The LORD God in the Pillar of Cloud and of Fire followed Israel.

(…continues from part 3…)

4)            Knowing full well that the Father is eternally seated, physically, on the celestial throne, Who is this One of Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden”? It is of Christ, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3); and the term ‘express image’ is charaktēr (khar-ak-tare’): ‘The exact expression (the image) of any person or thing, marked likeness, precise reproduction in every respect.’ What does charaktēr reveal to us?

This enables us to come to real terms with: “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). Heis (hice), the Greek for the neuter ‘one’, has contextual definition of ‘essence’. What does being ‘one’ with the Father emblematize? The definitional ‘essence’ means that everything the Father is, the Son is as well. The Son – the Second Member of the Godhead – cannot be the Author of creationism if He cannot perform it in the fashion of bârâ’ (baw-raw’) i.e. ‘create out of nothing’, if He cannot bârâ’ then He is not the Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. The cloud by day, and the fire by night; is it a lifeless phenomenon?

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock” (Psalm 80:1).

Exodus 13:21-22 21) “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22) He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” The Father never comes physically away from the throne. Who is this LORD that went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and also, by night in a pillar of fire? It can only be the Second Member of the Godhead, the Light and the Saviour of man. Exodus 33:9-10 9) “And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. 10) And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.” Ask yourself why Israel worshipped the cloudy pillar? Not farfetched, the simple reason is that it is the manifestation of the LORD God: worthy of worship.

Would Moses not have chastised them for paying spiritual homage of idolatry if the LORD God was not in the cloudy pillar? Shâchâh (shaw-khaw’) is the Hebrew word for ‘worshipped’ and it means: ‘to depress, that is, prostrate (especially reflexively in homage to royalty or God).’ Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56). Did Abraham meet face to face with the LORD God? Its documental occurrence is in Genesis chapter 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; 18:13) And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 18:17) And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 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:” yes, Abraham spoke face to face with the LORD Jesus in His preincarnation manifestation. Abraham, indeed, rejoiced to see the day of the LORD in Genesis 22 encounter. Whose backside did Moses see in Exodus 34? Could it be that of God the Father, the Holy Spirit or of God the Son? Selah!

“Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship” (Joshua 5:14)

Joshua 5:13-15 “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14) And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 15) And the captain of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.” Would the son of Nun, the leader of Israel, who took over from the great Prophet Moses, bow in adoration before a soldier, no matter how highly placed? Nay, Joshua, like every true child of Israel, knew it when they come in physical contact with the LORD, their God. This could neither be the Holy Spirit nor the Father.

If there is no scriptural record of the descent of the Eternal Father on the terra firma, Who did this in 1Samuel 3:9-11“Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10) And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. 11) And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.” Only in Genesis 1:3, 17:5, Matthew 3:17 and Luke 9:35 we hear God the Father speak. The many other times we read of the voice of the LORD God is that of the Christ or the Holy Spirit.

There is no doubt at all that most of the Old Testamentaryphysical encounters with the Divinity is actually with the Second Member of the Godhead, Jesus Christ, the Almighty Redeemer. Amen.

Get born again. Say this sinner’s prayer.

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”

(…to be concluded…)

Read part 3 here

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