God said, "You don't want me so I'll turn you over to all these pretenders who are less than I am." Paul calls it "the time of this ignorance." In Acts 14, it says God "let them walk in their own ways."
Paul calls them devils, quoting Deuteronomy 32:17 in I Corinthians 10. The word "devil" is easy to define; simply take the "d" off. They're the cohorts of the devil.
God said to Abraham, "I'm going to choose you out and make you my nation in the earth. I'm going to show everybody else what it's like to have me as their God and everyone can see the contrast."
God appears to Abraham in a visible manner. He comes in a way that blunts the light of His glory to help Abraham process the fact that God's a real person. He uses just the normal ways to communicate.
Genesis 12:7 says, [7] And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
There's this visible manifestation of the God of glory to Abraham and he knows who He is. He's met Him, he's heard from Him and he's talked to Him.
Genesis 15:1 says, [1] After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
What does the word "vision" tell you? You saw it. What did he see? It doesn't say he saw the Lord, it says he saw "the word of the Lord."
He has a visible manifestation of God's Word and it's Jehovah. Verse 5 says, '[5] And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
In other words, God said, "Abraham, let's go outside, I got something I want to talk to you about. I want to take you and show you the sky."
The verbiage there, the conversation there, this is not hocus-pocus. There's a real person standing there talking to Abraham. He invites him to go outside the house so he can see what's going on; he can see the stars in the heaven.
Here you have the Word of God embodied. The backdrop for John 1 is in Genesis 15. [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
I John says we touched Him, we held Him with our hands. The one who is incarnate in human flesh is the Word but that Word had appeared to Abraham, so it isn't something out of the ordinary; it's not something no one ever thought about before.
John 8: [56] Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
[57] Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
[58] Jesus said unto them, Verily,verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.he says, Abraham saw me.
That's when He appeared to Abraham. The point is there's a visible Jehovah and an invisible one, but the invisible one is made manifest by the visible one.
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Jeremiah 1: [4] Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[5] Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
[6] Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
[7] But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
[8] Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
[9] Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
What does that tell you about the Word of the Lord? It wasn't just sounds coming through the air. If you're going to reach out with your hand and touch somebody's mouth, that's a kind of physical embodiment with the presence of Jehovah.
In Genesis 22, Abraham knew it was the God of creation and not a false god because He'd seem Him before. He heard His voice before. Abraham had experience with Him so he knew who He was.
- [1] And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
[2] And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
[11] And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
Who is the "me" in the passage? Was it God or the angel of the Lord talking? All of a sudden it gets kind of vague in the text. You can't really tell exactly who's there and that's part of the plan. Things get a little ambiguous and the reason for the blurring of the distinctions is both of them are Jehovah. You ask, "Is He this one or is He that one?" Yes. There's Jehovah God the Father, Jehovah God the Son, and they're both Jehovah. That's the godhead.
In the Bible, the angel of the Lord is equal to God. God is not an angel but this angel is God. The word "angel" is said to mean "a messenger," but when you read about the Angel of the Lord you're not simply reading about a messenger bringing a message from the Lord, you're reading about the presence of the Lord; the visible manifestation of the Lord.
Isaiah 63: [7] I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.
[8] For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.
[9] 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 bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
[10] But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.
Notice there are three Jehovahs talked about in the passage. Verses 11-12 say, [11] Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?
[12] That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?
Exodus 23:20-21: [20] Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
[21] Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
When you read about the name in the Bible it's not talking about some enchantment, incantation or formula. It's a declaration of His presence. it's about a person. Who is He? His name tells you who He is.
Deuteronomy 12: [5] But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
So when He put His name there He put the place where He's going to live. That's what the idea of His name is. Verse 11: [11] Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:
The place is the tabernacle. and who is it that dwells in the tabernacle? The Lord. He puts His glory there, the manifestation of His presence. Here, He says, that's His name.
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