This is the first post in a five-part series titled “Jesus in the Old Testament,” showing different ways Jesus appears in the Old Testament.
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.
John 5:39
Christophany comes from two Greek words; Christos, which means Christ, and phaneroo, which means to be revealed or to manifest. Therefore, a Christophany is a visible manifestation or appearance of Christ before His human incarnation. It’s kind of like Stan Lee’s cameo appearances in Marvel movies.
All manifestations of God in the Bible aren’t necessarily Christophanies. For example, the Father spoke during Jesus’ baptism and transfiguration, and the Holy Spirit came like a dove upon Jesus, and a rushing wind upon the disciples. These manifestations of God are called theophanies.
But since the Bible consistently says that no one has ever seen God the Father and lived (Exodus 33:20, John 5:37; 6:46, 1 Timothy 6:15-16, 1 John 4:12), many theologians believe that all visible theophanies in the Old Testament were pre-incarnate appearances of Christ.
Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). He is at the Father’s side, and He is the only one who reveals Him (John 1:18). And here are some of His pre-incarnate appearances.
1. Appearance to Abraham (Genesis 18)
Three men visited Abraham, and one of them was God Himself. We know he was God because the text says, “and the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre.” The other two men were angels.
2. Appearance to Jacob (Genesis 32:22-32)
Jacob once wrestled with a man all night, and that man was God. He said to Jacob, “your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel for you have striven with God, and with men, and have prevailed.” Afterward, Jacob named the place Peniel and said, “for I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”
3. Appearance to Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15)
A man with a sword in hand appeared to Joshua before the fall of Jericho. He identified himself as the commander of the army of the Lord. Joshua immediately fell to his face and worshipped the man. And the commander said, “take off your sandals from your feet for the place where you are standing is holy.” This man was another Christophany.
Theologians also believe every visit of “the angel of the Lord,” or “the angel of God,” was a Christophany.
In Exodus 23:20-21, God told Moses He would send an angel before him to guide him, and that God’s name was in the angel. As the name of God represents His nature, will, and character. A random angel can’t bear God’s name; only God himself can. And this angel of the Lord must have been Jesus because He said in John 17:7, “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.”
Here are a few visits from Jesus as the angel of the Lord.
4. Visit to Hagar (Genesis 16:7-14)
The angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar in the wilderness and said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” The angel of the Lord spoke with the authority of God and said he would multiply her offspring. Hagar called the angel, “You are a God of seeing,” and said, “truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”
5. Visit to Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22:11-18)
Abraham took Isaac to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him as God commanded. But when he was about to kill Isaac, the angel of the Lord appeared and told him to stop. He said, “now I know that you fear God seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me.” The angel spoke as if he was God.
6. Visit to Jacob (Genesis 31:11-13)
The Angel of God appeared to Jacob in a dream and said, “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me.” The God of Bethel is Yahweh (Genesis 28:13-22).
7. Visit to Moses (Exodus 3:2-6)
The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses “in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush,” and then, “God called to him out of the bush.” He said, “I am the God of your Father, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac.”
It’s quite clear from these few examples that the angel of the Lord is a Christophany. Furthermore, His visits stop after the birth of Christ.
This doesn’t mean that Jesus was an angel before the incarnation. Jesus was, is, and always be God (John 8:58). The Hebrew word for angel is malak, which means a messenger. It appears 213 times in the Old Testament. It can refer to actual angels such as in Genesis 19:1, and men such as in Genesis 32:3.
Also, Christophanies do not contradict the incarnation of Christ nor the virgin birth. Jesus taking on the form of a man is not the same as becoming a man.
There are many other examples of Christophanies in the Old Testament. But some are less certain than others.
For example, many people believe the fourth man in the fire in Daniel 3:25 was a Christophany. But all we know about him is that he had the appearance of a “son of gods.” Without additional information, we can’t say for sure if he was a Christophany or an actual angel.
Melchizedek is another questionable Christophany. He appears in Genesis 14:18-20 and his name means king of righteousness, and a priest of God most High. Hebrews 7:3 says that “he is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he continues a priest forever.” As a result, many people believe Melchizedek was a Christophany. But he could have been a type of Christ.
Always let the Bible guide you to recognize a Christophany accurately. For instance, if the text says, “the Lord appeared,” or the “Lord came down,” it most likely a Christophany. Also, if a man speaks with the authority of God, identifies himself with God, or does things only God can do, He might be a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.
Actually YHVH the Son is The Malak/Angel defined as Sent one,Messenger of YHVH pre-incarnate who visited His people in the appearance of a human man while immaterial. Malak/Angel is not a creature kind but a title of function that is applied to both immaterial being(uncreated and created) and material being wether the incarnated Son or finite human being.
May I use some of these examples for a sermon to a few youth?
Hi Jason! Of course! It is my pleasure to serve Christ’s body!
You’re really desperate to prove that Jesus is God. How come neither Jesus never points to these alleged “Christophanies” and says, “See, that was me?” How come John, Peter, Paul, James and Jude never point to these so-called “Christophanies,” and says, “That was Jesus?” It was over 100 years after X ascended to the Father, before any church teacher dared to say such things. You basically lied, too, by saying that 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 interpretation of Scripture is what Scripture says. There is no Scripture that says “no man has ever seen God the Father.” It says that “No man has ever… Read more »
Hi Ian, I am not desperate to prove Jesus is God, He established it Himself, and I cannot add to His work. Jesus never said I am the seed of the woman in Genesis 3, yet we know He is the one; Jesus never mentioned every single prophecy in the Old Testament and said I am the one, yet we know these prophecies are about him. It is pretty evident from the biblical text that these are examples of God appearing to man. And John 1:18 says, No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the… Read more »
[…] Jesus in the Old Testament (Christophanies) […]
Interesting article. I think you are correct that when God appears to Abraham at his tent and Jacob wrestles with God – it must have been Jesus.
However, I think that when the Bible says it was ‘an angel of the Lord’ it was an angel.
The angel in charge of the Israelites is Saint Michael whose name means ‘Who is like God?’ hence God’s name being in the angel. Angels core roles are messengers and protectors.
It’s an interesting theory, but I don’t know of any Scripture that says Michael is in charge of the Israelites. In this article, I am referring to when Scripture says “the angel of the Lord,” not “an angel of the Lord.”
Michael is confirmed as the Guardian Angel of the Israelites in Daniel 12:1: ‘At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise’.
I personally think you’re missing out on something here that some biblical scholars have pointed out. (see links at very bottom of reply) Plus, I think this area can get a bit cloudy so I’m gonna mention some things I think may clear it up a bit for others that may stumble upon this string of comments. Michael’s name means “Who is like God?” in Hebrew. Michael gets another reference as “one of the chief princes” (emphasis on “one of the”). Though, he is the only “archangel” mentioned in the Bible, which in Hebrew means “chief messenger”. So, here we… Read more »
A couple of other Biblical Christophanies include “The Angel of the Lord” to Gideon in Judges 6:11, and to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3:25, and also Jeremiah 1:4, even though it doesn’t elaborate a sighting, the nature of the conversation between Jeremiah and the Lord sounds a lot like a direct interaction, not just a prayerful dialog.
Thanks, I will check them out! This article is by no means exhaustive.
Great article. I knew these, but I was trying to find someone who had put a list together. You know, work smart not hard. I agree with Stepehn Cooper, to that I would also add Samson’s parents in Judges 13.
This well-written information is just what I have been searching for! I teach an adult Sunday class and having just finished a series on some of the patriarchs and prophets, and what they symbolize in the gospels and epistles, I wanted to cross back to theophanies and christophanies in another series as well. I tried printing your articles, but I see it is not possible. I would gladly give credit, but would love to use some of your research as a valuable resource. Is there a way I could have permission? If not, I can still glean much from this,… Read more »
Hi Annette, I am so glad you found this article useful! Feel free to print or share anything you find on my site! God bless 🙂