Some people imagine that we believe in a great man who claimed and
whom we claim is God, but the truth is diametrically opposed to this.
We believe that our great God took human flesh and appeared in our
midst.
For a man to claim that he is a god means that he is either a liar
or mad. But for God to take the body of man so that He is near us,
so that we see Him and He sees us, so that we hear Him and He hears
us, this is both logical and reasonable. It is not logical for a human
to become a god, but it is reasonable for God to manifest Himself
in any way He wants: as a man, fire, or a voice. This is what happened
in the Old Testament many times.
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Manifestations in the Old Testament:
God appeared in the shape of man many times in the Old Testament:
- He appeared to Adam in the Garden of Eden; He called him and
talked with him (Gen.3:8).
- He appeared to Abraham in the guise of one of three men, one
of whom talked to him as God and the other two were angels who
went on to Sodom (Gen. 18: 1,13,17). He also appeared as Melchizedek
(Gen. 14:18), the king of righteousness, who accepted tithes and
was the owner of the sacrifice of bread and wine.
- He appeared to Jacob as a Man with whom he wrestled till the
break of day, and Who then blessed him and gave him the promises
(Gen. 32:24).
- He appeared to Moses in the cloud, walking on it, and the children
of Israel saw Him (Ex. 24: 9-11).
- He appeared to Manoah and his wife in the form of a man and
promised that they would beget Samson (Jud. 13: 6, 18).
- He appeared to Daniel in the shape of the Ancient of Days, a
symbol of the eternity of God (Dan. 13: 14).
- The Old Testament Prophecies:
God was not satisfied with His many manifestations as man in which
He prepared us for the Incarnation, but He prophesied about the Incarnation
in clear and unmistakable terms.
- God told the snake: "And I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your
head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen. 3:15).
- "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from
between his feet, until Shiloh comes and to Him shall be the obedience
of the people" (Gen. 49: 10).
- "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star
shall come out of Jacob, and a Scepter out of Israel" (Num. 24:
17).
- "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall
call His name Immanuel" (Isa. 7: 14), and Immanuel means 'God
with us' although He is also the son of the Virgin, that is, He
is the son of man or God made flesh.
- "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the
government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, (therefore, He is God, Incarnate
God) Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His
government and peace there will be no end," (that is, He is eternal
and immortal) (Isa. 9: 6,7).
Thus, the Old Testament includes more than 300 prophecies that accurately
describe the details of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ from his
virgin birth in Bethlehem up to His ministry, crucifixion, resurrection
and His appearance to the disciples and His ascension to heaven.
The following is a table showing some of these prophecies and their
realization in the New Testament.
- Personalities in the Old Testament:
All the events of the Old Testament aim at declaring salvation
through Christ; that is why even the personalities of the Old Testament
clearly point to the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Adam: he is the head of the old creation and indicates
the Second Adam, the head of the new creation.
- Abel: he was sacrificed without having sinned, symbolizing
the greater Sacrifice Whose blood, which is better than Abel's,
speaks. (Heb. 12: 24).
- Isaac: he is the only beloved son who offered himself
as a sacrifice, and who was given by his father with joy. He carried
the wood for the offering and returned alive exactly as Jesus
Christ carried the cross and rose from the dead.
- Joseph: he was called the savior of the world because
he saved his people from physical death by giving them material
bread. This is a symbol of the Lord who saved us from eternal
death, giving us the Bread of Life. Just as Joseph's brothers
sold him for silver, so did Judas sell his Master.
- Jonah: because of him the nations believed. He spent
three days in the whale exactly like the days the Lord spent in
the grave.
- Solomon: he is the successful king who symbolizes the
King of Kings, the wise man who symbolizes the Source of Wisdom,
and the man of peace who symbolizes the Prince of Peace.
Thus, many symbolized the different aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, The Lord Jesus Christ is the Incarnate God of whom the Old
Testament tells a great deal, the Desire of generations and the secret
of men's salvation.
Let us approach Him with reverence, worship, and love, praying that
His Holy Spirit might work in us, so that we may be saved by His Blood,
and so that we live with Him and for Him for ever.
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