Moses informs us that the Angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame of fire, which he saw in the burning bush (Exodus 3: 2-6). In verse 4, we read, “And when the Lord (Yahweh) saw that he turned aside to see, God (Elohim) called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not near here: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”

Very strange, but in this account we read, “… the Lord saw …”, “… God called …”, also about the “Angel of the Lord” appearing. Who was there? Surely not three persons, but one and the same person being described in three different terms. The Angel of the Lord is simply the visible appearance of God in the shape of an angel. That is the way He walked as Yahweh in the garden of Eden and spoke to Adam: that’s the way He met Abraham. According to Genesis 18, He came to him accompanied by two angels, who later went to Sodom. There we read, “And the Lord appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.” (Genesis 18: 1). Abraham even asked for the feet of the heavenly visitors to be washed. He also had a meal prepared for them. The other two angels were also in the shape of a man; in fact so much that those demon-possessed homosexuals in Sodom tried to get hold of them. The Lord remained with Abraham and had quite a long conversation with him. The shape of an angel, in which the Lord appeared, was precisely the shape of a man. God made man in His own image!

In Exodus 33: 11, we read, “And the Lord spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” Moses expressed his special desire asking the Lord to go with him. “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up from here.” (Exodus 33: 13-15). Surely, Moses did not doubt the promise given to him, but he wished to have it reconfirmed, because in Exodus 23: 20-21 the Lord had already given him the assurance with the following words, “Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions; for my name is in him.” It was a personal manifestation of the Lord.

There are other scriptural references which talk about such a visible form of the appearance. In Isaiah 63: 9, we read, “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bore them, and carried them all the days of old.” The Lord was present in the form of an angel. He is the One who delivered Israel; He was the One they were waiting for. In Malachi 3: 1 it says, “… and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant …”

The word “angel” and “messenger” is the same. In Acts 7: 38 we read about the law-giving, Moses, and the angel who spoke to him, “This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him in Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the living oracles to give unto us.” We all know that God did not send an angel, but the Lord Himself came down and gave the commandments to Moses. He simply appeared in the visible shape of an angel.

His manifestation in a visible shape in the Old Testament is very important for His personal revelation in the bodily form of man. We shall call upon Jacob as a witness. Of him we read, “Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication unto him; he found him in Bethel, and there he spoke with us — even the LORD GOD OF HOSTS; the Lord is his memorial.” (Hosea 12: 4-5). Whether the Lord of hosts or God is mentioned, it is always the same One, who reveals Himself in various ways, but remains the same for ever.

Jacob’s experience with the Lord is already recorded in Genesis 32, from verse 24, “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day … And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed … And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

This experience cannot be easily imagined. God Almighty, who dwells in His own majesty, being present everywhere, can still manifest Himself in the shape of a man, with whom Jacob could wrestle. Before Jacob died, he blessed the sons of Joseph, crossed his arms and said, “God, before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, did walk, the God who fed me all my life long unto this day, an angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads …” (Gen. 48: 15-16).

The invisible God could appear in a visible form of appearance. In Exodus 24, from verse 9, we read, “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and they saw the God of Israel … also they saw God, and did eat and drink.”

Who can imagine that anyone could appear before God Almighty and eat and drink in His presence? We believe it to be true, because it is recorded in His holy Word. No one could see God, when He was in the fullness of His glory, in Spirit form in eternity. He was only seen from the beginning, after He manifested Himself in a spiritual body. The seventy elders and those, who were with Moses, saw the Lord God in His glory. God is a reality. He can speak, He can hear, He can write, etc.

The prophet Ezekiel also recorded one of his experiences, “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, like the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness of the appearance of a man above upon it.” (Ezekiel 1: 26). Not at any time did anyone see two or three persons on the throne. The wording “triune God”, “trinity” are not found in the Holy Scriptures. Not one prophet nor any of the apostles ever interpreted a scripture as to more persons within the Godhead. We only find the various manifestations of this one God.

Moses informs us that the Angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame of fire, which he saw in the burning bush (Exodus 3: 2-6). In verse 4, we read, “And when the Lord (Yahweh) saw that he turned aside to see, God (Elohim) called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not near here: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”

Very strange, but in this account we read, “… the Lord saw …”, “… God called …”, also about the “Angel of the Lord” appearing. Who was there? Surely not three persons, but one and the same person being described in three different terms. The Angel of the Lord is simply the visible appearance of God in the shape of an angel. That is the way He walked as Yahweh in the garden of Eden and spoke to Adam: that’s the way He met Abraham. According to Genesis 18, He came to him accompanied by two angels, who later went to Sodom. There we read, “And the Lord appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.” (Genesis 18: 1). Abraham even asked for the feet of the heavenly visitors to be washed. He also had a meal prepared for them. The other two angels were also in the shape of a man; in fact so much that those demon-possessed homosexuals in Sodom tried to get hold of them. The Lord remained with Abraham and had quite a long conversation with him. The shape of an angel, in which the Lord appeared, was precisely the shape of a man. God made man in His own image!

In Exodus 33: 11, we read, “And the Lord spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” Moses expressed his special desire asking the Lord to go with him. “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up from here.” (Exodus 33: 13-15). Surely, Moses did not doubt the promise given to him, but he wished to have it reconfirmed, because in Exodus 23: 20-21 the Lord had already given him the assurance with the following words, “Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions; for my name is in him.” It was a personal manifestation of the Lord.

There are other scriptural references which talk about such a visible form of the appearance. In Isaiah 63: 9, we read, “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bore them, and carried them all the days of old.” The Lord was present in the form of an angel. He is the One who delivered Israel; He was the One they were waiting for. In Malachi 3: 1 it says, “… and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant …”

The word “angel” and “messenger” is the same. In Acts 7: 38 we read about the law-giving, Moses, and the angel who spoke to him, “This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him in Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the living oracles to give unto us.” We all know that God did not send an angel, but the Lord Himself came down and gave the commandments to Moses. He simply appeared in the visible shape of an angel.

His manifestation in a visible shape in the Old Testament is very important for His personal revelation in the bodily form of man. We shall call upon Jacob as a witness. Of him we read, “Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication unto him; he found him in Bethel, and there he spoke with us — even the LORD GOD OF HOSTS; the Lord is his memorial.” (Hosea 12: 4-5). Whether the Lord of hosts or God is mentioned, it is always the same One, who reveals Himself in various ways, but remains the same for ever.

Jacob’s experience with the Lord is already recorded in Genesis 32, from verse 24, “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day … And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed … And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

This experience cannot be easily imagined. God Almighty, who dwells in His own majesty, being present everywhere, can still manifest Himself in the shape of a man, with whom Jacob could wrestle. Before Jacob died, he blessed the sons of Joseph, crossed his arms and said, “God, before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, did walk, the God who fed me all my life long unto this day, an angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads …” (Gen. 48: 15-16).

The invisible God could appear in a visible form of appearance. In Exodus 24, from verse 9, we read, “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and they saw the God of Israel … also they saw God, and did eat and drink.”

Who can imagine that anyone could appear before God Almighty and eat and drink in His presence? We believe it to be true, because it is recorded in His holy Word. No one could see God, when He was in the fullness of His glory, in Spirit form in eternity. He was only seen from the beginning, after He manifested Himself in a spiritual body. The seventy elders and those, who were with Moses, saw the Lord God in His glory. God is a reality. He can speak, He can hear, He can write, etc.

The prophet Ezekiel also recorded one of his experiences, “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, like the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness of the appearance of a man above upon it.” (Ezekiel 1: 26). Not at any time did anyone see two or three persons on the throne. The wording “triune God”, “trinity” are not found in the Holy Scriptures. Not one prophet nor any of the apostles ever interpreted a scripture as to more persons within the Godhead. We only find the various manifestations of this one God.