, and [the LORD] talked with Moses.(KJV)

12. A frequent introduction for theophanies may be seenin the words “the
Lord came down,” •Genesis11:5 •And the LORD came down to see the city
and the tower, which the children of men builded.(KJV) •Exodus 34:5 •And
the LORD descendedin the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed
the name of the LORD.(KJV)
13. A frequent introduction for theophanies may be seenin the words “the
Lord came down,” •Numbers 11:25 •And the LORD came down in a cloud,
and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that [was]upon him, and gave [it]
unto the seventyelders: and it came to pass, [that], when the spirit rested
upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.(KJV)•Numbers 12:5 •And the
LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood[in] the door of the
tabernacle, and calledAaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.(KJV)
14. ANGEL OF THE LORD AS CHRISTOPHANY•In the Old Testament,
an angel appearedto individuals identified as:-angelof the Lord- Genesis
16:7 -angelof God- Genesis 21:17 -angelofhis presence-Isaiah63:9 -
messengerofcovenant-Malachi3:1
15. ANGEL OF THE LORD •Genesis 16:7 •And the angelof the LORD found
her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to
Shur.(KJV)
16. ANGEL OF GOD •Genesis 21:17 •And God heard the voice of the lad; and
the angelof God calledto Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth
thee, Hagar? fearnot; for Godhath heard the voice of the lad where he
[is].(KJV)
17. ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE•Isaiah63:9 •In all their affliction he was
afflicted, and the angelof his presence savedthem: in his love and in his pity
he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of
old.(KJV)
18. MESSENGEROF COVENANT •Malachi3:1 •Behold, I will send my
messenger, andhe shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye
seek, shallsuddenly come to his temple, even the messengerofthe covenant,
whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.(KJV)

19. •If we will study the contextof the angel’s appearances,it reveals that He
is more than another angel: He is God. •The expressionusually signifies a
preincarnate appearance of Christ, and is sometimes calleda “Christophany,”
meaning the visible and bodily manifestationof God the Son before His
incarnation.
20. CHRISTOPHANYWAS RECOGNIZED BY: HAGAR •Genesis 16:13
•And she calledthe name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest
me: for she said, Have I also here lookedafter him that seeth me?(KJV)
21. CHRISTOPHANYWAS RECOGNIZED BY: ABRAHAM •Genesis 22:14
•And Abraham calledthe name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said [to]
this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.(KJV)
22. CHRISTOPHANYWAS RECOGNIZED BY: MOSES •Exodus 3:14 •And
God said unto Moses,I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sentme unto you.(KJV)
23. CHRISTOPHANYWAS RECOGNIZED BY: GIDEON •Judges 6:22
•And when Gideonperceived that he [was]an angelof the LORD, Gideon
said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seenan angelof the LORD face
to face.(KJV)
24. CHRISTOPHANYWAS RECOGNIZED BY: MANOAH •Judges 13:18
•And the angelof the LORD said unto him, Why askestthouthus after my
name, seeing it [is] secret?(KJV)•Judges 13:22 •And Manoahsaid unto his
wife, We shall surely die, because we have seenGod.(KJV)
25. ORDINARYANGEL CANNOT BE WORSHIPPED, BUT
CHRISTOPHANYCAN •Revelation22:8-9 •And I John saw these things, and
heard [them]. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before
the feetof the angelwhich shewedme these things. Then saith he unto me, See
[thou do it] not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets,
and of them which keepthe sayings of this book:worship God.(KJV)
26. CONCLUSION • THE “LORD’S MESSENGER” WAS ALSO USED.
•Haggai1:13 •Then spake Haggaithe LORD'S messengerin the LORD'S
messageunto the people, saying, I [am] with you, saith the LORD.(KJV)

27. CONCLUSION • THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD “ANGEL” IS
“MESSENGER”•GOD MANIFEST TO BRING MESSAGE•CHRIST
“CHRISTOPHANY” MANIFESTAS “ANGEL” TO GIVE MESSAGE.
•TODAY, WE ARE GOD’S MESSENGER!•WE ARE COMMISSIONED,
ORDAINED, CHOSEN AND SENT MESSENGER!SO PREACHTHE
WORD!
28. •YOU CAN INTRODUCE GOD IF YOU KNOW GOD! •YOU CAN BE
CHRIST-LIKE IF YOU WALK AND COMMUNE WITH CHRIST!•WE
CAN HAVE POWER, IF WE ARE CONNECTEDTO THE ALL
POWERFULGOD!•TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
It’s All Christophany
JasonMicheli — September 2, 2019 — 1 Comment
Sharing is caring!
88
Luke 24.13-28
Sunday, we kickedoff a year-long sermon series through scripture calledthe
Jesus StoryYear.

“Jesus Christ[not the Bible] is the one Word of God whom we have to hear,
and whom we have to trust and obey in life and in death…JesusChrist is
God’s vigorous announcementof God’s claim upon our whole life.”
Those lines constitute the opening salvo of the Barmen Declaration, the
ConfessionofFaith written by the pastorand theologianKarl Barth in 1934
on behalf of the dwindling minority of Christians in Germany who publicy
repudiated the Third Reich.
Barth wrote the whole document while his colleagues sleptoff their lunchtime
booze.
“We rejectthe false doctrine,” Barth wrote, “that there could be areas ofour
life in which we do not belong to Jesus Christ but to other lords…With both
its faith and its obedience, the Church must testify that it belongs to and obeys
Christ alone.”
I studied Karl Barth at Princeton. My teacher, George Hunsinger, had a
thick, white beard and reading glassesperchedat the end of his nose. A
photograph of Karl Barth laughing with Martin Luther King Jr. hung in his
office. The picture captured Barth’s first and only visit to the United States.
I remember we were discussing Barth’s BarmenDeclarationin class, andDr.
Hunsinger, uncharacteristically, broke from his lecture and took off his
reading glasses. His jovial countenance turned serious, and he said, seemingly
at random though not random at all, “just outside the Dachauconcentration
camp in Bavaria, immediately outside the walls of the camp, there was and
still is a Christian church.”
It was an 8:00 class but suddenly no one was fighting off a yawn.
“Justimagine,” he said, “the prison guards and the commandant at that
concentrationcamp probably went to that church on Sundays. They confessed
their sins and receivedthe assurance ofpardon and prayed to the God of
Israeland the God of Jesus Christ there, and then they walkedout of the
church and went back to the camp and killed scoresofJews not thinking it in
any way contradicting their calling themselves Christians.”

“How does that work?” someonejoked, trying to take the edge off.
“It happens,” he replied, “when you reduce the Gospelto forgiveness andyou
evict Jesus Christ from every place but the privacy of your heart.”
His righteous angerwas like an ember warming inside him.
“Wheneveryou read Karl Barth,” the professortold us,” think of that church
on the edge of the concentrationcamp. Think of the pews filled with
Christians and the ovens filled with innocents and then think about what it
means to callJesus Lord.”
Notice—
Cleopas and the other disciple on the road to Emmaus, they’re not unawares.
They’ve heard the Easternews. They’ve heard from the women who dropped
their embalming fluid and fled to tell it. They’ve heard from Peter. They’ve
heard that the tomb is empty.
And yet—
Having heard that Deathhas been defeated, having heard that the Powerof
Sin has been conquered, and having heard that self-giving, cheek-turning,
cruciform love has been vindicated from the grave, our moral imagination is
so impoverished that the first EasterSunday isn’t even over and here we are
(in these two disciples) walking back home as if the world is the same as it
ever was and we can getback to our lives as knew them.
They’ve heard the Easternews, yet these two disciples still make two common
mistakes— two common reductions— in how they understand Jesus.
“Jesus ofNazarethwas a prophet mighty in deed and word before God,” they
tell the stranger(who is Christ). True enough, but not sufficient.
“We had hoped he would be the one to liberate Israel,” they tell him, “we had
hoped he was the revolutionary who would finally free us from our

oppressors.”Again, their answers aren’twrong; their answers just aren’t big
enough.”
It’s not until this strangerbreaks bread before them that their eyes are
opened and they run— in the dark of night, eight miles to Emmaus, they
run— to go and tell the disciples what they’ve learned.
And when they get there, after the RisenJesus has taught them the Bible
study to end all Bible studies— what have the learned?
They don’t call Jesus a prophet.
They don’t dash after the disciples to report “Godhas raisedJesus, the
prophet, from the dead.”
They don’t call Jesus a liberator.
They don’t run to Peterand say “Jesus the revolutionary has been
resurrected.”
They don’t even call him a savioror a substitute.
They don’t dash after the disciples to report, “The Lamb of God who took
awaythe sins of the world has come back.”
No, after the RisenJesus interprets Moses andthe prophets for them (ie, the
Old Testament;ie, the only Bible they knew)they take off to herald the return
of Jesus the kurios.
They confess their faith in Jesus as kurios.
“The kurios is risen indeed!” they proclaim to Peter.
Luke book-ends his Gospelwith that inconviently all-encompassing word
kurios.
The whole entire Bible, Jesus has apparently taught these two, testifies to how
this crucified Jewishcarpenterfrom Nazarethis the kurios who demands our
faith.
Kurios.

Lord.
The word we translate into English as faith is the word pistis in the Greek of
the New Testament. And pistis has a range of meanings. Pistis can mean
confidence or trust. It can mean conviction, belief, or assurance. And those
are the connotations we normally associate withthe English word faith.
In Christ alone by grace through trust alone.
Through belief alone, is how we hear it.
But— here’s the rub— pistis also means fidelity, commitment, faithfulness,
obedience.
Or, allegiance.
Allegiance.
Now, keepin mind that the very first Christian creedwas“Jesus is kurios”
and you tell me which is the likeliestdefinition for pistis.
So how did we go from faith-as-obedience to faith-as-belief?
How did getfrom faith-as-allegianceto faith-as-trust?
I’m glad you asked.
When Luke wrote his Gospeland when Paul wrote his epistles, Christianity
was an odd and tiny community amidst an empire antithetical to it.
Christianity representedan alternative fealty to country and culture and even
family.
Back then—
Baptism was not a cute christening.
Baptism was not a sentimental dedication.

Baptism was not a blessing, a way to baptize the life you would’ve lived
anyway.
Back then, to be baptized as a Christian was a radical coming out. It was an
act of repentance in the most original meaning of that word: it was a
reorientationand a rethinking of everything that had come before.
To profess that “Jesus is Lord” was to protest that “Caesaris not Lord.”
The affirmation of one requires the reununciation of the other.
Which is why, in Luke’s day and for centuries after, when you submitted to
baptism, you’d first be led outside.
By a pool of water, you’d be stripped naked.
Every bit of you laid bare, even the naughty bits.
And first you’d face West, the direction where the darkness begins, and you
would renounce the powers of this world, the ways of this world, the evils and
injustices of this world.
And the first Christians weren’t bullshitting.
For example, if you were a gladiator, baptism meant that you renounced your
careerand got yourself a new one.
Then, having left the old world behind, you would turn and face East, the
direction whence Light comes, and you would affirm your faith in Jesus the
kurios and everything your new way of life as a disciple would demand.
And the first Christians— they walkedthe Jesus talk of their baptismal
pledge.
For example, Christians quickly became known— before almostanything
else— in the Roman Empire for rescuing the unwanted, infirm babies that
pagans would abandon to die in the fields.
Baptism wasn’t an outward and visible sign of your inward and invisible
trust.

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