The Son Appeared to Abraham in the Plain of Mamre…Genesis 18

This is the third in a series of posts on the Old Covenant appearances of the Son of God.  These events relate to a significant point that Christ makes in John 3:13.   He says that “no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.”   Christ is making the point, long before He was resurrected, that there is only One person who has ascended to heaven and it is that One who came down from heaven.  What is significant is that He speaks of this ascension into heaven as though it has happened in the past.  And in fact it did – many times - these Old Covenant events we are discussing are some of those times that the One who came down from Heaven ascended back there.

In Genesis 18 the Son of God gets up off the throne that He shares with the Father and comes down to visit with Abraham in the plains of Mamre.  This is a relatively long passage.  I’ll just make a few comments and then let you read through it.  In this event, the Lord appears to Abraham as a man along with two angels who also appear as men[1].  The sequence of events is that first the Lord and the two angels speak to Abraham and Sarah, then the three separate and the two angels continue on to Sodom.  The Lord speaks alone to Abraham for a time and then goes His way. 

The passage begins by saying specifically in verse 1 that the Lord appears to Abraham.  As you make your way through the passage more and more detail is added consistent with the idea that one of the three is God Himself. 

In verse 17, the Lord continues to speak in the first person: shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do?  In verse 22, the three men separate and two of them head toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the LORD (the one who stayed).  In verse 25, the Lord identifies Himself as the judge of the whole earth: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?  In verse 27, Abraham recognizes that he is talking to God: Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord. 

Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

Gen 18:2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Gen 18:3  And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

Gen 18:4  Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

Gen 18:5  And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

Gen 18:6  And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

Gen 18:7  And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.

Gen 18:8  And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Gen 18:9  And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

Gen 18:10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

Gen 18:11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

Gen 18:12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

Gen 18:13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

Gen 18:14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Gen 18:15  Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Gen 18:16  And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

Gen 18:17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

Gen 18:18  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Gen 18:19  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Gen 18:20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

Gen 18:21  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

Gen 18:22  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

Gen 18:23  And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Gen 18:24  Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

Gen 18:25  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Gen 18:26  And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

Gen 18:27  And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

Gen 18:28  Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

Gen 18:29  And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.

Gen 18:30  And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

Gen 18:31  And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

Gen 18:32  And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

Gen 18:33  And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Gen 19:1  And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

If we are willing to just listen to what God says then it is evident that God appeared in the form of a man and spoke to Abraham in this passage. Since we know it is the role of the Son to descend from heaven and speak to men face-to-face, then it follows that this is the Son who appeared to Abraham.

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[1] It is not uncommon for angels to appear as men in the scriptures.  See Daniel 9:21 and Hebrews 13:2.

The Son Appeared to Jacob Again in Bethel…Genesis 35:9-15

This is a second in a series of posts on the Old Covenant appearances of Christ.  All Scripture references are from the King James Version. 

In this post we’ll look at an event in Genesis 35:9-15.  This event is a follow-on to`Jacob’s Genesis 32 wrestling match with the Son of God that I posted about previously.  Verse 9 tells us that God[1] appeared[2] unto Jacob again.  The word again is a reference back to the Genesis 32 wrestling event.  Let’s look at the verses:

Gen 35:9  And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

Gen 35:15  And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

Gen 35:10  And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

Gen 35:11  And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

Gen 35:12  And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

Gen 35:13  And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

Gen 35:14  And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

In verse 11, God speaks in the first person, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply.  This is a very clear statement that this is God Himself, not an angel who is speaking to Jacob. 

In verse 13, God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.  This brings up a significant point that Christ makes in John 3:13.   He says that “no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.”   He is making the point, long before He was resurrected, that there is only One person who has ascended to heaven and it is that One who came down from heaven.  What is significant is that He speaks of this ascension into heaven as though it happened prior.  And in fact it did, this event in Genesis is one of those times that the One who came down from Heaven ascended back there.

Jacob recognizes that he has talked with God, and so sets up a pillar, offers offerings and even names the place Bethel to commemorate this fact (verse 15). 

The two passages – Genesis 32:24-30 and this passage - with their very clear statements about who Jacob is talking to reinforce one another and together make plain that God is coming up and down from heaven in a physical form and actually appearing to Jacob.  Particularly the Genesis 32 wrestling match makes clear that this is God manifest in the flesh – that is the Son of God – who is appearing in these events.

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[1] ‘Elohyim

[2] The Hebrews word ra’ah is translated as appeared in the English.  It means to see, look, behold.

Jesus Wrestles with Jacob…Genesis 32:24-30

This is a first in a series of posts on the Old Covenant appearances of Christ.  All Scripture references are from the King James Version.  We’ll start with a few verses on the whether or not one can see God.

John 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Exo 33:20-23  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

These and other scriptures tell us that no man has seen God at any time and that if someone did see God that person would die[1]. It is actually the face of God the Father that man is not allowed to see.  Moses saw God the Father’s back parts.  Daniel and John could see enough about Him to tell He was seated on a throne and also that He had hair and hands[2].   They weren’t allowed though to see His face. 

Many times in the Old Covenant scriptures there are events that indicate men are seeing the face of God yet they do not die.  There is even one event where a man wrestled with God – the event we will look at in this post.  If we understand the Son rightly, there is no reason to think that this is not the Son that is being seen.  In other posts we have seen that the Son was physically manifest before the creation of the worlds.  That’s what the titles “The Firstborn of Every Creature” and “The Bright and Morning Star” refer to.  We know from the transfiguration that the Son has the ability to show and hide His glory at will[3].  

What scriptures would it violate to say the Son physically appeared to men prior to the virgin birth?  What about Hebrews 1:1-2, where Paul says that in times past God spoke to the fathers by the prophets and in these last days has spoken unto us by the Son?  I don’t think this is violated.  There is a significant difference between the nature of the Old Covenant appearances of the Son and the time when He walked this earth 2000 years ago.  In the Old Covenant appearances of the Son the encounters are typically brief and limited primarily to communicating with one or a few people.  Two thousand years ago the Son walked the earth for thirty-three years speaking to us through an example that started in childhood and continued all the way to death.  Any man living or passing through the land of Palestine could have seen and talked with the Son of God during this time.  Further, His deeds and teachings were observed and recorded by those who followed Him such that we can benefit from this example even today.  Truly, this was a different way of speaking to us than had been experienced in Old Covenant times.

You might ask, if the Son had already been manifest as a man, how could He enter the womb and be born as a babe?  The answer is simply that this is exactly what happened as foretold by the prophet Jeremiah.  Jeremiah prophesied that the Lord would start a new thing in the earth with a miracle in which a woman compasses a man (Jeremiah 31:22). 

I think that because of the way men have been taught to view Christ and the virgin birth it doesn’t at first seem right to think that the Son would have been physically present in Old Covenant times.  However, if we just let the scriptures speak, this is what we find.

So let’s look at our first event, The Son of God comes down from heaven and wrestles with Jacob.

Gen 32:24  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled  a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
Gen 32:26  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
Gen 32:27  And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
Gen 32:28  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Gen 32:29  And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
Gen 32:30  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

If you read this literally and simply it is clear that Jacob wrestled with God.  He was amazed – he had wrestled with God and didn’t die.  This is a reference to this truth that Jacob knew very well – you cannot see the face of God and live.  For those Jews with an eye to see this would have been a significant new dimension to their understanding of God and a further refinement of this truth about seeing the face of God.  They would have learned that God has a physical body – you can’t wrestle with a spirit – and that you can see the face of God and live.  The Jews would be learning that God manifest in the flesh – that is the Son of God – can be looked upon and handled as the Apostle John put it in 1 John 1:1-2.

Some believe that it was an angel who wrestled with Jacob. This is based on Hosea 12:4 which refers to this event and says Jacob had power over the angel.  However this is letting the translation of a word override very clear statements made by Jacob. 

The Hebrew word malak, translated angel in this passage, means messenger and is not used exclusively for angelic beings.  If you take this into consideration and also take into account the literal translation of verse 30  you get back to the simple truth that Jacob wrestled with God.  The literal translation of verse 30 is, “for I have seen ‘Elohiym face to face, and my life is preserved.”  ‘Elohiym is a name for God.  For example, ‘Elohiym is the word used for God in Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God ['elohiym ] created the heaven and the earth. 

It seems odd to us that God would wrestle with Jacob, but God does things that are not our ways. There is important symbolism here portraying a major theme of God’s relationship with His chosen people. This event foreshadowed how God and Israel would contend with one another resulting in Israel’s failure to walk with God.  This failure to walk with God was symbolized by Jacob’s thigh injury that likely caused him to walk with a limp – i.e. an abnormal walk – for the remainder of his life.  The fact that at the end of the wrestling match Jacob persuaded God to bless him points to how in the end God will return to the Jews and heal them.  This truth that in the end the Jews will turn back to God and He will heal them is a major theme in the scriptures (see for example Isaiah 6 and 10).

Jacob physically wrestled with God in Genesis 32.  Specifically he wrestled with the Son of God, the One who is the physical manifestation of God.  As they wrestled Jacob saw God’s face and commemorates the event by naming the place  the wrestling match occurred Peniel - the face of God.

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[1] John 1:18, John 6:46, John 14:7-9

[2] See Revelation 5:5-7, Daniel 7:9-14.  In this event, the Son is receiving His inheritance from the Father.  This transaction occurs by the Father handing the Son a book (Daniel 7:14). Significantly, both the Father and the Son have the form we recognize as a man.  The difference is the Father is a spirit with that form, the Son is a physical being with that form.  Knowing this gives further meaning to statements like “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Genesis 1:26)” and “who [referring to the Son] is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15),” and “Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his [referring to the Father] shape” (John 5:37).

[3] Mark 9:1-9

The Nicolaitanes – The Rise of the Paid Religious Heirarchy

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.

Names in the Bible have significance. They often give some hint as to the character of the individual, something they are being called to do, something they did, etc. In John Chapter 3 Nicodemos a ruler of the Jews comes to Jesus by night. Nicodemus didn’t understand heavenly things, he wasn’t able to recognize the Messiah when He came, but he was one of the rulers and he along with others of his class set the tone for what the common people considered Orthodox Judaism.

Nicodemos’ name is a combination of two words – niko (triumphant/victorious) and demos (people). The picture painted is consistent with what the scriptures say about Nicodemos. He was a ruler of the Jews, he dominated them. What he and others of his class believed and taught set the direction that the common man followed. Who could question as learned a one as Nicodemos?

In Revelation a parallel group is mentioned – the Nicolaitanes. Again this name is a combination of two words – niko (triumphant/victorious) and laos (people). The problem they represent is the same as the problem represented by Nicodemus. The Nicolaitanes are mentioned in association with the church at Pergamos. At Pergamos those who stood against the fathers were being killed. Antipas – anti (against) and pas (father) was killed for standing against these religious fathers. These same fathers were – like Balaam – preaching for a reward. The church at Pergamos represented a significant shift in the direction of the church – the church was moving away from being a hunted, humble band of equal brothers to a hierarchical structure dominated by men with respectable religious titles (see Matthew 23:8 for a warning concerning this). They dominated the people, they recieved an earthly reward for what they did and sadly through their teachings they were beginning to undermine the teaching of the true Manna (a topic I write often about on this blog).

So Christ reminds the true believers at Pergamos – those that can still hear – that if they will overcome the teachings of the Nicolaitanes that He will give them to eat of the Hidden Manna and a new name. What is the hidden manna? It is the teaching of Christ as the True Bread from Heaven. It remains hidden for two reasons. One is only God the Father can reveal who the Son is (John 6:41-51), so only those – like Peter – who will hear understand and receive this teaching (John 6:52-69, Matthew 6:13-17). The second reason it remains hidden is because of the teachings of the Nicolaitanes – those who like Nicodemos and Balaam lead, not by the Spirit of God but by virtue of the position they have obtained. They are spiritually blind and sadly they themselves and those who follow them end up in a ditch (Matthew 15:14).

So now back to the new name. Our name in eternity will reflect our works. Antipas was slain for standing for the name of Christ. Antipas was not this brother’s given name. This is the name that God gave him for his faithful unto death stand for the name of Christ. Antipas stood for the True Manna that came down from heaven, his reward was a new name that reflected his faithfulness and a seat at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. While this is a topic for another post, the bread we will eat at the Marriage Feast will be manifest out of the Word of God just as the flesh of the Son of God was manifested out of the Word of God. We will truly eat of His flesh and drink of His blood (John 6:52-58, Mark 14:24-25).

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

And with our hands have handled!

I believe that Jesus came in the flesh. Let’s take a look at what that means.

1 John 1:1-2 is a good place to start. In these verses John is explaining what it means to come in the flesh. Later in 1 John 4, he tells us to use this teaching to try the spirits. So if we understand I John 1:1-2, then we can try the spirits like John says to do. So let’s look at what John says.

1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1Jn 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

The flesh that John heard, saw, looked upon and with his hands handled…was from the beginning, of the word of Life, and with the Father prior to being manifested to us. This isn’t Mary’s flesh. She wasn’t from the beginning, she wasn’t of the word of life, etc. She was just a clay descendent of Adam like your wife or mine. Highly favored, but in the end she went back to the earth like all of us clay folk. The miracle of the virgin birth is that God gave us a good and perfect gift from heaven. Jesus – the Firstborn – descended from heaven just like He said (John 6:48-51). Unbelieving Jews (John 6:41) as well as many of disciples murmured and would walk no more with Him (John 6:66) when He made this claim. He simply responded, “will you believe that I came down from heaven if you saw me ascend back there?”

My experience has been that most seem to believe that Jesus took His flesh from Mary and His spirit came from God. John’s words in I John 1:1-2 would not make sense if Jesus’ flesh came from Mary. John said he touched and handled something that was from the beginning and of the word of Life. Again, this is not Mary’s flesh. So my simple belief is that Jesus, God’s Firstbegotten, descended from heaven – body, soul, spirit. The good and perfect gift, the Lamb without Blemish, came from above. He had flesh, but it was not corruptible clay like me, you and Mary had (see 1 Corinthians 15:39-49). He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, not in human flesh (Romans 8:3).

Mankind often has things turned around. We think if someone has a body and a shape that looks like a man and can feel pain, discouragement, fatigue, die, etc., then that man is a clay man (a human) like us. This just reveals our earth centered view. We were created in His image, not He in ours. We look like we look and have emotions and pain and suffer because Jesus looked that way first and because God can feel this range of emotions. And yes, God did die. Jesus was separated from the Father on Calvary (Matthew 27:46), that is death (at least the one that really matters).

So this is a very important truth. Jesus said it was upon this foundation that He would build His church and John instructed us to try the spirits using it. God helps us to understand and do.

The Testimony of Menno Simons

Menno Simons was an Anabaptist leader in the 16th century. He lived in a time of severe persecution. So severe that some believers thought they should take up the sword and fight back. Menno became known as a leader who stood for turning the other cheek. He and his followers suffered much for their beliefs and for their meek, non-resistant ways. Here are some quotes from Menno on the teaching of the Son of God. He is contrasting his views with the prevailing teachings of his day.

The Testimony of Menno Simons

Reader, consider the Word of your Lord. Christ says that His flesh came from heaven, and the learned ones say that it came from Adam’s flesh. Here are flatly opposite positions. What must the God-fearing conscience do now? If it clings to Christ’s Word and testimony, then it will pass the learned ones for a deceiver and a heretic. But if it adheres to the testimony of the learned ones, then it makes Christ a liar. And seeing that we discover the learned ones and Christ so completely at variance with each other, and since we know Christ to be the guileless truth and all men to be liars, we cannot forsake the truth for falsehood, can we? No, we must turn from falsehood to truth. Let men think of us as they please. God’s Word abides forever. Isa. 40:8; I Peter 1:24.

Quite probably our opponents will attempt an evasion at this point and say, Christ speaks of the most worthy element in Him, for His deity is from heaven and it assumed Adam’s flesh, etc. I reply: Let them believe Christ’s own Word and testimony, then they will realize how they interpret it according to their own desires and not according to the intention and truth of the Christ. For this is what He says, I am that living bread come down from heaven [notice how He says, come down from heaven] and that bread that I will give is my flesh. Notice He does not say, is my deity, but my flesh which I give for the life of the world. It seems to me that Christ has explained His own words quite sufficiently, and the explanations and glosses of the learned ones are unnecessary. But both Christ and John could not speak more plainly of the origin of His holy flesh than they have done in the above passages.

Therefore let everybody be careful how he glosses, for he who falsifies this clear and solid testimony falsifies not a man’s word, but his Lord’s. Neither does he reject us, but the Son of God and His Holy Spirit, and the exalted apostle John, who testified with such plain and clear words, preserved for us in such clarity.

P. 796, Simons, M. The Complete Writings of Menno Simons, 5th edition. (Translated by Verduin, L., Edited by Wenger, J.C., 1986) Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Mennonite Publishing House. (Original works published early to mid 1500s)

With What Body Was Christ Raised?

Claes De Praet was an Anabaptist who was burned at the stake for his beliefs in the year 1556.  Here is an excerpt from his testimony before the religious authorities.

 

On the sixth day, in the forenoon, the jailer came and called me out of the place where I was confined, saying, “Claes, come down, and follow me; and he led the way.

 

My heart kindled within me with joy to the Lord my God; so that all my trouble and anxiety was driven from me, as dust is swept from the street. Then thought I, “O gracious God! now I find that Thou art faithful to Thy promise. Heb. 10:23. Lord, direct now my speech, as Thou hast promised.” Heb. 10:23; Luke 21:14.

 

He then led me into a room, where sat the chief judge with two other judges, the bailiff, and a man with a long beard, who had a large book before him, in which to write.

 

They regarded me very intently, when I entered the room, and I did them great reverence, and bade all of them peace. Rom. 13:7. The jailer placed a chair for me, and said, “Claes, sit down here; it is so ordered.” I sat down with good cheer, the heart lifted up to the Lord my God, forgetful of myself and the things that are in this world.

 

Priest. “You people don’t believe that Christ is God and man.”

 

Claes.”I believe that Christ is true God and man.” Priest. “Do you not believe that Christ is man from Mary’s flesh?”

 

Claes.”No; for if He had become man from. Mary’s natural flesh and blood, He must have had His beginning with Mary; but it is written that He has neither beginning of days, nor end of life. Heb. 7:3. And the Word would not have become flesh, if He had assumed flesh from Mary; nor would He have come in the flesh, as John declares; but He would have come from the flesh, had He assumed it from Mary. John 1:14; II John 7. And it is written: ‘He that confesseth not that Christ is come in the flesh, is that spirit of antichrist.’ I John 4:3. And if He were such a carnal man, He could not have ascended to heaven; for it is written (I Cor. 15:50) that flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God.”[1]

 

Claes – dead yet speaking – makes many important points in his confession.  The one I want to bring your attention to is the last.  If Christ had assumed His flesh from Mary He could not inherit the kingdom of God.  The reason for this is that earthly flesh and blood is corrupt and cannot inherit a kingdom where only righteousness dwells[2].  Hence at the resurrection those in Christ will put on an incorruptible body that they might be made ready to enter the Kingdom of God[3].  But this was not true of Christ Himself.  His flesh was different; the body in which He came and died is the same body in which He inherits the Kingdom of God.  His own plain words and the physical evidence bear witness to this truth.

 

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…John 2:19-22.

 

Some believe that Christ walked this earth in an Adamic body of clay and then was resurrected in a different body.  This is contrary to the testimony of Christ himself, who said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it [the same one] up.”

John 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

John 2:20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

John 2:21  But he spake of the temple of his body.

John 2:22  When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

 

Reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side…John 20:26-29

 

The physical evidence at the resurrection makes clear that Christ was resurrected in the same body in which He died.  Thomas was able to see and touch the physical scars that Christ bore from the nails and spear of Calvary.  A different body would not have had these scars.

 

John 20:26  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

John 20:27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

John 20:28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

John 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

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Jesus was resurrected in the same body in which He died.  His words and the scars on His body testify of this fact.  In the latter days the resurrected Son of God will receive His inheritance from the Father[4].  His flesh had to be different than our corruptible flesh; otherwise Jesus would not be able to inherit His kingdom.

 

Let the scriptures speak

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[1] P. 558, van Braght, T.J. The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians, 5th edition, 1950. Scottdale, Pennsylvania, Waterloo, Ontario: Herald Press.  (Original work published 1660, translated by Sohm, J.F. 1886)

[2] 1 Corinthians 15:50

[3] 1 Cor. 15:49-54, Philippians 3:20-21

[4] Revelation 5

The Transfiguration – the Virgin Birth in Reverse

In the resurrection followers of Christ receive a new body.  Why?  Why not just resurrect the old clay body and keep it for eternity?  The reason is that flesh and blood – that is earthly flesh and blood – cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.

 

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

1Co 15:51  Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

 

So in a moment all of Christ’s followers will be changed.  We’ll put on a body that according to Philippians 3:21 is fashioned like unto Jesus’ glorious body.   This is part of the working to subdue the rebellious creation.  God shucks the skin off the Seed He has planted through the New Birth and clothes that New Creature in a body that no longer struggles against this born-from-above inward man (1 Peter 1:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 7:21-25).

 

Php 3:20  For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Php 3:21  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

 

So what has all of that got to do with the title of this post – “The Transfiguration – the Virgin Birth in Reverse?”   At the Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-10), Christ reassumed the glory that He had with the Father before the world was.  It’s the exact reverse of the Virgin Birth, where He set aside His glory and came as a servant in the likeness of sinful flesh (Philippians 2:6-8, Romans 8:3).  What we learn from the Transfiguration is that in a moment, the Son of God can manifest His glory and the next moment hide it. 

 

Did Jesus get a new body when He was resurrected? No. Jesus was resurrected in the same body in which He died. We know this because for one, that is what He said would happen (John 2:19-22). We can also look at the physical evidence. The tomb was empty and the body He walked the earth in after the resurrection bore the physical scars of the crucifixion (John 20:27). Jesus did not need a new body when He was resurrected. His flesh and blood can inherit the Kingdom of God just as it was when it was slain (Revelation 5). Why? Because the body in which He came was not corrupt like our old clay bodies of death as Paul called them. He came in the body that He had before the foundation of world. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, not in sinful flesh. At the virgin birth He simply divested Himself of His glory, just like He did when the Transfiguration was over.

At What Point Did Jesus Become Flesh?

Many of Christ’s names point to His presence in eternity past.  One of His names is the Everlasting Father[1].  We know Him to be the Creator[2].   We should acknowledge Him as the Everlasting Father and Creator.  This is a way of confessing His name.

 

But at what point did Jesus become flesh?  Was the Son only Spirit in eternity past?  Was it only with the virgin birth that He became flesh?  Micah tells us His goings forth have been from old, from everlasting[3].  Look at what the Apostle John says in 1 John 1:1 concerning the Son of God. 

 

1 John 1:1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

1 John 1:2  (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

 

John says that the Son was from the beginning.  He goes out of his way to emphasize that it wasn’t just the words that he heard that were from the beginning, but also what he saw with his own eyes and felt with his own hands was from the beginning.  It had been with the Father and now was manifested to us.  John is saying as emphatically as he can that the Son, the literal physical Son, not just a spiritual Son, was from the beginning. 

 

In eternity past God existed only as Spirit.  As He began to move toward the works of creation He first manifested Himself in a physical way[4]. In this event, God became a Father and a Son[5].  The truth of the Father and the Son became the center point for everything that would follow[6].  After the Son was manifested He created the worlds according to the will of the Father. 

 

These times, from the manifestation of the Son through the early days of the creation are referred to in the scriptures as the beginning[7].  So when John says that Jesus was from the beginning He is referring to this time in eternity past that started with the manifestation of the Son.  He is reminding the believers that the very flesh that He and others handled was from these pre-creation times[8].    Understanding when the Son became flesh lays the foundation for understanding many of the names that refer to His presence, place and works before the creation.

The Firstborn of Every Creature…Col 1:15-17

 

Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

 

As we learned above, the Son proceeded forth from the Father in eternity past.  At this event, all the fullness of the Godhead was manifested visibly and bodily in the Son, the image of the invisible God[9].  This occurred before there was anything else, before any cherubim, any angels, before Lucifer, before the universe, before the earth, mankind, plants and animals.  For this reason, the Son is given the name the Firstborn of Every Creature.  This in no way is saying the Son is a part of the creation, it is simply acknowledging Him as the first physical being.  The Son then went on to create all things visible and invisible, but as these verses from Colossians emphasize, He was manifest before all of these created things.

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[1] Isaiah 9:6

[2] John 1:3,10; Colossians 1:16

[3] Micah 5:2.

[4] The Son is the physical, bodily, manifestation of God (Colossians 2:9, John 14:7-9)

[5] Hebrews 1:5.  This is not “when Jesus began to be.”  Remember God is one and Jesus is one with the Father.  The eternal God is eternal; He has no beginning of days.  However, there is a point where God who was Spirit was made flesh.  That is the time we are discussing here.

[6] Psalm 2, Proverbs 30:1-4, Colossians 1:16.

[7] Genesis 1:1, Proverbs 8:22-31, Isaiah 40:21, Isaiah 41:4, John 8:44, Hebrews 1:10, 1 John 3:8

[8] This forms the basis for one of the key teachings of the book of 1 John – trying the spirits.

[9] The Son was manifested in the image of the Father, and we were created in the image of both of them.  Hence the words, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Genesis 1:26).”

And With Our Hands Have Handled

It’s important to believe that Jesus came in the flesh.  Let’s take a look at what that means. 1 John 1:1-2 is a good place to start. In these verses John is explaining what it means to come in the flesh. Later in 1 John 4, he tells us to use this teaching to try the spirits. So if we understand I John 1:1-2, then we can try the spirits like John says to do. So let’s look at what John says.

1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1Jn 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

The flesh that John heard, saw, looked upon and with his hands handled…was from the beginning, of the word of Life, and with the Father prior to being manifested to us. This isn’t Mary’s flesh. She wasn’t from the beginning, she wasn’t of the word of life, etc. She was just a clay descendent of Adam like your wife or mine. Highly favored, but in the end she went back to the earth like all of us clay folk. The miracle of the virgin birth is that God gave us a good and perfect gift from heaven. Jesus – the Firstborn – descended from heaven just like He said (John 6:48-51). Unbelieving Jews (John 6:41) as well as many of disciples murmured and would walk no more with Him (John 6:66) when He made this claim. He simply responded, “will you believe that I came down from heaven if you saw me ascend back there?”

My experience has been that most seem to believe that Jesus took His flesh from Mary and His spirit came from God. John’s words in I John 1:1-2 would not make sense if Jesus’ flesh came from Mary. John said he touched and handled something that was from the beginning and of the word of Life. Again, this is not Mary’s flesh. So my simple belief is that Jesus, God’s Firstbegotten, descended from heaven – body, soul, spirit. The good and perfect gift, the Lamb without Blemish, came from above. He had flesh, but it was not corruptible clay like me, you and Mary had (see 1 Corinthians 15:39-49). He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, not in sinful flesh (Romans 8:3).

Mankind has things turned around. We think if someone has a body and a shape that looks like a man and can feel pain, discouragement, fatigue, die, etc., then that man is a clay man (a human) like us. This just reveals our earth centered view. We were created in His image, not He in ours. We look like we look and have emotions and pain and suffer because Jesus looked that way first and because God can feel this range of emotions. And yes, God did die. Jesus was separated from the Father on Calvary (Matthew 27:46), that is death (at least the one that really matters).

So this is a very important truth. Jesus said it was upon this foundation that He would build His church (Matthew 16:13-19) and John instructed us to try the spirits using it. God helps us to understand and do.

Peace, love and understanding!