CHRISTOPHANY - NYOBS 01.21

The appearance of Christ

• Question:  Has Christ appeared as an angel or someone else?  I say yes.
• We believe as Christians that Christ came to earth at various times before the New Testament.  He is many times referred to as “The angel of the Lord” or “like the Son of God” and in Genesis as “the Word”.
• The appearances in visions of the Lord looked different to each human mind as they perceived their concept of God.  Ezekiel saw a wheel, Isaiah saw a lofty throne with a robe with a long train that filled the temple

Ezek 1:3-10 – EZEKIELS MIND SAW CHRIST AS A WHEEL

3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. KJV

10 And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. KJV

Isa 6:1 – ISAIAH’S MIND SAW CHRIST IN A LONG ROBE

6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple

NIV

Gen 14:18 –APPEARS AS MELCHIZEDEK KING OF JERUSALEM.

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, NIV

Ps 110:4

4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind:" You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." NIV

Heb 7:2-3

 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever. NIV

Gen 16:7 – APPEARS AS THE ANGEL OF THE LORD

7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. NIV

Gen 32:24 JACOB WRESTLES & SEES THE GLORY OF JESUS

24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak –

26 Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." NIV

Hos 12:4

4 He struggled with the angel (of the Lord) and overcame him; He wept and begged for his favor. NIV

John 12:41 – ISAIAH SEE THE GLORY OF JESUS

41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. NIV

Rev 19:10 – ANGELS CANNOT BE WORSHIPPED, ONLY JESUS.

10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers NIV

Josh 5:13-14 – JOSHUA WORSHIPS JESUS THE COMMANDER

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

14 "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, NIV

Dan 3:25 – JESUS WAS THE FOURTH MAN IN THE FURNACE

25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the god." NIV

Judg 13:2 – MANOAH TALKS WITH JESUS,THE ANGEL OF GOD

2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not

17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?"

18 He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding. NIV

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?

• Students of the word have varying opinions about The Angel of the Lord.  Some take the Bible literally and believe the angel of the Lord is just as it says, an angel; while others believe it was Jesus. - Depending on the scripture I am reading, I vacillate back and forth.
• While this does not change our salvation, it sure is interesting. 
• Right or wrong doesn’t apply, it’s just fun studying about our Lord and …. He delights in it.

 In the multitude of counselors,

 there is wisdom.

Prov 11:14

I am grateful for those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further than I otherwise ever could have.

A survey of the New Testament – Gunry

All the Miracles of the Bible - Herbert Lockyer

Bible Commentary – F. B. Meyer

Compact Bible Dictionary - Zondervan

Complete Bible Handbook – Lawrence O. Richards

Dake’s annotated Bible - Dake

Halley’s Bible Handbook – H.H. Halley

KJV Bible

Mystery of the Ages – Herbert W. Armstrong

Mysteries of the Bible – Readers Digest

NIV Bible

The Illustrated Bible Dictionary – Tyndale

The Layman’s Overview of the Bible – George W. Knight

The Bible Almanac – Packer Tenney White

Vincent’s Word Studies of the NT - Mac Donald

What the Bible is all about – Henrietta C. Mears

What in the World is going on? – David Jeremiah

Wikipedia encyclopedia

Who’s Who in the Bible – Paul D. Gardner

Wikipedia Encyclopedia

Wycliff Bible Commentary, The