CHRISTOPHANIES

The Bible is God's Word, and therefore, it is true. But critics like to point to apparent contradictions in order to reject it. One of their favorite "proofs" that the Bible is man-made, is that it says in one place that men have seen God, and in another, that no man has seen God. Jesus, Himself, said that no man had ever seen God (John 1:18) and He clarifies it by saying that no man has seen the Father (John 6:46). The Apostle John also made it clear in 1 John 4:12 and 4:20. But, in Genesis 32:30, Jacob claims to have seen God face to face. And in Judges 6:22 and 13:1-22, people see the Angel of the Lord, and believe He is God Himself. However, a thorough study of the Angel of the Lord will reveal that it is, in fact, a Christophany.

A Christophany is a preincarnate (before becoming flesh) appearance of Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity. Because Jesus is God, these appearances are often mistakenly called Theophanies (Theo being Greek for God). In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul tells us that Jesus, Who was equal to the Father, humbled Himself and took on the form of a man, for the sole purpose of dying for humanity. As God, He could not die, but as the God-Man, He was ready, willing, and able. As the Creator of the Universe (John 1:1-3; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2; Revelation 4:11), Jesus obviously preexisted His human incarnation. He astounded His critics in John 8:58 by saying, "Before Abraham was, I Am." He not only told them He preexisted, but He was claiming to be the "I Am" of Exodus 3:14. Their response to His claim was predictable; they sought to kill Him for blasphemy.

In addition to Christophanies, I believe that Jesus was the YHVH of the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 6:4, the concept of the Trinity is revealed. It says, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD." In the Hebrew, the word "LORD" is YHVH, and the word "God" is elohim. "LORD" in the Bible is "Jehovah," which is YHVH with the vowels of "adonai" added. However, God Himself translated YHVH in Exodus 3:14 as "I AM THAT I AM." When Jesus referred to Himself as "I Am" the Bread of life, the Light of the world, the Door, the Good Shepherd, etc., He was identifying with the LORD of the Old Testament. Since Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, it seems obvious that Jesus is LORD from beginning to the end. Therefore, Jesus=I AM=Jehovah=LORD.

So, to you critics of the Bible, I suggest you quit looking for excuses to reject Jesus, and admit that you don't want to submit to anyone known as LORD. If you spent as much energy studying the Word as you do criticising it, you would soon become a genuine believer. This I pray for you in Jesus' name. Amen.