Category Archives: Theophany

These Three Are One (Part II)

Beyond the Genesis elohim passages, there are many other passages which add detail to the doctrine of the triune Godhead. In this installment, we will look at some other Old Testament passages. Again, it is not suggested that the writers of these Old Testament passages understood clearly all that they were speaking or writing, but in the light of New Testament revelation, they all become much clearer to us. In our third installment we will look at the New Testament on the subject.

The Plurality of the Godhead in Genesis 11

In Genesis 11 we have another reference to the plurality of the Godhead. When man in his hubris tried to build a tower that would reach to heaven, God said “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:7). It has been suggested that the plural used here is a mere literary device, the so-called “Majestic We.” Kings and those in power will sometimes speak in the plural to emphasize their authority. It is believed that this practice began because God used it that way in these passages (see here). The first problem with this is that in scripture no Hebrew king ever followed such an example and identified himself with a “royal we.” Actually, neither did the kings of the east like Darius (Ezra 6:12) or Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:21). Second, God could very well speak in the royal we precisely because of His triune Nature not in spite of it.

A Revealing Encounter in Exodus 34

Another tremendous passage that is often overlooked is found in Exodus 34. Moses had requested to see the glory of God (Ex. 33:16). God told Moses that no one could see His face and live but that there was a place by Him (33:21) and he could stand in a cleft of a rock (33:22) and God, after covering Moses with His hand (33:22) so he couldn’t see God’s face, would allow him to see His hinder parts as He passed by and would cause all His goodness to pass by and proclaim the name of the Lord (Ex. 33:19-23). The Text tells us that the next morning Moses went up the mountain and “LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there” (Exodus 34:5). At the same time that the Lord stood with Moses there, the Lord also passed before him and proclaimed the name of the Lord (34:6,7). And then Moses, after bowing his head, said, “O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us” (Ex. 34:9).

There are at least two things worthy of note pertaining to the topic of the triune nature of the Godhead in this passage. First, the Text seems to clearly say that the Lord stood by Moses at the same time that the Lord passed by Moses declaring the name of the Lord. This is reminiscent of John 1:1-3 where the Word was both God and the Word was with God at the same time. In this instance, the Lord was both standing by Moses and passing in front of him at the same time.

The second interesting thing is that Moses asked the Lord to let “his Lord” go among them. Previously, Moses had said to the Lord “Thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me” as he led the children of Israel to the promised land (Ex. 33:12). The Lord assured Moses that His Presence would go with Moses and Israel (33:14). This precipitated Moses asking God to see His glory. Now that Moses had seen it, he said “Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us” (34:9). Who was Moses’ Lord? It was the Presence of God (33:14). It was the Angel of His Presence that saved them (Is. 63:9). It was the second Person of the Godhead by Whom Moses stood.

Psalm 110:1 – A Divine Conversation

In a very similar way, David wrote, “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalm 110:1). David said the Lord (Jehovah) said to his (David’s) Lord (Adonay) “sit Thou on my right hand until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool.” Who was David’s Lord (Adonay)? Jesus said this passage was speaking of Messiah, of Himself (Matt. 22:42-46; Mark 12:35-37). Peter and Luke applied the passage to the resurrection f Christ (Acts 2:30-36). But it shows a conversation between two lords, between the Father and the Son within the Godhead. The verse implies that “the LORD” (Jehovah) speaks to “my Lord,” pointing to a distinction of persons within one divine essence. It is the same distinction that Moses had made (Ex. 34:9).

Isaiah 6 and the Triune God

In Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees a glorious vision of God, of Jehovah, and of the triune nature of the Godhead. Isaiah saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple” (6:1). Isaiah sees the Lord (Adonay) sitting on a throne. In response, Isaiah says “mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD (Jehovah-ELP) of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). So Isaiah sees the Lord (Adonay) and identifies Him as Jehovah. Jehovah is spoken of in the singular, i.e., His (Second person singular) train filled the Temple (6:1). And yet the Lord asks, “Whom shall I send” (singular) and then “who will go for us?” (plural). Here again, the Lord speak of Himself in the plural. This combination of singular and plural pronouns is intentional. It indicates a plurality in the unity and suggests the triune nature of the Godhead.

Just as an aside, the word translated “train” in the KJV is elsewhere translated as robe or hem. But Isaiah chose the plural shulayv instead of the singular shulo to indicate the glory of Adonay in the temple. The usage of the plural could be just a Hebrew literary device to emphasize God’s majesty, but it is also consistent with interplay of plural and singular terms in relationship to God’s triune nature.

But we are not left to guess about whom Isaiah saw in his vision for the apostle John, in describing Jesus’ miracles applies this passage (Isaiah 6) to Jesus and says “These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him” (John 12:41). Isaiah says he say the Lord, Jehovah (6:5) and John says he saw Jesus, or the Second Person of the Godhead (John 12:41). Furthermore, it is interesting to note John quotes from the LXX. In that text there is a shift from the one blinding their eyes and dulling their hearing and hardening their heart to the one healing them. It is “He” who blinds (that is, God, cf. II Thess. 2:11; Psalm 81:11,12; et. al.) but “I” (that is, Christ, cf. Mal. 4:2; Is. 53:5) will heal. This is also consistent with the plurality of the Godhead.

Finally, while repetition is one form of emphasis, given all the other nuances and intracasies of this passage, it seems significant, or at least consistent with the triune nature of the Godhead to repeat the holiness of God thrice, Holy, Holy, Holy (cf. Rev. 4:8).

Conclusion

Other Old Testament passages address the plurality of the Godhead in various ways. We have examined various Christophanies in the Old Testament of One who was worshiped as God yet distinct from Him (i.e., Gen. 32 where Jacob wrestles a “man” Who is identified as God, or Manoah and his wife who see the angel who is called God (Jud. 13:22). There are also verbal formulas that are of a triune nature, such as the Holy, Holy, Holy of Isaiah and the triple blessing of God commanded of Aaron (Num. 6:24-26). Additionally, like the word “Elohim,” the word “Adonay,” used about three hundred times in the Old Testament, is also plural and is used with singular verbs (e. g., Isaiah 6:1). Finally, references to God’s Spirit suggest that He is both God but separate from Him (Is.48:16; 63:10; Gen, 1:3; II Sam. 23:2; etc.).

The Angel of the Lord

We have seen that the Presence of God is everywhere and that the Person of God is on His throne in Heaven. Last time we introduced the idea of theophany, the veritable appearance of God in the world in some form. It is how God chose to make Himself known to the world in some instances. Those theophanies are also Christophanies, where the pre-incarnate Christ appeared in the world. Sometimes the Lord’s pre-incarnate appearance was referred to as the angel of the Lord.

First of all, consider that God appeared to Moses in a bush that burned but was not consumed (Exodus 3:1-6). This unconsumed burning bush caught Moses’ attention and piqued his interest. He turned aside to see it, going out of his way, which indicates it was some distance away, yet noticeable. This event was more than a miracle, more than just a bush that was not consumed with the fire that engulfed it, for, from within a flame of fire that covered the bush, incredibly, the angel of the Lord appeared to him (Ex. 3:15).

This was not merely just some one of the myriad of the angels of God. It was “the angel of the Lord,” identifying this” angel” as unique among divine messengers. We learn that God called unto him from out of the midst of the bush, further equating the angel of the Lord with God, Himself! Yet further proof of the divine encounter is that Moses was required to take the shoes from off his feet because that place was holy ground. It could only be considered holy ground only if God was there. Even further tightening the connection between the angel of the Lord and God, is that the one speaking says, “I am the God of they father, the God of Abraham…” (Ex. 3:6).

What is the significance of this appearance? God had told Abraham over four hundred years earlier that the children of Israel would go into bondage in a land that was not theirs and serve them four hundred years (Gen. 15:13,14). But God promised to bring them out again and the people who had enslaved them would pay dearly (Gen. 15:14). God sealed that promise with Abraham by His own theophanic revelation as a smoking furnace and a burning lamp (Gen. 15:17). The time had now come to bring an end to their captivity (Ex. 3:8). The children of Israel had been brought, as it were, by God “out of an iron furnace, even out of Egypt” (Deut. 4:20). Israel had gone through the fire and water and God had brought them to a wealthy place (Psalm 66:12). It was the angel of the Lord that said “I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you” (Judges 2:1).

When God had commanded Abraham to offer up his only son Isaac, it was the angel of the Lord that stayed his hand (Gen. 22:11). Twice the angel of the Lord speaks to Abraham, but it is what He says that is great interest.

And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:16-18).

Note that the angel of the Lord says “By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord…” (22:16). The angel identifies Himself as the “LORD”, or Jehovah. All the affirmations of this Angel indicate that He was divine, and not merely one of the myriad of created angels at God’s disposal. The Angel says, “you have obeyed My voice” (22:18). This can only be God.

Though the phrase ‘Angel of the Lord’ is absent in this passage, the Lord’s appearance to Abram at Mamre (Gen. 18:1) bears similar characteristics to other theophanies/Christophanies. Yet, the Bible says three “men” appeared to Abraham on the plains of Mamre (Gen. 18:2). While they are talking, the Text suddenly changes from the plural to the singular, from “they” (v.9) to “He” (v.10). Moreover, “He” promised to return again in a year to see that Sarai would have a son, even though they were both old and Sarai had passed the age of childbearing (Rom. 4:18-21). This is the kind of promise only God could make. The Bible text says that while apparently two of the “men” then left and went toward Sodom, Abraham was left to stand before the Lord, or Jehovah. We find that two angels come to Sodom (Gen. 19:1), which identifies two of the three men as angels and the one that did not come was the Second Person of the Godhead.

It seems fitting that the Second Person of the Godhead would appear to Abram and Sarai and announce that they would have a son in a year in fulfillment of the promise the Lord had made to Abraham some twenty-five years earlier since, He, Himself, would come in the fulness of time and be born of a virgin and be the ultimate fulfillment of that spiritual promise to bless all the earth.

Scripture records several other encounters with the Angel of the Lord: His appearance to Hagar in the wilderness (Gen. 16:7-13), to Gideon (Judges 6:11-24), to Manoah and his wife regarding Samson’s birth (Judges 13:3-22), as Israel’s divine guide (Ex. 23:20-23), to Joshua before Jericho (Josh. 5:13-15), and more. It is clear, that God has appeared in times past in some visible, tangible form to guide, and sometimes judge, His people. This shows God’s personal interest in our affairs and the development of the Scheme of Redemption. These theophanies/Christophanies were powerful testimonies to that fact God cares and is interested in man’s salvation.

One final note. In the mythologies of at least the western world there were stories of gods appearing in various forms to man. But these were very different than what we see in the developed theology of the Bible. Consider the following.

First, the nature of the divinity is drastically different. Jehovah is transcendent, holy, and unchanging. Theophanies reveal His presence without diminishing His divine nature. But the appearances of the gods in mythology (i.e., Greek and Roman, an others) are often anthropomorphic, flawed, and subject to human-like emotions and desires. In the second place, the purposes are completely different. Theophanies serve to reveal God’s will or guide His people (e.g., the burning bush, Mount Sinai) while mythological appearances often involve deception, seduction, or personal whims of the gods (e.g., Zeus taking the form of a swan to seduce Leda). In the third place, consider the moral framework. Biblical theophanies emphasize holiness, justice, and divine authority. Encounters often demand reverence and obedience while mythological appearances frequently reflect the gods’ capricious nature, often leading to morally ambiguous or tragic outcomes. And finally, consider the form of the appearance. God appears in various forms, fire, cloud, angelic messenger, but always with a clear divine purpose. Greek and Roman gods take on human or animal forms, often to manipulate or interact with mortals in unpredictable ways. Ultimately, mythological depictions of divine interaction pale in comparison to the biblical portrayal of God’s direct involvement in the unfolding Scheme of Redemption.

Through the unfolding drama of Scripture, the appearances of the Angel of the Lord serve as profound glimpses of God’s personal engagement in human history. These theophanies/Christophanies reveal the Second Person of the Godhead actively working within His creation, guiding, delivering, and establishing His covenantal promises. Unlike the flawed and capricious deities of mythology, who often descend for self-serving ends, the biblical manifestation of God demonstrates divine intentionality, holiness, and redemptive love. From the burning bush to the patriarchs, these encounters remind us that the God who appeared in times past is the same God who ultimately took on flesh to dwell among us, fulfilling His promises in the person of Jesus Christ. His involvement is not distant, but deeply personal, pointing humanity toward redemption and the culmination of His divine plan.

Eric L. Padgett

Theophany

The Bible clearly teaches that no man has seen God at any time (John 1:18). He is the invisible God (Col. 1:15). It is to be anathema to attempt to make an image of Him (Ex. 20:4), for God is a Spirit and His worship must be in spirit (John 4:24). Out of the fire on Mt. Horeb, God spoke with a voice but did not appear in any form (Deut. 4:12). Just as He presented no image of Himself, God prohibited the making of any graven images (Deut. 4:15,6). He transcends mortal man infinitely in every way. He dwells in the light that no man can approach unto and Whom no man has seen nor can see (I Tim. 6:16). Indeed, no man can see Him and live (Ex. 33:20). His Presence must be too overwhelming to observed by mortal man. In this sense, God is transcendent and unapproachable by man, or any other creature, for He is infinitely higher than His creation.

But, we have also seen that God is immanent, that is, that He is both omnipresent in His creation and reigns over all creation from His throne in Heaven. He is not far from every one of us (Acts 17:27). Ultimately, God has spoken to us in these last days by His Son (Heb. 1:1-3). God came down to man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He was Emmanuel, or God with us (Matt. 1:23). He was the child that was born who was called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6). In Him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9). We will discuss this in more detail in a later installment.

But before the Incarnation, God manifested Himself in the world in visible forms at various times (Heb. 1:1). These appearances were dramatic, direct, physical revelations of God’s presence, character, and will. They often marked pivotal moments in biblical history, reinforcing divine authority and guiding God’s people. These appearances are known as “theophanies,” (“theo” – God; “phaino” – appear).

Theophanies can be of various kinds. Some suggest there are upward of fifty theophanic appearances in both the Old and New Testaments. But this is on the high side because it includes God’s appearances in dreams and visions, which, strictly speaking, are not physical appearances of God and do not fit the general definition of a theophany. God has appeared in non-human form, such as in fire and clouds and storms (Ex. 3, 19). He has also appeared in human form, as when He wrestled with Jacob (Gen. 32). God also appeared to man in audible utterances, as in Elijah’s still, small voice (I Kings 19:12,13). In each case, God’s Presence was revealed in a physical manifestation of some kind. They were not apparitions or projections. They were real, physical appearances of God, in some form, in the world.

Theophanies are powerful moments where God makes Himself known in unmistakable ways, shaping the faith and understanding of His people. These appearances reveal God’s nature and provide glimpses into God’s attributes, such as holiness (Isaiah 6), power (Exodus 19), and mercy (Genesis 18). Theophanies in the Old Testament anticipate the ultimate revelation of God in Jesus Christ, who is the permanent manifestation of God among humanity (John 14:9). God also appeared to lead His people, such as in the pillar of cloud and fire during the Exodus (Exodus 14:19-20) and the Rock that followed them (I Cor. 10:4). Then again, some theophanies demonstrate divine judgment, like God’s appearance in a storm at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19).

These appearances do not conflict with the fact that no man has seen God at any time (John 1:18). Each manifestation presents God in a mediated form. Moses, for instance, saw only God’s hinder parts, a term whose full meaning may not be fully known (Ex. 33:32,33). God’s face was not seen (Ex. 32:23). In other words, Moses had a very extraordinary, but yet, limited, view of God. God’s face often stands for His special, providential Presence. The Hebrew word “panim” and the Greek “prosopon” are frequently used to convey relationship not position. A special Jewish blessing was the statement “The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you” (Num. 6:24-26). It simply meant that God was showing His favor, grace, and benevolence toward His people. Again, Deuteronomy 31:17: “I will hide My face from them, and they will be destroyed.” This simply meant that God was going to sit in judgment on them.

Many of these theophanies are also Christophanies. A Christophany is the actual appearance of the second Person of the Godhead in the world in some material or physical way. I say many, but not all. When the Father said from Heaven “This is My beloved Son” He was distinct from the Son present on earth. However, many Old Testament appearances, such as the Angel of the Lord, the fourth figure in the fiery furnace, or the man wrestling Jacob, strongly suggest that they were manifestations of the pre-incarnate Christ. These Christophanies serve as veiled revelations of God’s presence while maintaining the truth that no man has seen the Father in His full essence.

The study of Theophanies and Christophanies reveals the gracious manner in which God has chosen to make Himself known throughout history. Though He dwells in unapproachable light and remains unseen in His full essence, He has entered the world in forms that humanity could engage with and understand. These divine appearances prepared the way for the ultimate revelation in Christ, in whom the fullness of Godhead dwelt bodily (Colossians 2:9). Through Him, God is not only revealed but approachable, bridging the gap between His infinite transcendence and His intimate presence.

Eric L. Padgett