Q: Preincarnate Christ, or the Father

By Moderator -
Q: Who is walking in the Garden fellowshipping with Adam & Eve, speaking to Moses at Sinai & going in the cloud, and other areas God is speaking in OT, or present... is that always Jesus? Being the Word and the one sent by the Father? Or is the Father there/ speaking in some places in the OT? 

If the latter, then both were speaking, and here, so how do we know which one in each situation? It never seems clear. 

A: When it is a person it is a pre-incarnate Christ ie. The Angel of the Lord (Judges 6). But when it is a Theophany ie The voice from the burning bush (Exodus 3) it is God the Father. Yet we tend to say that Yahweh of the Old Testament is Jesus of the new. 

A theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses.

Christophany is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.

In the Old Testament, the term "Angel of the Lord" is used in several passages, and interpret this figure as a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. This is based on the nature and actions of the Angel of the Lord, who often speaks as God, represents God's presence, and carries out divine missions.

Some key passages where the Angel of the Lord appears include:

1. **Genesis 16:7-13**: The Angel of the Lord finds Hagar in the wilderness and speaks to her, revealing God's plans for her and her son, Ishmael.

2. **Exodus 3:2-6**: The Angel of the Lord appears to Moses in the burning bush, and God speaks to Moses through this angel, indicating a divine presence.

3. **Judges 6:11-24**: The Angel of the Lord visits Gideon, calling him to deliver Israel from the Midianites, and performs a miracle to confirm his message.

4. **Zechariah 1:12-13**: The Angel of the Lord intercedes for Jerusalem and speaks on behalf of God's people.

In these instances, the Angel of the Lord is depicted as having authority and speaking with the authority of God, which leads many to conclude that this figure is more than just a messenger but is a manifestation of God Himself, often associated with the second person of the Trinity in Christian theology.  

You can look into Theophany & Christophany more here, and below...

You can read the transcript, & search "Theophany" & "Christophany" individually at these links and you'll see where in Scripture Jesus, the eternal Word, is noted as the one there or speaking, or whether it's speaking of the Father. You can listen to the entire message to understand more, or read a few paragraphs before the search result Word for some clarity. 













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