Addition to last post above this one ...
In Genesis 18:22 mentions that two of the men turned and departed toward Sodom. Next, notice that the bible translators in Genesis 19:1 mention two angels without regard to the context of chapter 18. The word angel is the Hebrew word Malek – messengers. A Malek can be either human, angelic being, or God himself. In Gen 18:1-2 you have YHWH appearing how, in a theophany of three men.
How could God appear in his full splendid Oneness of glory to Abraham and elsewhere He did not? Also, note that there is no hint the other two men were covering angels to protect Abraham as some folks suggest because in Gen 18:22 these two departed and left Abraham with God alone which would be otherwise, according to scriptures to be impossible for mortal to bear.
So why does God reveal himself in theophanies of three and not in full Oneness of essence to Abraham - or did he? Let's see...
What did Moses asks God in Exodus 33:18 helps answer this. Moses knew God panyim to Panyin (Face to Face). He encountered three individual theophaies of the Godhead often. In Exodus 33:18 he desired to see God in his full splendid glorious united form. God said what to this request?
Exo 33:18 NASB, "
Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!"
Exo 33:19 NASB, "
And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion."
Notice the three
I statements – I Myself will, I will, I will – three. Even the ancient Hebrew pictograph of the root letter used in the word translated goodness shines light on this. The Root letter’s pictures are a basket and a house/tent dwelling and combined together means the fullness of beauty, goodness, mercy, prosperity which surrounds the house which reveals the function of house. Note the basket surrounds the house in the letter root pictograph.
God is saying, he will reveal himself as Moses requested but in a particular way that protects Moses as the next verse explains:
Exo 33:20 NASB,
But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!"
God then hides Moses in the cleft of the rock, hides him with his hand, and says that only his back he can see because … He could not gaze on the full face (Panyim) of God in his One divine essence and live:
"Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face (panyim) shall not be seen." Exo 33:23, NASB
Moses was not permitted to see the fullness of God. So look at the symbol – a Rock, a Hand, his back. Isn’t God called the rock, is the arm/hand of the Lord too short that He cannot save? We mortals can only gaze on the back of God’s Oneness (tent/house) and see him as the Rock and the Arm.
If Moses was not permitted to see the fullness of the Glory of God then how could Abraham while standing and talking with YHWH in Gen 18 after the two men/messengers/task doers left? There was no covering was there? If these men were angelic beings only and left Abraham alone with God without protection then would not that violate what God said to Moses in Exodus 33:20c? Yes because as scripture testifies it is not possible for mortals to live after seeing the full glory of God in his Full entirety. Therefore, the two men who departed with a task and message are theophanies of the Godhead – we know as the Son and Holy Spirit, not angelic beings, so Abraham could encounter God without ill effect.
The final clue that these men were theophanies of the Godhead helps explain how Abraham saw God and lived which also fits the Exodus 24:1-12 revealing of God to 74 persons who saw God and ate a meal with him, and God still able to call Moses higher to receive the tablets. (Chapter 24 came before the chapter 33 event). God reveals himself in theophanies of three as that his Goodness. He did so with Abraham in Gen 18.
The final clue that the men were not angelic beings is found in Gen 19:21 NASB,
He said to him, "Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken.
Here the messengers granted Lot’s request to escape to a small city on the plain – Zoar and would not send destruction until Lot was in Zoar.
This begs the questions:
If Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the Tree in Gen 2:17 and were cast out of the Garden for it, then how could an angelic being disobey God’s will to destroy all the cities on the plains as Gen 18:20-33 states by sparing one small city as well as directly answer Lot’s request? To answer Lot of their own will, as created angelic beings, would cause to them to directly disobey God’s will, command, intent, and that would mean what for such angelic beings?
Were these angelic being tossed out of heaven for imposing their will over's God's? No – the only way the messengers could grant such a request of Lot’s is if they were theophanies of the oneness of the Godhead Trinity.
Think about it?
One other clue is in the name YHWH used in...
Gen 19:24,25,
Then the LORD (YHWH) rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD (YHWH) out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. NASB
The YHWH on the ground rained Fire and brimstone from YHWH out of heaven…
To help grasp significance of this let's look briefly at the ancient Hebrew pictograph letters that spell YHWH. These letters pictures are of a Hand, person standing with raised hands (Behold), a Nail, and Person with raise hands (Behold)
In fact the spelling of YHWH in the pictograph form reveals all three persons of the Godhead as one – one name. Name in the OT represents the nature, character, essence of a person.
Here is the pictograph in word form and what each means:
Letter Y - picture of An Arm and Hand: meaning - Work, Throw, Worship, Hand, Arm
Letter H - picture of a Man with Arms Raised: meaning -Look, Behold, Reveal, Breath
Letter V/w - picture of a Tent Peg or Nail: meaning - Add, Secure, Hook, Peg, Nail
Letter H -picture of a Man with Arms Raised: meaning -Look, Behold, Reveal, Breathe, Breath
Hand, Behold! Nail, Behold! is the basic meaning but look further into the context of YHWH’s essence as backed up elsewhere in the bible – bible interprets bible. You have God revealing Himself as…
Work of Hand reveals the nail Behold - John 6:44 - the Father (Acts 4:27-28)
Hand Behold/reveals Nail Look - John 20:26-29 - The Son
Throwing Hand Look (by) nail breath revealed - The Holy Spirit - Job 33:4; Psalms 33:6 - John 14:16, John 15:26, John 16:7, John 20:22, Acts 2:2
Again within the One Name for God - YHWH - Father Son, and Holy Spirit is revealed....in one Name
Gen 19:24,25,
Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. NASB
Link to Hebrew Pictographs:
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Gramma ... grams.html
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