Appendix 6: God Can Appear in Different Forms<\/b><\/p>\n
Excerpt from Appendix 6 of\u2026<\/p>\n
Immanuel: A Practicum<\/i>\u00a0by Patricia A. Velotta<\/p>\n
\u00a0God Can Appear in Different Forms<\/b><\/p>\n
I think we all agree that angels can appear looking like human<\/p>\n
beings \u201cDo not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing<\/p>\n
some have unwittingly entertained angels.\u201d (Hebrews 13:2) So<\/p>\n
the question comes, \u201cDoes God appear in various forms?\u201d I\u2019m<\/p>\n
not asking if he, for instance,\u00a0is\u00a0<\/i>a tree but can He appear\u00a0as\u00a0<\/i>a<\/p>\n
tree?<\/p>\n
After that, He appeared\u00a0in another form\u00a0<\/i>to two of them<\/p>\n
as they walked and went into the country. (Mark 16:12)<\/p>\n
Now when she [Mary Magdaline] had said this, she<\/p>\n
turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and\u00a0did not<\/i><\/p>\n
know that it was Jesus.\u00a0<\/i>(John 20:14)<\/p>\n
Here are some ways God chooses to appear in Scripture.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. As The Angel of the Lord<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n A. To Hagar<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Then the\u00a0Angel of the LORD\u00a0<\/i>said to her, \u201cI will multiply<\/p>\n your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be<\/p>\n counted for multitude.\u201d (Genesis 16:10)\u00a0Also see\u00a0<\/i>Genesis<\/p>\n 16:7\u201311, 21:17.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n B. To Jacob<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Then the\u00a0Angel of God\u00a0<\/i>spoke to me [Jacob] in a dream,<\/p>\n saying, \u2018Jacob.\u2019 And I said, \u2018Here I am.\u2019 (Genesis 31:11)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n C. To Moses<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And the\u00a0Angel of the LORD\u00a0<\/i>appeared to him [Moses] in a<\/p>\n fl ame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and<\/p>\n behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was<\/p>\n not consumed. (Exodus 3:2)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n D. To the Camp of Israel<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And the\u00a0Angel of God<\/i>, who went before the camp of Israel,<\/p>\n moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud<\/p>\n went from before them and stood behind them. (Exodus<\/p>\n 14:19)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n E. Other Examples<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n 1. Balaam and the Donkey\u00a0<\/b>(Numbers 22:22\u201327,<\/p>\n 31\u201335)<\/p>\n 2. All the Children of Israel\u00a0<\/b>(Judges 2:1, 4)<\/p>\n 3. Gideon\u00a0<\/b>(Judges 6:11\u201312, 20\u201322)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 4. Manoah and his wife\u00a0<\/b>(Judges 13:3, 6, 9, 13, 15-18,<\/p>\n 20-21)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 5. Zechariah\u00a0<\/b>(Zechariah 1:11\u201312; 3:1, 5\u20136; 12:8)<\/p>\n A tip that the being identified as the Angel of the Lord is indeed<\/p>\n God, is that he accepts worship. All other angels refuse to be<\/p>\n worshipped in deference to Almighty God.<\/p>\n Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I<\/p>\n heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of<\/p>\n the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to<\/p>\n me, \u201cSee\u00a0that you do\u00a0<\/i>not\u00a0do that<\/i>. For I am your fellow<\/p>\n servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those<\/p>\n who keep the words of this book. Worship God. (Revelation<\/p>\n 22:8\u20139)<\/p>\n The devil said, \u201cTherefore, if You will worship before me,<\/p>\n all will be Yours.\u201d And Jesus answered and said to him,<\/p>\n \u201cGet behind Me, Satan! For it is written, \u2018You shall worship<\/p>\n the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n (Luke 4:7\u20138)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n II. As A Man<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n A. Jesus<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,<\/p>\n who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery<\/p>\n to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,<\/p>\n taking the form of a bondservant, an] coming in<\/p>\n the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a<\/p>\n man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the<\/p>\n point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians<\/p>\n 2:5\u20138)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n B. One of the Three Men Who Appeared<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n to Abraham before the Destruction of Sodom<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of<\/p>\n Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of<\/p>\n the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three<\/p>\n men were standing by him; and when he saw [them], he<\/p>\n ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself<\/p>\n to the ground. (Genesis 18:1\u20132)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n C. Wrestling man<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him<\/p>\n until the breaking of day. (Genesis 32:24)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n D. Melchizedek<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most<\/p>\n High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter<\/p>\n of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham<\/p>\n gave a tenth part of all, first being translated \u201cking of<\/p>\n righteousness,\u201d and then also king of Salem, meaning<\/p>\n \u201cking of peace,\u201d without father, without mother, without<\/p>\n genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of<\/p>\n life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.<\/p>\n (Hebrews 7:1\u20133)<\/p>\n See also\u00a0<\/i>Genesis 14:18; Psalms 110:4; Hebrews 5:6, 10;<\/p>\n 6:20; 7:1, 10\u201311, 15, 17, 21.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n E. Commander of the Army of the Lord<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that<\/p>\n he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood<\/p>\n opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And<\/p>\n Joshua went to Him and said to Him, \u201cAre\u00a0<\/i>You for us or<\/p>\n for our adversaries?\u201d So He said, \u201cNo, but\u00a0as\u00a0Commander<\/i><\/p>\n of the army of the LORD\u00a0<\/i>I have now come.\u201d And Joshua<\/p>\n fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to<\/p>\n Him, \u201cWhat does my Lord say to His servant?\u201d Then the<\/p>\n Commander of the LORD\u2019S army said to Joshua, \u201cTake<\/p>\n your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand\u00a0is<\/i><\/p>\n holy.\u201d And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13\u201315)<\/p>\n III. As Sound from Heaven, A Rushing Wind, and Fire<\/p>\n And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a<\/p>\n rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where<\/p>\n they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided<\/p>\n tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (Acts<\/p>\n 2:2\u20133)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n IV. As a Dove<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately<\/p>\n from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened<\/p>\n and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a\u00a0dove<\/i>, and<\/p>\n alighting on him. (Matthew 3:16)<\/p>\n And when he came up out of the water, immediately he<\/p>\n saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon<\/p>\n him like a\u00a0dove<\/i>. (Mark 1:10)<\/p>\n And the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form,<\/p>\n as a\u00a0dove<\/i>, and a voice came from heaven, \u201cThou art my<\/p>\n beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.\u201d (Luke 3:22)<\/p>\n And John bore witness, \u201cI saw the Spirit descend as a<\/p>\n dove\u00a0<\/i>from heaven, and it remained on him.\u201d (John 1:32)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n V. As Parts of Himself<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My<\/p>\n back; but My face shall not be seen. (Exodus 33:23)<\/p>\n In the same hour the fingers of a man\u2019s hand appeared<\/p>\n and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the<\/p>\n wall of the king\u2019s palace; and the king saw the part of the<\/p>\n hand that wrote. (Daniel 5:5)<\/p>\n Then the LORD delivered to me two tablets of stone<\/p>\n written with the finger of God, and on them were all the<\/p>\n words which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain<\/p>\n from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.<\/p>\n (Deuteronomy 9:10)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n VI. As a Lion or a Lamb<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But one of the elders said to me, \u201cDo not weep. Behold,<\/p>\n the\u00a0Lion of the tribe of Judah<\/i>, the Root of David, has prevailed<\/p>\n to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. . . .<\/p>\n And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures<\/p>\n and the twenty-four elders fell down before the<\/p>\n Lamb<\/i>, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full<\/p>\n of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; . . . saying<\/p>\n with a loud voice, \u201cWorthy is the\u00a0Lamb\u00a0<\/i>who was slain,<\/p>\n to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and<\/p>\n honor and glory and blessing! And I heard every creature<\/p>\n in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the<\/p>\n sea, and all therein, saying, \u201cTo him who sits upon the<\/p>\n throne and to the\u00a0Lamb\u00a0<\/i>be blessing and honor and glory<\/p>\n and might forever and ever!\u201d (Revelation 5:5, 8, 12\u201313)<\/p>\n See also\u00a0<\/i>Revelation 6:1, 16; 7:9\u201310, 14, 17; 8:1; 12:11; 13:8;<\/p>\n 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22\u201323, 27; 22:1, 3.<\/p>\n Additional Examples Addressed in\u00a0Immanuel: A Practicum<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n VII. As A Ghost<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n VIII. As The Word of the Lord to:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n IX. As The Lampstand<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n X. As a Smoking Oven and a Burning Torch<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n XI. God Also Seems to Use Signs of His Presence<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n A. A Pillar of Fire and a Cloud<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of<\/p>\n cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a\u00a0pillar<\/i><\/p>\n of fire\u00a0<\/i>to give them light, that they might travel by day<\/p>\n and by night. (Exodus 13:21)<\/p>\n Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the<\/p>\n LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians<\/p>\n through the\u00a0pillar of fire and cloud<\/i>, and He troubled the<\/p>\n army of the Egyptians. (Exodus 14:24)<\/p>\n And they will tell\u00a0it\u00a0<\/i>to the inhabitants of this land. They<\/p>\n have heard that You, LORD,\u00a0are\u00a0<\/i>among these people; that<\/p>\n You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands<\/p>\n above them, and You go before them in a\u00a0pillar of cloud<\/i><\/p>\n by day and in a\u00a0pillar of fire\u00a0<\/i>by night. (Numbers 14:14)<\/p>\n Also see\u00a0<\/i>Nehemiah 9:12, 19.<\/p>\n B. A Whirlwind<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong<\/p>\n wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces<\/p>\n before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind;<\/p>\n and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not<\/p>\n in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the<\/p>\n LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small<\/p>\n voice. (1 Kings 19:11\u201312)<\/p>\n Then the LORD answered Job out of the\u00a0whirlwind<\/i>, and<\/p>\n said . . . (Job 38:1)<\/p>\n C. Storms and Natural Phenomena<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The voice of the LORD\u00a0is\u00a0<\/i>over the waters; the God of<\/p>\n glory thunders; the LORD\u00a0is\u00a0<\/i>over many waters. (Psalm<\/p>\n 29:1-11, v. 3)<\/p>\n Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the<\/p>\n ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there<\/p>\n were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and<\/p>\n great hail. (Revelation 11:19)<\/p>\n D. A Burning Bush<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And\u00a0the Angel of the LORD\u00a0<\/i>appeared to him [Moses] in a<\/p>\n flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and<\/p>\n behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was<\/p>\n not consumed. (Exodus 3:2)<\/p>\n E. A Rock<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And what do we do with\u00a0the Rock<\/i>? Was it metaphorical or was<\/p>\n it a visible sign of his presence?<\/p>\n E. A Rock (cont.)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me:<\/p>\n \u2018He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of<\/p>\n God.\u2019 (2 Samuel 23:3)<\/p>\n Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy<\/p>\n One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have appointed<\/p>\n them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for<\/p>\n correction. (Habakkuk 1:12)<\/p>\n And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of<\/p>\n that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was<\/p>\n Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n XII. And Finally, In the Mystical Forms of His Glory<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n A. Jesus Transfigured<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And He was transfigured before them. His face shone<\/p>\n like the sun, and His clothes became as black as the light.<\/p>\n (Matthew 17:2)<\/p>\n B. Daniel\u2019s Vision of the Ancient of Days<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n and One Like the Son of Man<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient<\/p>\n of Days\u00a0was\u00a0<\/i>seated; His garment\u00a0was\u00a0<\/i>black as snow, and<\/p>\n the hair of His head\u00a0was\u00a0<\/i>like pure wool. His throne\u00a0was<\/i><\/p>\n a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire . . . I was watching<\/p>\n in the night visions, and behold,\u00a0One\u00a0<\/i>like the Son of<\/p>\n Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the<\/p>\n Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him<\/p>\n . . . until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was<\/p>\n made\u00a0in favor\u00a0<\/i>of the saints of the Most High, and the time<\/p>\n came for the saints to possess the kingdom. (Daniel 7:9,<\/p>\n 13, 22)<\/p>\n C. Ezekiel\u2019s Visions<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And above the firmament over their heads\u00a0was\u00a0<\/i>the likeness<\/p>\n of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on<\/p>\n the likeness of the throne\u00a0was\u00a0<\/i>a likeness with the appearance<\/p>\n of a man high above it. Also from the appearance of<\/p>\n His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber<\/p>\n with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from<\/p>\n the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it<\/p>\n were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.<\/p>\n Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy<\/p>\n day, so\u00a0was\u00a0<\/i>the appearance of the brightness all around<\/p>\n it. Th is\u00a0was\u00a0<\/i>the appearance of the likeness of the glory of<\/p>\n the LORD. So when I saw\u00a0it<\/i>, I fell on my face, and I heard<\/p>\n a voice of One speaking. (Ezekiel 1:26\u201328)<\/p>\n Additional Examples Addressed in\u00a0Immanuel: A Practicum<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n D. Zechariah\u2019s Visions (cont.)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n E. John\u2019s Revelation of Jesus Christ<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n F. Matthew\u2019s Jesus, The Judge of the Nations<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Appendix 6: God Can Appear in Different Forms Excerpt from Appendix 6 of\u2026 Immanuel: A Practicum\u00a0by Patricia A. Velotta \u00a0God Can Appear in Different Forms I think we all agree that angels can appear looking like human beings \u201cDo not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.\u201d (Hebrews 13:2) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n