This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Genesis. We just love to go from Genesis to revolution. In the Old Testament, you’ve heard me make this statement that I’m going to make it again. That is in the Old Testament we have the Lord, Jehovah, God the Father. And anytime he reveals himself, it’s always a theophanes when he takes upon a human form as an angel or a man, and he’s revealed in the Old Testament.

We spoke a little bit about that last week. But in the Old Testament, you have the Lord revealing Himself as a man. Then when you go to the New Testament, we have the story where Jesus Christ was born into this world in the city of Bethlehem. And it says unto you, it’s born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And so Jesus Christ was born into the world, and then He spent His ministry promoting the idea that He was God.

So in the Old Testament, God revealed as a man, and in the New Testament, a man revealed Himself as God. And so there’s no confusion, no contradiction. And as you study the Old Testament, you’ll see it. And you study the New Testament, you’ll see it. And you’ll find out that lo and behold, they’re the same one. They’re the same one. Jesus is God. And so if you take your Bible and turn to the book of Genesis in chapter 1, I want you to look there in Genesis chapter 1, 1, verse 26, verse 26, and God said, let us make man in our image.

The question always is, who is he talking to? Let us make man in our image. So God maybe has an image and man is made in the image of God. Now we often say that there’s the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father, well that’s your soul, that’s you. The Son, well that’s the physical part of us because Jesus took upon flesh and a man got a spirit so he’s like the type of the Holy Spirit. So a man is kind of like a Trinity like that and then that could be true.

But there’s also a possibility, maybe slim, but maybe Maybe God has some resemblance to the appearance of a man. Though God is not a man. But there are some things about God that if we knew would help us understand a little bit more about ourselves. Does the Bible say anywhere where man was made in the image of God? Well, look again in verse 26, and God said, let us make man in our image. So I believe it’s the Trinity up there, and he’s talking about us being made in an image or an appearance liken to God’s.

Now I’m not sure, but maybe there’s not that much there, but just stay with me as we follow the line of thought. You notice again in verse 27, so God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him. Now it’s the sense that man does not have a good… Representation is a sense of really showing you what God is like because when mankind looks at each other, if we think this is where God is, God isn’t very much.

I’ve had people, they look in the mirror and they say, well, if this is the best God could do, he should have put me in charge. So when you look at yourself in the mirror, you’re supposed to believe that you are one hunk. I mean, you’re made in the image of God. Now if you read the whole 139th Psalm, it talks about how that God shaped, formed you in your mother’s womb and how his thoughts were about you continually.

So he must really love you an awful lot. So maybe you resemble him more than you know, but he made us in his own image. Now won’t you take your Bible and turn to the book of Ezekiel? The book of Ezekiel? The book of Ezekiel is a seemingly difficult book. Ezekiel was in the captivity there in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar. So therefore he was in captivity when he wrote and says that he was by the river Chever and He had this vision, but it was a vision of God.

He saw the Lord. Look to you in verse one of chapter one. Now it came to pass in the 30th year, in the fourth month and the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chabir. He says, there, that the heavens were open, and you ought to underline, I saw visions of God. Now if you had that vision, not we would probably say you had onions on your hamburgers something, no, patience before you went to bed at night.

But he had a vision of God and he saw things. He saw things. Well, what did he see? Well, though a lot of it we can’t figure out what he saw, some people think it was a flying saucer and some chariot of fire. But whatever it was, it was very real to Ezekiel. There are some rabbis that don’t even want to deal with this chapter because it says it’ll drive you mad. This chapter can drive you mad trying to figure it out what it says.

So if you look there in verse 5, in verse 5 he says, and also out of the mis-the-r-of came the likeness of four living creatures and this was their appearance. They had the likeness of a man. Now wait a minute, is there a possibility that this was after God made a man, or is somebody who had the appearance of a man back in time past? And that man was made in the image of something that was already in existence.

Interesting. And look what he says in verse 10, and asked for the likeness of their faces. They forehad the face of a man, face of a lion, face of ox in the face of an eagle. So when did they get these faces? Was it after Adam and Eve, or was it before? Is this a reference that can drive you mad, trying to figure out all these things? Because is there a possibility that in heaven there was the appearance of a man?

Look what else he says here. I want you to see this in verse 14. And these living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. Be able to travel at the speed of light. Isn’t that interesting? At the speed of light? That’s fast. At least that’s what we think is fast. And then he talks about some other things and wheels and sata wheels. And then he talked about how did I saw the Lord? Look in verse 26, and above the firmament that was over their heads was the appearance of a throne, the lightest of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone upon the lightness of the throne was the appearance.

And you ought to underline this as the appearance of a man. men. Now this is in heaven. This is not a man. This is somebody who has the appearance of a man. This is what Ezekiel says. Now I’m not saying that because I don’t believe it, a God is not a man, except whenever he was born into this world and Jesus was a man. But when you begin to look at it in his study, you’ll find out in these Theophanes where the The Lord revealed Himself in human form when He came upon the earth, and He talked to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and so on, and Moses, that you’ll find like there’s a dual character.

I won’t say I do own nature because in these the often is there was no sinful nature. You and I have a sinful nature. And then we trust Christ, we have a divine nature. But you do have where man and divinity come together. Where it looks like when you study about these angels, it looks like it’s a man. And you read a little bit further. No, no, no, no, it looks like divinity. it looks like it’s got to be God.

Well, which one is it? Well, maybe it’s a God-man, a God who is revealing himself as a man. When you study in the New Testament about Jesus Christ, here’s a man that gives the appearance of being God. But in the Old Testament, see, they would take up on the form of a man or an angel. But in the New Testament, he was born into this world. So even in the Old Testament, the Jewish people should have had some knowledge that it was not odd to think that God ever became a man or the parents of a man.

Because it’s right here in their scriptures. But now notice what he says here. Look at the verse 28. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud of the day of rain, So was the appearance of the brightness round about? Now when you read in the book of Revelation, you’ll also find in chapter four, when it talks about we were caught up to meet the Lord and then there’s a throne set there in heaven and then this describes it and there’s these same four creatures all over again and talk about the rainbow around the throne.

So what Ezekiel saw is exactly what John saw when he said he was on the Alapatmas, when you read the book of Revelation. And in that same book, it talks about how that, in chapter 19, Jesus Christ comes back in power and great glory to the earth. And he is the Word of God. He is God. He is And he is the Word of God. He is God. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So he is the man that manifested God the Father.

In the Old Testament, we have a manifestation of God also revealed in a human form, but not because the Bible says that their bodies were born, they took upon the form. And look at the last part of verse 28. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the L O R D. The main phrase that you have here, you have up there in the lightness of the appearance of a man. But it seems like there is the human part and the divine part.

And yet it’s taught in the Old Testament. Many people never see this or bring it out, but I’ll be glad to do that for you. Look in the book of Exodus, look at Exodus in chapter 6. Exodus and chapter 6. Exodus chapter 6, look there in verse 1, I want you to see where God himself, capital L-O-R-D stands for Jehovah. But Jehovah in the Old Testament is Jesus in the New Testament, his real name is Yeshua. But that’s because Jesus was named that and on the day of his circumcision.

So Jesus and Jehovah are exactly the same. But whenever Jehovah is revealed in a form, it’s a Theophanes, which means like Christ in the Old Testament. It’s Christ, manifested in a form as an angel or a man. So he says here in Exodus in chapter 6, look in verse 1, Now the Lord said unto Moses, Now shall thou see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand shall he let them go. And with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

And God said unto Moses, speaking to Moses and said unto him, I am the L.O. Oh, so we know who’s talking. In verse 3, and I appeared unto Abraham. I appeared unto Isaac, and I appeared unto Jacob. Is that what he said? He said, he, God, Jehovah, appeared to these individuals. And he says, but my name, Jehovah, was I not known to them. I was not known by my name. That’s why when you get to the New Testament and it tells you the name because many people would even take the name Jehovah when there’s no vows and so forth.

They don’t know how it’s pronounced and they over the years. They don’t really know how this word Jehovah supposed to sound. But when you go through the New Testament, his name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin. His name is Jesus, and Jesus is Jehovah in the Old Testament. So anyways, we’re moving right along. I want you to see the last part of it. But my name, Jehovah, was I not known to them.

But what I wanted you to see is that the Lord himself says, I have appeared. I have appeared. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Exodus in chapter 17. Exodus chapter 17. You’ll know that the Word of God tells us that the people did a lot of complaining, murmured an awful lot, bunch of complainers. Well, I’m glad we don’t do that today. But they murmured and complained all the time. there in that verse two. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses.

So give us water that we may drink. And Moses said to them, why chide you with me? Wherefore do you tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted their full water. Well, I don’t know why. There’s only two and a half million up out there in the middle of a desert. Evidently they got thirsty. And who do they run to? Moses. Hey Moses, we’re thirsty. How in the world is he supposed to get water. Would you like the problems that Moses had?

Bunch of winers? So in verse three, and the people thirsted there for water and the people murmured against Moses and said, wherefore is this that thou hast done? To bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children. This is why you did what you do. You brought us I hear so we would all die. Us, our children, our cattle, with thirst. Verse 4, and Moses cried unto the Lord. Isn’t that what you would do? What shall I do unto this people?

They be almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, go on before the people, take with them of the elders of Israel and the rod, wherewith thou smoteest the river, take in thine hand and go. And behold, I, the eye goes up there to the word Lord in verse 5. So we know it’s the Lord in the Old Testament, Jehovah himself. Verse 6, Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in horrib, and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.

Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And the question in the last part of verse 7 was, is the Lord among us or not? Does God see? Is He among us or not? Boy, they wanted a miracle. And buddy, they got one. But what I want you to see is this L-O-R-D. That’s the Lord. That’s God Almighty. And he says that I will stand. Now, I want you to take your Bible in turn with me to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

1 Corinthians and chapter 10. As you read the scriptures here in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, it says in verse 1, as he warns them, he gives them about five privileges, and there are also some things that would hinder their walk with God in the wilderness and that was five sins were mentioned. Verse 1, more over brethren, I would not say she should be ignorant. How that our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea. Talking about in the Old Testament now where we were just reading.

We’re all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and into sea. did all lead to the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drink of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was who? This is talking about Christ in the Old Testament. And it’s talking about whenever they would have striked the rock and get the water, that was the Lord. You see, in the New Testament he’s telling you that was Christ. I was there.

He said, I’ll stand over here and you’re to spite this rock. And he says, the spiritual lesson that you get from this. This, this is Christ in the Old Testament. And in the Old Testament, it just seems he says, it’s the Lord. You see, Jesus Christ was either God or a liar. I can’t see as I study the scripture how a man, if he wanted to deceive the world, could ever write such a book. How could you have figured out all this stuff in advance over a period of 1600 years in different languages?

35 to 40 different writers. And all of it tell the same story and there’s continuity to all of it. And just say, well, man just wrote the Bible. You’re out of here. Help me. Man couldn’t write this book because it’s got so much loaded little jewels all the way through it. So yes, I believe that in the Old Testament, Jesus was there. And that God, this invisible God, had revealed himself at times and appeared to mankind. Go in your Bible to the book of Genesis chapter 18, Genesis and chapter 18.

I know it’s a lot easier sometimes to just say, let’s just study Ephesians 2, 8, 9, 1 John 5, 13, John 3, 16. But there’s a lot of other things in the Bible that we’re supposed to know. Paul says, I want to declare unto you all the counsel of God. So I will be here and I’ll be there and then I’ll be over here and then I’ll be over there. there, because I believe it’s all interwoven together, and that the old cannot be understood without the new, and the new can’t be understood without the old.

So you need to all the scriptures. But here in the book of Genesis in chapter 18, I mentioned this to you before. If you notice here in verse 1, and the Lord appeared unto him. Remember, he told MosesOUP that he did. He says, I have appeared unto them. And here’s the Lord, and yet you’ll find as you read down through here, the Lord was in a human form. Because he says in verse 2, he lift up his eyes and looked and looked.

Three men stood by him. Three men. Two of them were angels. One was the Lord. Two of them went on down into Sodom and Gomorrah, And the other one was God. And he ate something. He looked, he had a physical body. Abraham could see him like he saw you and me. He could walk, he could talk, he could reason. And then all of a sudden it seemed like this man also has qualities of the divine. You know what he had the nerve to say?

He says, your wife, that old lady you’re married to, is going to have a young man. It’s going to be a boy. About a year from now. Now who does he think he is? If he’s just a man, how does he know this? But if he’s God, I guess he has a right to know, wouldn’t he? That woman had a baby. 90 years old. Abraham was 100 years old. That baby came right on schedule. I don’t think that baby was one minute late.

God told Abraham’s, I can’t hide from you what I’m fixing to do down in Sodom and Gomorrah. What he’s going to do. I mean, here’s a natural normal man. And he’s able to call down fire from heaven and devour Sodom and Gomorrah? Just the man. No, there’s elements here. You’ll find it all the way through. Well, he looks like a man. Talk’s like a man. Sounds like a man. But there’s also something else that’s different about this man. He’s like, he’s divine.

Like he’s God. And yet God says, I appeared to him. He was the Lord. Look in Genesis chapter 32. Genesis chapter 32. Genesis chapter 32, and looking verse 24, Jacob had been a bad boy. Well, he had to run for his life. He went down to see Laban, and he wound up getting two wives. That was a mistake already. He worked a long time to get them women. He was after only one. And after it was all over with, he knew I needed to get away from this man.

So he waited the right moment he took off, but now he’s got to go back to hometown. But he knew that whenever he left, he saw his sworn to kill him. He was a little scared. He didn’t want to go back and he didn’t know how to go forward. So anyway, he took a nap that night. And in verse 24, and Jacob was left alone. them. They’re wrestled, and you ought to underline this word, amen. They’re wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

And Jacob would let him go and says, until you promised to bless me, because he knew he had some bad situations coming ahead of him. And he said, I want you to bless me as in verse 26. Verse 28, he changed his name to Israel. And then And in verse 30 says, And Jacob called the name of the place, in Yell. For it get this, I have seen God face to face. Well, didn’t Jehovah tell Moses? I appeared under Jacob.

Then who is this? Well, he looks like a man, but he wasn’t a man. He was more than a man. You see, the problem that some people have is when Jesus Christ comes into the world, they can’t believe he’s God, He’s a man. Well this isn’t new. You see, this was done in the Old Testament. This is what we call, like I said, theophanes. God in the flesh, manifested in the flesh, revealing things supernaturally. Did you know there’s a verse in the Bible in the book of Hebrews in chapter 13 that says, Be careful for some have entertained angels unaware.

You ever read that verse? Some have entertained angels unaware. You mean they can take on human form? That’s what the Bible says, and you will not be aware of it. You have no clue what has happened in your life. I’m not trying to scare anybody. trying to make you aware, because some are not aware. And yet the Bible tells us that these things are true and it ought to make a difference on how we think about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was the Lord God in the Old Testament.

You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that that you were blessed by today’s message. Part two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free, one 800-576-3771. That’s one 800-576-3771. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download any of our Bible and programs, just go to our home page at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the Radio Broadcast link.

If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcasts of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friends, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed.

Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.