Heavens Helpers :: The Master's Plan Part 2 Jesus in the Old Testament

The Master's Plan

Part 2

Jesus in the Old Testament

CAUTION - Do not read this if you haven’t read The Master’s Plan part 1 as it will only confuse you.

If you joined us in part one of the Master’s plan, you’ll recall that we discovered that Jesus is not God and that He was created by the Father who then had Jesus create the heavens and earth and everything else seen and unseen. We discovered that we do not worship just one God in three persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but one supreme God who is the Father and His son Jesus. Yes we worship two, the Father and His Son. We don’t worship someone called the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is simply God’s spirit, it’s the omnipresent part of the Father.

In part one, we learned the basics about the word “God” and how it’s not the name of our God but merely a title for power, strength or Deity. We learned that the “God” we serve is actually two; the Father and His Son; you’ll see them both in this passage. (Psalm 78:34) When He slew them, then they sought Him; and they returned and sought earnestly for God [EL singular]. (35) Then they remembered that God[s] (ELohiym plural) was their rock, and the Most High God [EL singular] their Redeemer. Today we’re going learn more about the real name of our God, because He does have a name and it’s not God! Let’s look at the first time the actual name of our God was used. (Genesis 2:4) These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD (Jehovah) God[s] (ELohiym) made the earth and the heavens. This was the very first time the name of our God was used and it identifies our God as the LORD or Jehovah Gods (plural). The word LORD occurs more than twice as often as the word God throughout the Bible. Most of the time you’ll see the word LORD in all capital letters which means it’s the original Hebrew word YHWH or Yahweh which is translated as Jehovah or LORD in our Bibles. Strong’s definition of Yahweh or Yhovah - self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: - Jehovah, the Lord.

(Genesis 4:26) And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD (Jehovah)… (12:8)…And there he builded an altar unto the LORD (Jehovah), and called upon the name of the LORD (Jehovah)…(13:4) … and there Abram called on the name of the LORD (Jehovah). We can now see that God has revealed His name to His people and that name is Jehovah. Most of us understand that Jehovah is the Fathers name but what about God’s firstborn Son; does Jesus have the same name as His Father? Let’s look to the Scriptures to find out.

To help you better understand the true meaning we'll use the Hebrew word next to the words for "LORD" and "God" in order to help us understand when the name of our God is used and when the word "God" should really be translated as "Gods" plural or in Hebrew ELohiym; so let's begin here. (Genesis 3:22) And the LORD (Jehovah) God[s] (ELohiym) said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (23) Therefore the LORD (Jehovah) God[s] (ELohiym) sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. Notice that Jehovah is represented in the plural as "Gods" and "us". This scripture clearly shows that Jehovah is more than one! Jehovah is the name of the Father and His son Jesus.

(Genesis 28:12) And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God[s] (ELohiym) ascending and descending on it. (13) And, behold, the LORD (Jehovah) stood above it, and said, I am the LORD (Jehovah) God[s] (ELohiym) of Abraham thy father, and the God[s] (ELohiym) of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. It seems that Jehovah is more than one, they are Gods and the Son of God has the same name as the Father; they are both addressed as LORD and God throughout the Old Testament. and you could say that Jehovah is the last name of our God or that Jehovah is the name of the God family.

(Genesis 17:1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God (EL), Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, (2) that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly." (3) Then Abram fell on his face. And God[s] (ELohiym) said to him, (4) "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations…(7) And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God[s] (ELohiym) to you and to your offspring after you. (8) And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God[s] (ELohiym). So here we have Jehovah appearing to Abram and the covenant being made between Jehovah Gods (plural) and Abram. Yet there weren't two "Gods" in front of Abram or two "Gods" speaking, it was the Son of God who was the representative of the Father in Heaven. That's why the word of God is plural; these Gods are the Father and His Son. Their name is Jehovah and they are the “God family” and they are called “Gods” in the original Hebrew. That covenant with Abram was not just with the Father as we have believed but that covenant is with Gods (plural) ELohiym. The God we worship is the family of Gods, which is Jehovah, both Father and Son and we can clearly see the God family represented in this scripture; we can see it in the New Testament too. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1,2). Again how can Jesus be both with God and be God at the same time? Jesus is in the God or Jehovah “family”, therefore He is God. Let’s look at a few more Scriptures which show Jehovah as more than one.

(Jeremiah 44 :7) Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD (Jehovah) their God[s] (ELohiym), for which the LORD (Jehovah) their God[s] (ELohiym) had sent him to them… Please notice how it was the Lord Gods who spoke to Jeremiah, and not the LORD God (EL) singular. Yet it's not both the Father and the Son that are speaking to Jeremiah as two voices but one voice, the voice of Jesus!

(Jonah 1:9) So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD (Jehovah), the God[s] (ELohiym) of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This definitely shows Jesus with the name of Jehovah as it was Jesus through the Father who created the heavens and the earth (Col 1:15,16).

As we continue to see that Jesus has the same name as the Father, let's look at another scripture that show Jesus' real name. (Hebrews 1:3) He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. Remember the Greek word for name (onoma) means nature and character. The above scripture says that Jesus is the exact imprint of the Fathers nature (His name). That’s why Jesus has the same name of Jehovah and is in the Fathers family. Jesus has the exact same nature and character that His Father has.

Hopefully this gives you a new understanding that God and Jehovah are really two; both Father and Son. Why is this important in understanding God’s plan or as we’re calling The Master’s Plan? Because we’re going to start tracking the Son of God throughout the Old Testament; you’ll be surprised at the role of Jesus Christ even before He was born in the flesh, so let’s begin to investigate what the Father’s plan really was for His Son.

(Hebrews 1:2) But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. We see in this scripture that the Father has appointed the Son as the heir of all things! The Greek word for “heir” means partitioning, getting by apportionment, a sharer by lot, that is an inheritor, a possessor: - heir. God appointed Jesus the heir of all things and gave Him the power and authority to create the world! Please understand exactly what the Father has turned over to His Son; God has turned everything over to Him. (Colossians 1:16) for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; (17) and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. Jesus created everything, including you and me! We’ve always given the Father credit for this, yet we see that it was Jesus Christ who created everything, and in Him all things consist! Jesus is ruling and reigning while His Father is seated on the throne! We also see from Scripture that Jesus is doing the perfect will of His father. (John 5:30) "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me... (43) I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me… Jesus even though He is reigning, does nothing of His own and follows the Fathers instructions! Also notice Jesus says He comes in His Father's name just like we had seen earlier. (John 6:38) For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. Jesus does the perfect will of the Father and only does as He is commanded! (John 14:31) But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father… Can we visualize the Father still sitting upon His throne, turning all of His authority over to the Son and His Son carrying out the Fathers will perfectly? (John 14:10) Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Jesus has never done or spoken anything of His own authority. Jesus is in perfect harmony with the Father, so much so that Jesus says that if you have seen Him you have seen the Father. He is obedient to everything the Father commands of Him and even says that “the Father who dwells in me does his works”. The Father does His works through Jesus!

(1 Corinthians 15:24) Then comes the end, when he [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (25) For he [Jesus] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. Notice that when the end as we know it comes, Jesus Christ will deliver the kingdom up to God the Father! (1 Corinthians 15:28) When all things are subjected to him [Jesus], then the Son himself will also be subjected to him [Father] who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. When Jesus finishes ruling, reigning and carrying out the Fathers will, all things will be subject unto Him. Every knee will have bowed to the Lordship of Jesus, and then Jesus Himself will deliver up the kingdom to the Father. What happens when Jesus turns the keys back to the Father? Then the Son of God will also be in subjection to His Father; Jehovah Most High is supreme! Are we understanding a bit more of what the Master’s plan might be? Could it be that the Father is sitting on His thrown up in Heaven while He has put His Son in charge of everything? If so, then we should have some Scripture that shows us the Father sitting on His Throne.

(Psalm 103:19) The LORD (Jehovah) has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

(Isaiah 66:1) Thus says the LORD (Jehovah) "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.

We can see that Jehovah Father’s throne is in the heavens and He rules over all. Next we see a vision of Jehovah actually sitting on His throne. (1 Kings 22:19) And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD (Jehovah): I saw the LORD (Jehovah) sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left. This vision the Prophet Micaiah had was of the Father sitting on His throne ruling with all the hosts of heaven who were standing beside Him. Next we have a vision from the Prophet Ezekiel. (Ezekiel 1:26) And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. (27) And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. (28) Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD (Jehovah). And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking. Ezekiel’s vision sees a beautiful throne with the appearance of a human with brightness and a rainbow around Him with the likeness of the glory of Jehovah.

We’ll read next the vision of the Prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah 6:1) In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord (Jehovah) sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (2) Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. (3) And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD (Jehovah) of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (4) And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. (5) And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD (Jehovah) of hosts!" Notice with these visions of the throne of God, we don’t see Gods (ELohiym) seated on thrones; we only see Jehovah the Father seated. Can you see how powerful and how holy our Father in Heaven really is! If not the next scripture may speak to you.

(Revelation 4:2) At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. (3) And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. (4) Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. (5) From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, (6) and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: (7) the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. (8) And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" (9) And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, (10) the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, (11) "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." Wow, what a vision of God’s throne and what true worship is! Even though this is a vision from John of what was to come, I have to imagine that this is also a vision of what the throne of God has always been like as the four creatures are there day and night praising Jehovah, never ceasing. Yet, He who sits on the throne is given credit for creating all things and by His will they existed and were created. This can only be the Father as He created Jesus first, and then everything else through Jesus. Jesus carried out the Fathers will in perfect obedience while the Father was still seated on His throne (John 5:30, 6:38).

So far in part one and now in part two of the Master’s Plan, we’ve begun to get a glimpse of a plan far more different than most Christians have understood from what they’ve been taught. We’ve seen from Scripture that God the Father and Jesus are two separate entities of the Godhead; that Jesus was created by the Father (Rev 3:14, Col 1:15) and that they have the same name whether you call that name Yahweh, Jehovah or the LORD. We’re now starting to see that the Father (Jehovah) is seated on His throne in heaven while He has turned everything over to the Son (Jehovah).

(1 Corinthians 15:24) Then comes the end, when he [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (25) For he [Jesus] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. We have God the Father sitting on His throne, while Jesus is reigning as King until Jesus delivers the kingdom to God the Father. (1 Corinthians 15:28) When all things are subjected to him [Jesus], then the Son himself will also be subjected to him [Father] who put all things in subjection under him [Jesus], that God may be all in all. Yes, all things are now and always have been in subjection to Jesus Christ, but when He Is finished, Jesus then hands everything back over to the Father. (Hebrews 1:2) but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Now if we’re on the right track with the Master’s Plan, we should be able to find Jesus ruling and reigning throughout the Bible. We’ve already seen that it was not God the Father who created the world and everything seen and unseen; it was Jesus Christ who made everything. (Colossians 1:16) for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; (17) and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. But even with this power and authority that Jesus now has, He cannot do anything on His own but only what He hears from the Father. (John 5:30) "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. Yes the Father sent Jesus to judge and to do everything according to His will. Jesus also said, (John 14:31) “but I do as the Father has commanded me”. The Father is seated on His throne and ruling THROUGH Jesus Christ. Now if the Father has been seated on His throne since the very beginning and it’s Jesus who’s been in charge, reigning over the universe, wouldn’t you think that we would be able to find Jesus all throughout the Old Testament? The answer is a resounding YES, and next we’ll attempt to track His “footprints” all the way through the Old Testament scriptures.

Before we start our search for Jesus ruling in the Old Testament, let’s not forget what we learned about our God’s name. That 90% of the time you read God in the Old Testament, it’s the Hebrew word ELohiym which is plural, meaning “Gods” both the Father and His Son. We found that “God” is not the name of our God but merely a title for deity. Our God’s real name is YHWH or in our Bibles Jehovah and it’s not just the name of the Father but it's also the name of His son Jesus too. So let’s begin with some of the major stories within our Bible and we’ll see Jesus reigning as “God” carrying out His Father's will, perfectly as one with the Father who is still seated on His throne.

Remember that our Bibles don't differentiate between the Hebrew words for God (EL) and Gods (ELohiym), they just generically translate it as "God". So the next couple of Scriptures I'm going to insert an "s" when the word God should be plural. From the very beginning we see Jesus was working and reigning over everything. (Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God[s] (ELohiym) created the heaven and the earth... (3) And God[s] (ELohiym) said, Let there be light: and there was light... (26) Then God[s] (ELohiym) said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Since we learned earlier that it was Jesus who created the heavens and the earth and everything else (Col 1:15-17, Heb 1:2, John 1:3), I believe this to be none other than Jesus speaking while His Father is seated on His throne. The word God or Elohiym which is plural for God is none other than Jesus. The word God is plural because it's the Father who is seated on His throne while it's Jesus reigning at His Father's command over all the earth.

(Genesis 2:15) The LORD (Jehovah) God[s] (ELohiym) took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (16) And the LORD (Jehovah) God[s] (ELohiym) commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (18) Then the LORD (Jehovah) God[s] (ELohiym) said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." (21) So the LORD (Jehovah) God[s] (ELohiym) caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. (22) And the rib that the LORD (Jehovah) God[s] (ELohiym) had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. If you look through your spiritual eyes you’ll begin to see more and more that it’s indeed the Son of God who is speaking and doing and not the Father. After all, if you put someone in charge, are they not in charge? We read earlier how God has put Jesus in charge until He delivers up the kingdom to the Father, why then would the Father go against Scripture, get up off His throne and usurp the authority that He Himself gave and entrusted to His Son? He wouldn’t and that’s why I believe it's Jesus Christ Himself who’s speaking to Adam and Eve.

The fall of Man, Jesus was there.

Before you start to read this next Scripture, please open your mind to the Hebrew meaning of the word ELohiym and understand that it’s plural and start to see that it’s Jesus as ELohiym speaking here. (Genesis 3:1) Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) had made. He said to the woman, "Did God (ELohiym) actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" (2) And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, (3) but God (ELohiym) said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" (4) But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. (5) For God (ELohiym) knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God (ELohiym), knowing good and evil"... (8) And they heard the sound of the LORD (Jehovah) God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) among the trees of the garden. (9) Then the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” (10) So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (11) And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (12) Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (13) And the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”(21) And the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. (22) Then the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever" (23) therefore the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. Can you see that ELohiym in the garden of Eden was not God the Father who got off His throne to come down to the garden, it wasn't the Father speaking from Heaven, but His son Jesus who was ruling and reigning as the Lord God or in Hebrew, Jehovah ELohiym. It was the Son of God who was physically walking in the garden and whom Adam and Eve hid from; it was the Son of God who made garments of skin to cloth them. Most people understand that you cannot see God, so they assume is that there is a voice coming from Heaven speaking to Adam and Eve. Yet, if you read carefully see that it was Jesus who was actually walking in the garden in bodily form. We will cover this later but look closely and you can see Jesus in the Garden of Eden.

The Flood, Jesus was there.

(Genesis 7:1) Then the LORD (Jehovah) said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation…(9) two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God (ELohiym) had commanded Noah…(16) And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God (ELohiym) had commanded him. And the LORD (Jehovah) shut him in. Again, why is it that we see Jehovah Gods (plural) used so often? Because it's the Son of God Jehovah who is speaking and doing mighty works through the Father's will and commands. Jesus is obedient in carrying them out. It's the spirit of the Father that's with Jesus and that makes them Gods plural or ELohiym. Let’s look at the Tower of Babel.

(Genesis 11:5) And the LORD (Jehovah) came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. (6) And the LORD (Jehovah) said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. (7) Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech." (8) So the LORD (Jehovah) dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. (9) Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD (Jehovah) confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD (Jehovah) dispersed them over the face of all the earth. Now just because the word Gods is not mentioned here does not mean that the Father has said “Son, sit back while I get off my throne and take care of this”. No, what I would understand from all the Scriptures that we’ve looked at is that Jesus is still in charge and He’s coming down with the Father’s spirit. Remember it's God's spirit that's everywhere, not His body. Look at verse 5, and the LORD (Jehovah) came down to see the city and the tower, doesn't it seem like the Lord physically came down from the mountain? Then verse 7 "Come, let us go down and there confuse their language" I believe this is the LORD Jesus physically appearing and coming to check Babylon out.

Let’s now read the story of Jehovah appearing in person to Abraham. (Genesis 18:1) And the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. (2) He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth… (7) And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. (8) So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate... (13) The LORD (Jehovah) said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' (14) Is anything too hard for the LORD (Jehovah)? At the appointed time I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son"… Notice that Abraham is with the LORD, Jehovah in person, speaking to Him as if he were a man. Is that possible to stand before the Lord God and live? No and we’ll cover that next but let’s read more about Abraham speaking with the LORD. (17) The LORD (Jehovah) said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do… (20) Then the LORD (Jehovah) said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, (21) I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. (22) So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD (Jehovah)…(33) And the LORD (Jehovah) went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. If this was really the LORD (Jehovah) like the Bible says (and we have no reason to doubt it) then this Jehovah that we read about could not be God the Father as no man can see the Father and live. This was indeed the LORD speaking to Abraham face to face and it was none other than Jesus His Son. It was Jehovah Jesus who was eating with Abraham and speaking to him face to face. It was Jehovah Jesus who promised to return to Abraham a year later. This can be none other than Jesus Christ appearing to Abraham in person as the Lord. Remember even though it is the Father and His Son, they both go by their family name which is YHWH or Yahweh or Jehovah or LORD in our Bibles. It seems that just like in the Garden of Eden, the Ark and the Tower of Babel, we have the Lord Jehovah Jesus physically walking on this earth. This has to be God's Son because no one can see the Father and live.

(Exodus 33:20) But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." (21) And the LORD (Jehovah) said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, (22) and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. (23) Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen." Here the Father Himself and not Jesus is going before Moses. Jehovah the Father says that no man "shall see me and live"! Let’s read more about seeing the Father and whether anybody has ever seen His face.

(John 1:18) No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Jesus has seen His Father but no man in the flesh has seen Him. (John 6:45) It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—(46) not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.

(1 John 4:12) No one has ever seen God if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. It’s safe to say that as we look at these Scriptures that any time the LORD (Jehovah) appears in person, it’s not God the Father but His Son Jehovah that we call Jesus.

(Genesis 5:22) After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God (ELohiym) three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. (23) So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. (24) And Enoch walked with God (ELohiym); and he was not, for God (ELohiym) took him. We see that Enoch physically walked with God the Son and not God the Father as no man has ever seen the Father; it has to be the Ruler of all things, Jesus Christ! Who was it that walked with Enoch? Just like Abraham walked, talked and ate with the LORD God, so did Enoch physically walk with God and we can now see that it was the Son of God whom he walked with.

Where else do we see God or should I say Jesus physically walking with man? (Genesis 3:8) And they heard the sound of the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) among the trees of the garden. (9) Then the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you”? As we covered earlier, this was not a voice from heaven and this was not God the Father who was physically walking in the Garden. If we for a moment would put down our pre-conceived understanding of who we thought Jehovah God to be, and read this verse as if it were an ordinary person, we would have no problem understanding what the Bible really says; let's try it. "They heard the sound of “BOB” walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of “BOB” among the trees of the garden. Then “BOB” called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you” (Genesis 3:8,9)? If you read this with “Bob's” name in the Scripture instead of the Lord God, wouldn't you understand that “Bob” was physically walking in the garden and that Adam and his wife were physically hiding from “Bob”? Please know that I mean no disrespect to word of God whatsoever but I just want you to understand that it’s only because of what we’ve been taught that we cannot understand how it could really be the Lord God (ELohiym - Jesus) physically in person, walking in the garden, physically in person walking with Enoch for 300 years, and next we’ll see God (ELohiym - Jesus) physically in person walking with Noah! (Genesis 6:8) But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah. (9) These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with God (ELohiym). (10) And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth… (13) And God (ELohiym) said unto Noah… If you would drop your previous understanding that it's some voice speaking from heaven, you'd simply believe the scripture that God physically walked with Noah and spoke to him; not the Father Himself but the Son of God walking with Noah. Are we starting to see Jesus reigning throughout the Old Testament as God (ELohiym) while He carries out His Father's will, who's still seated on His throne up in Heaven?

(Genesis 32:24) And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. (25) When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him…(29) Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. (30) So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God (ELohiym) face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." Who did Jacob wrestle with? Was it really God the Father, or was it God the Son? Scripture confirms that it was not really God the Father, because Jacob had seen Him “face to face” which isn’t possible. Let’s look for further evidence of Jesus at Sodom and Gomorrah.

(Genesis 19:27) And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD (Jehovah). (28) And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. (29) So it was that, when God (ELohiym) destroyed the cities of the valley, God (ELohiym) remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived. Did Abraham see and stand before Jehovah the Father or Jehovah the Son? Read it again and you’ll clearly see that it was the Son of God, who’s name is also Jehovah (the LORD) that was standing before Abraham. Jesus is ruling and reining as Jehovah while His Father is in Heaven giving His Son charge over all the Earth.

Next we’ll see who really gave us the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 24:9) Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: (10) And they saw the God (ELohiym) of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. (11) And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God (ELohiym), and did eat and drink. (12) The LORD (Jehovah) said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and wait there that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." (13) So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God (ELohiym). Once again we see Jesus working hard to do His Father’s will, for it was not God the Father they saw and ate with, it was His Son. After all, how could Moses and the seventy elders eat with Jehovah the Father? Also please notice who gave Moses the tablets of Stone, it wasn’t God the Father as we’ve been taught, it was His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Look closely and you’ll see that it’s the same God that Moses was just eating and drinking with, and that was Jesus! You see, I had always been taught that it was God the Father who wrote with His finger the Ten Commandments and gave them to Moses, but let’s read this account carefully, and we’ll see it a bit clearer.

(Exodus 34:1) The LORD (Jehovah) said to Moses, "Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. (2) Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. (3) No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain." (4) So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD (Jehovah) had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. (5) The LORD (Jehovah) descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD (Jehovah). (6) The LORD (Jehovah) passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD (Jehovah), the LORD (Jehovah), a God (EL) merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, (7) keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." Wow, if you just read it for what it says and remove your previous concepts of who gave the Ten Commandments you’ll see plainly that it was Jehovah the Son, Jesus Christ descending in the cloud, standing in person with Moses proclaiming the name of His Father Jehovah and Jesus even addresses His Father as “a God (EL) merciful and gracious”. This is just a beautiful picture of Jesus praising His Father in Heaven, giving the praise and honor that’s due to Him. This cannot be the Father praising Himself or standing with Moses, passing by him. Notice that Jehovah praises God (EL, singular) but not God (ELohiym, plural). It can only be Jesus Christ standing with Moses and giving him the Ten Commandments.

Now let’s go back to the beginning when Cain killed Abel and see if we recognize Jesus. (Genesis 4:6) So the LORD (Jehovah) said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? (7) If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (8) Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. (9) Then the LORD (Jehovah) said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (10) And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. (11) So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. (12) When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” (13) And Cain said to the LORD (Jehovah), “My punishment is greater than I can bear! (14) Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” (15) And the LORD (Jehovah) said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD (Jehovah) set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. (16) Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD (Jehovah) and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. Did this account happen as a voice from Heaven speaking to Cain or as the Lord appearing in person? After learning from Scripture that many times the Lord has appeared to His people, we can conclude that when Cain says “I shall be hidden from Your face” it really means the literal face of the Lord. When the Bible says that “Cain went out from the presence of the LORD” it really does mean from His PHYSICAL presence. After all, how can you go out from the presence of an omnipresent God the Father who is everywhere all the time? You cannot; yet if it was the Son of God Jehovah who dwelt in some manner with Adam, Eve and their children, appearing to them in person; we can then understand how Cain could be banished from the physical presence of the Lord. Remember we read in Genesis 5:22 that “Enoch walked with God three hundred years” so it’s certainly understandable how the Lord Jesus was appearing in person to Adam and Eve; after all according to the genealogy of Genesis 5, Adam was 622 years old when Enoch was born and 687 years old when Enoch started walking with God, so Adam and his family were still around when the Lord was physically walking with Enoch. I hope it's becoming more clear, the important part Jesus is playing in the affairs of man.

Let’s quickly list some more accounts of the LORD Jehovah appearing to man. What we’ll discover is that these accounts are of the LORD Jehovah literally appearing in person to mortal man and of course we now understand that it's the Lord God who's appearing to mortal man and it's none other than Jesus before He was born in the Flesh. (Genesis 17:1) Then Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God (EL); walk before Me and be blameless. (2) And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” (3) Then Abram fell on his face, and God (ELohiym) talked with him… (22) Then He finished talking with him, and God (ELohiym) went up from Abraham. When the Scripture says “the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to Abram” it literally means to appear or to see. That Hebrew word is raw-aw which according to Strong’s means “to see, literally or figuratively”. So in this scripture and the following ones listed, it really is the LORD physically appearing unto men and as we’ve already discussed it is none other than Jehovah the Son of God appearing and not the Father. (Genesis 12:7) Then the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD (Jehovah), who had appeared to him. Next Jesus appears to Isaac in person. (Genesis 26:2) Then the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. (3) Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father... (24) And the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God (ELohiym) of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” Next Jesus appears to Moses in person. (Exodus 4:1) Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD (Jehovah) has not appeared to you’”… (5) “that they may believe that the LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God (ELohiym) of Isaac, and the God (ELohiym) of Jacob, has appeared to you”. Next Jesus appears to Jacob in person. (Genesis 35:1) Then God (ELohiym) said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God (ELohiym), who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother”… Remember when Jacob wrestled with God? This is what God is referring to. (9) Then God (ELohiym) appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. (10) And God (ELohiym) said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. (11) Also God (ELohiym) said to him: “I am God (EL) Almighty... Yes, we see the Son of God ruling and reigning in person in the affairs of man, and like Jesus said in the book of John, “if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father." It's Jesus representing the Father so closely that most cannot tell that it’s the Son of God.

Now let’s look at when “God” tested Abraham to sacrifice his only son. Is this an account of the Father, His Son or an angel? (Genesis 22:1) After these things God (ELohiym) tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." (2) He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."… (10) Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. (11) But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." (12) He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God (ELohiym), seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." …(15) And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven (16) and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD (Jehovah), because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, (17) I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, (18) and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." Notice that in this account we first have “God” ELohiym (plural) speaking to Abraham to sacrifice his son. Then the angel of the Lord calls him from heaven and takes the first person of God and then in verse 16 the angel of the Lord addresses Himself as the Jehovah and later blesses Abraham and says He will multiply his offspring. Please read this Scripture again and open your spiritual eyes and you’ll see it in a whole new understanding. Who is this mysterious angel of the Lord? He seems to fit the pattern of Jesus doing the Fathers work ruling over the affairs of man. Let’s explore further about this angel of the LORD to see if He really is the Son of God.

(Genesis 48:15) And he blessed Joseph and said, "The God (ELohiym), before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God (ELohiym), who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, (16) the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys… Who is this angel of the Lord? The Hebrew word for angel is “mal ak” which means “to dispatch as a deputy, a messenger, specifically of God, an angel.” It’s used in 198 verses in the Old Testament and 32 of those times that same word is translated simply as “messenger” instead of angel. Why is this important; because that is exactly what Jesus is, a messenger from the Father. He does not do His own will but only what the Father tells Him. “I do as the Father has commanded me”. Jesus is still the King of Kings who is ruling and reigning the universe as “God”, but He is also a messenger of what the Father commands.

(Exodus 3:2) And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. (3) And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." (4) When the LORD (Jehovah) saw that he turned aside to see, God (ELohiym) called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." (5) Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." (6) And he said, "I am the God (ELohiym) of your father, the God (ELohiym) of Abraham, the God (ELohiym) of Isaac, and the God (ELohiym) of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God (ELohiym). (7) Then the LORD (Jehovah) said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, (8) and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians…Was this only an angel of the Lord in the burning bush; was it Father Jehovah Himself or was it His Son Jesus coming as the messenger of Jehovah? Scripture ascribes it to be both the angel of the Lord and then to God speaking from the burning bush. It can’t be the Father as no one has seen the Father except the Son. Then we look further into the chapter and see that it was not God the Father after all who was the great I AM but King Jesus.(13) then Moses said to God (ELohiym), “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God (ELohiym) of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” (14) And God (ELohiym) said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”(15) Moreover God (ELohiym) said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) of your fathers, the God (ELohiym) of Abraham, the God (ELohiym) of Isaac, and the God (ELohiym) of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ (16) Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The LORD (Jehovah) God (ELohiym) of your fathers, the God (ELohiym) of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt. Yes, it seems at every major event in the Bible, it’s King Jesus who’s ruling as God, or should I say Gods ELohiym. Most of what we once understood to be the Father is really King Jesus ruling at the Father’s commands. We even have confirmation that Jesus was the great I AM in the New Testament. (John 8:58) Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (59) Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple… Yes, the Jews were going to stone Jesus because He claimed to be the “I AM” of the Old Testament, to them it was blasphemy but we're seeing how it was really Jesus who was the great I AM.

Let’s move on now and read about Moses leaving Egypt and see how it was Jesus who was there leading the way. (Exodus 13:21) And the LORD (Jehovah) went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. (22) The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. This is consistent with what we've understood in the past, that God the Father was the one who lead Moses out of Egypt. Now compare this next Scripture describing the same event; notice how instead of Jehovah going before them, it's the angel of God! (Exodus 14: 19) Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,… (24) And in the morning, watch the LORD (Jehovah) in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic... Both of the above verses give the same but different accounts. They both attribute the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud to both the angel of God and Jehovah Himself. You cannot have it both ways, either the Bible has contradicted itself or Jehovah is the angel of the Lord, not Jehovah the Father but His Son Jesus.

By now I hope you’re seeing how active the Son of God really was even before He was born in a manger. Hopefully you can see that Jesus is everywhere in our Bible as God, as Jehovah, and as the angel of the Lord. Jesus is reigning on earth while His Father is in Heaven seated on His throne. We see in the next verse that God the Father Himself is giving instructions to obey the angel (messenger) of the Lord when they come out of Egypt.(Exodus 23:20) "Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. (21) Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. (22) "But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. Do you notice how the Father says that His name is in that angel (messenger)? Well as we’ve learned, Jesus does have the same name as the Father and the angel or messenger going before God’s children was indeed Jesus. (1 Cor 10:1-4) Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, (2) all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, (3) all ate the same spiritual food, (4) and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. Yes, it was Jesus in the Old Testament who appeared as Jehovah and as the angel of the Lord. Now we have another confirmation that it was Jesus Christ who followed them in the wilderness and not just an angel.

Next we’ll look at Moses in Egypt and how the Son of God may have spoke to him face to face. (Exodus 5:22, 23, 6:1-4) Then Moses returned to the LORD (Jehovah) and said, "O LORD, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all." But the LORD (Jehovah) said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land." God (ELohiym) spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD (Jehovah). I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God (EL) Almighty, but by my name the LORD (Jehovah) I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Notice that Moses is returning to the Lord and speaking to Jehovah, I believe Moses is speaking to God the Son in person because Moses had just come from speaking to the angel of the Lord and Jehovah in the burning bush in Exodus 3 who we determined was Jesus. Remember that we just read how the Lord Jehovah has appeared in person to Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so we should have no problem understanding this to be the Lord Jesus who Moses is speaking to in person and not the Father. Since nobody has seen the Father, I understand it to be Jehovah the Son (Jesus) revealing Himself now as “EL” or God Almighty (singular). Remember Jesus and the Father are one in spirit, yet the Father is on His throne ruling through Jesus on Earth. Jesus appeared to them "as God" even though it was the Son. "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God (EL) Almighty". With this in mind, let’s continue to look at the angel of the Lord and how He and Jehovah God are one in the same, yet it’s not God the Father but His Son Jesus Christ before He came in the flesh.

Let’s read about the angel of the Lord when He appears to Gideon.(Judges 6:11) Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. (12) And the angel of the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor." (13) And Gideon said to him, "Please, sir, if the LORD (Jehovah) is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the LORD (Jehovah) bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD (Jehovah) has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian." (14) And the LORD (Jehovah) turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?" (15) And he said to him, "Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." (16) And the LORD (Jehovah) said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man." (17) And he said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speaks with me. Notice how Gideon began to realize that it was the LORD that he was speaking to? (18) Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you." And he said, "I will stay till you return." (19) So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. (20) And the angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them." And he did so. (21) Then the angel of the LORD (Jehovah) reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. Notice in verse 14 that it’s now Jehovah who’s speaking to Gideon and not just the angel of the Lord; you can see by this account that the angel of the Lord and Jehovah God are one and the same! Yet, it cannot be God the Father because Gideon is speaking to Jehovah face to face and as the Lord said in (Exodus 33:20) "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." Jehovah in this Scripture can be none other than Jesus Christ the firstborn of the Father’s creation.

Now compare this account in Joshua and you’ll see Jesus once again appearing in person to man. (Joshua 5:13) When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" (14) And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD (Jehovah). Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" (15) And the commander of the LORD's (Jehovah's) army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. Do you remember the only other time man was told to take off their shoes because they were standing on holy ground? It was in Exodus 3:5 in front of the burning bush! If this was only an angel sent to Joshua, the angel would not have allowed Joshua to fall on his face and worship Him. We can see two instances where angels were worshiped and what their response was. (Revelation 19:10) Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." Notice how a regular angel did not allow John to worship him. (Revelation 22:8) I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, (9) but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God". So there we have the response of regular angels when worshiped and angels will not allow it; they said to "worship God". That means the captain of the Lords army was none other than Jehovah the Son that we call Jesus Christ. What’s even more amazing is the very next verse in the account of Joshua; let’s read.

(Joshua 6:1) Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. (2) And the LORD (Jehovah) said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. (3) You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. (4) And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. (5) It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.” Please notice that this is the very next verse following the conversation in chapter 5 when we read about the commander of the Lord’s army. In the original writings there were no chapters or verses which separated the Word, man has inserted those. If you read this in context with chapter 5 you’ll see that there is no break from where Joshua was speaking with the commander of the Lord’s army and when he was receiving instructions from Jehovah on how to defeat Jericho! It sure seems that both the commander of the Lord’s army and the Lord Jehovah in the very next verse are one in the same. Most of us have believed that it was the LORD who was speaking from somewhere up in Heaven but if you take out your preconceived understandings, then you'd see with your spiritual eyes that the LORD Jehovah was really speaking to Joshua face to face, just like He was two verses before in Joshua 5:15. From this Scripture I believe it was the Commander of the Lord's army (Jesus) who is now being addressed as the LORD (Jehovah) giving instructions face to face with Joshua. So many times we read the Bible and just assume that when the LORD spoke His chosen vessels, that it was a "voice" out of heaven or in a person's mind, when really it was the Son of God standing in person giving instructions.

Next we'll do some investigating as to where the Lord appears in person to David on the threshing floor of Ornan. (2 Chronicles 3:1) Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD (Jehovah) in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD (Jehovah) had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. When did the Lord appear to David on the threshing floor? The only time we can find throughout Scripture of the Lord appearing to David is this. (2 Samuel 24:15) So the LORD (Jehovah) sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. (16) And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD (Jehovah) relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, "It is enough; now stay your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. (17) Then David spoke to the LORD (Jehovah) when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house." (18) And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." We can see that the only time Jehovah appeared to David on the threshing floor of Ornam/Araunah the Jebusite (variant of the same Hebrew name), was as the angel of the LORD. We can conclude that this was not the Father Jehovah since it was the angel who appeared to David and they spoke face to face. It once again must be the LORD Jesus who appeared to David as the angel of the Lord. Also notice there were two angels in this passage, the angel who was working destruction and then the angel of the Lord. Both of them were messengers from God but only one was Jehovah the Son of God.

The next stop in Scripture will give us the most conclusive evidence yet as to whom the angel of the Lord really is. We’ll see that Jesus was the angel of the Lord and that He was indeed bringing forth the Father's commands and that it was Jesus who was spoken of throughout Scripture as the LORD or Jehovah and yet we didn’t even realize that it was the Son of God doing all these things. So let’s put on our detective hats and go through these next Scriptures to see the Lord Jesus ruling and reigning as God.

(Judges 2:1) Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, (2) and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.' This Scripture above really doesn’t look like much until you look under the surface, so let’s do some diligent detective work to see if it really was the angel of the Lord who did these things as He claims, or if it was really someone else. We’ll start by dissecting verse one.

(Judges 2:1) Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said… Was it really the angel who brought them up from Egypt or was it the LORD God (Jehovah ELohiym)?

Compare who really brought them out of Egypt - (Exodus 20:2) "I am the LORD (Jehovah) your God (ELohiym), who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Compare who really brought them out of Egypt - (Leviticus 25:1) The LORD (Jehovah) spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying...(55) For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God (ELohiym).

In the first part of Judges 2:1 the angel of the Lord proclaims that He (the angel) brought His people out of Egypt and yet we see in Exodus and Leviticus that Jehovah God is the one who did this. Is the angel trying to steal God’s glory or are they merely one in the same? Clearly we read that it was not the angel of the Lord who did these things but the Lord God Himself, or as we’ve learned Jesus Christ. Next we’ll see if it really was the angel of the Lord who swore to give the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the Promised Land like it says in verse one, "that I swore to give to your fathers".

Who swore to father Abraham? – (Genesis 12:1) Now the LORD (Jehovah) said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. (2) And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. It was the Lord Jehovah who swore to Abram and not just the angel.

(Genesis 15:18) On that day the LORD (Jehovah) made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates…Again, it was the LORD Jehovah who swore this.

(Genesis 17:1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to Abram and said… (8)… I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God (ELohiym)". Even though the angel of the Lord takes credit, we see again it was the Lord Jesus Christ who appeared in person to Abram.

Who was it who swore to father Isaac? – (Genesis 26:2) And the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. (3) Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. Once again it’s the Lord Jesus Himself who appeared in person to Isaac and swore to give them the Promised Land and not just the angel of the Lord.

Who was it who swore to father Jacob? – (Genesis 28:13) And behold, the LORD (Jehovah) stood above it and said, "I am the LORD (Jehovah), the God (ELohiym) of Abraham your father and the God (ELohiym) of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.

Was it the angel who swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them the Promised Land? No we read that it was Jehovah God who did this and not the angel or messenger of the Lord. How can we explain this except that the angel of the Lord is the Father’s Son, the one we call Jesus. Let’s continue our investigation into Judges 2:1-3.

(Judges 2:1) Now the angel of the LORD …said…'I will never break my covenant with you... Did the angel of the Lord really say this?

Compare who really said that He would never break His covenant - (Gen 17:1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God (EL) Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless…(7) And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God (ELohiym) to you and to your offspring after you. (8) And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for everlasting possession, and I will be their God (ELohiym)."

Compare who really said that He would never break His covenant - (Lev 26:44) Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD (Jehovah) their God (ELohiym). (45) But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God[s] (ELohiym): I am the LORD (Jehovah)."

The angel of the Lord says that it was Him who said He would “never break His covenant” and we now see that it was Jehovah God who proclaimed these things to His people. Jehovah God is also known as the angel or messenger of the Lord better known as the Son of God or Jehovah or Jesus.

(Judges 2:1-2) I said …(2)… you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land... Did the angel of the Lord really say this too?

Compare who said you shall make no covenant with others – (Exodus 23:32) You shall make no covenant with them and their gods (ELohiym)... (33) They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods (ELohiym), it will surely be a snare to you." This was the Lord God who said this.

Judges 2:1-2) I said …(2)… you shall break down their altars.' Did the angel of the Lord say this somewhere in the Bible?

Compare who said that you shall break down their alters – (Exodus 23:24) you shall not bow down to their gods (ELohiym) nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.

This again was the Lord God who said this! So once again we have the angel of the Lord either falsely taking credit for what God has done or the angel of the Lord is in fact Jehovah God (Jesus) who has done all these things while His Father is still ruling from His throne.

Let’s look at the next claim the angel of the Lord makes; in this Scripture it’s the angel who seems to take credit for the Ten Commandments! Go back to the Scripture from earlier in Exodus 34:1-8 and you’ll see the angel who says “You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim” is the same one who gave the Ten Commandments and we learned that this was Jesus who gave these commandments. (Exodus 34:13) You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (14) for you shall worship no other god (EL), for the LORD (Jehovah), whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (EL)…(29) When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain. Compare verse 13 with Judges 2:2 when the angel of the Lord said “you shall break down their altars.” But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done”? The angel who takes credit for this is the same God we’ve received the Ten Commandments from, it’s not God the Father but God the Son, you can call Him Yahweh or Jehovah, or the Son of God or the angel or messenger of the Lord. No matter how He’s addressed He’s still King Jesus doing His Father’s will who’s still seated on His throne in Heaven.

Please note, the term "angel of the Lord" is used throughout the Bible and every time you see the words "angel of the Lord" it does not mean that it is Jesus. It simply indicates that it is a messenger of the Jehovah the Father. Many times indeed it is Jesus who is that messenger from the Father but many times it is just an angel bringing a message or doing the Father's will. "[Angels] are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:14)?

These are just some of the verses that one can prove that it was Jesus speaking and doing the Fathers will throughout the Old Testament. From what I see in the Scriptures, the Father’s “Master Plan” is to rule and reign from His throne in Heaven, while He has put His Son Jesus in charge of everything on earth. (Phil 2:9) Wherefore also God highly exalted him [Jesus], and gave unto him the name which is above every name; [YHWH or Jehovah with His nature and character of holiness and love] (10) that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Because of this, we must conclude with the Scriptures that we’ve just went over, that most of the time in which the LORD or God is speaking to men throughout the Bible, it is in fact His Son Jesus who is speaking and doing. It’s not the Father like we’ve assumed, but it’s been God the Son ruling and reigning over this earth. After all, isn’t that what the Scriptures say, that Jesus must rule and reign until He hands the kingdom to the Father? (1 Corinthians 15:24) Then comes the end, when he [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (25) For he [Jesus] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. (28) When all things are subjected to him [Jesus], then the Son himself will also be subjected to him [Father] who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. The Word of God cannot be broken and if the Word says that Jesus has been ruling and is ruling until the very end when Jesus delivers the kingdom over to the Father, then that's exactly what has been happening. Not only since Christ's resurrection but since Jesus was created by the Father.

Yes, Jesus has been reigning from the very beginning and we just haven’t realized it. It has been Jesus who was the first born of God's creation made in God's very image. It's Jesus who then created the world and it's been Jesus revealing Himself to man ever since. It’s Jesus who’s been revealing the Father’s name to us (His nature, His character) throughout the entire Old Testament. Look at some of the Hebrew names in which our God reveals Himself as. EL SHADDAI: God Almighty or "God All Sufficient." appears 48 times in the OT, JEHOVAH-JIREH: "The Lord will provide." Gen. 22:14, JEHOVAH-ROPHE: "The Lord Who Heals" Ex. 15:22-26, JEHOVAH-NISSI: "The Lord Our Banner." Ex. 17:15. (God on the battlefield), JEHOVAH-M'KADDESH: "The Lord Who Sanctifies" Lev. 20:8. (To make whole, set apart for holiness), JEHOVAH-SHALOM: "The Lord Our Peace" Judges 6:24, JEHOVAH-ROHI: "The Lord Our Shepherd" Psa. 23, SHEPHERD: Psa. 23, 79:13, 95:7, 80:1, 100:3; Gen. 49:24; Isa. 40:11, JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU: "The Lord Our Righteousness" Jer. 23:5, 6, 33:16, JEHOVAH-SABAOTH: "The Lord of Hosts" The commander of the angelic host and the armies of God. Isa. 1:24; Psa. 46:7, 11; 2 Kings 3:9-12; Jer. 11:20, PALET: "Deliverer" Psa. 18:2, GAOL: "Redeemer" (to buy back by paying a price). Job 19:25; EL-OLAM: "Everlasting God" (God of everlasting time) Gen. 21:33; Psa. 90:1-3, 93:2; Isa. 26:4. EL-GIBHOR: Mighty God, God the Warrior (Isaiah 9:6); JESUS: Derived from the Hebrew "Joshua" (Y'shua) or "Je-Hoshua" meaning JEHOVAH IS SALVATION.

I'm sure there are instances throughout the Old Testament that the Father is indeed speaking to His children, but most of the time it seems it’s His Son who’s very active and is the right arm of God the Father, sent to rule and reign. As you’ve seen, the Son of God appeared to people as a mere men, others times as Jehovah, some instances as the angel of the Lord, but He was sent to do His Fathers will and has been obedient to the Father throughout time. We know that Jesus eventually went on to accomplish the Father's ultimate will by dying on the cross.

I hope this has given you a better insight to just part of the Master’s Plan and what the Father has really set forth. Please stay tuned for part 3 of the “Master’s Plan” when we look at Satan and all the evil that’s in this world and how this fits into the "Master's Plan".

God bless,

Mark, a servant of the Lord,

www.HeavensHelpers.org

Questions/Feedback - email me: mark@heavenshelpers.org