Theophanies and Theosis - How Men See God and Live

[Pyreaux]

Theophanies and Theosis

How Men See God and Live

What is a Theophany

A “Theophany” is the term for when human beings see a physical manifestation of God, be any form, in a fire, a bright cloud, but sometimes a fully formed anthropomorphic (human) shape. It's a common enough Biblical motif that scholars have commonly used the term “theophany” for it. However, even as many Biblical authors have said in no uncertain terms they have "'seen God", the problem is that the literal act of seeing God is a feat people believe Moses deemed as an impossible feat due to the deadly light of glory that radiates off His divine bodily form, from which a mere mortal cannot both endure and survive. Take note of Moses' choice of words, that “no man” can “see God” and live (Exodus 33:20).

Yet, Isaiah saw Elyon in his divine assembly on the mountain of the north (Isa 14:13). Stephen saw the Father, with Christ standing his right side (Ac 7:55-56). Hebrews constantly described seeing a God with a face, eyes, ears, hands, feet, clothes, robe and sash (Ex 24:10; 31:18; 33:11; Isa 6:1; Dan 10:5; Eze 1:26) walks, talks, smells, (Gen 3:8) and even feels anger, sorrow and love (Ex 4:14; Jer 31:3). Inversely, the shape of a man is in the shape of God (Gen 1:26-27; 5:1-2; 9:6). Since many Biblical figures clearly state they have “seen God” and yet survived to write their tale in the Bible, if the common interpretation of the Law that it decrees that death comes for any human that sees God is being constantly undermined by each seer who sees and seems very aware they defied the Law when they are all pleasantly surprised, they have indeed survived it.

There must be, therefore, a serious misinterpretation of the Biblical law or this is a Biblical contradiction. After all, not a single Biblical figure has died (in any permanent sense) after claiming to “see God”. Also, morally speaking, why should they? If God was the one who wished to engage with them, He should then provide a way to accomplish the otherwise impossible. How have people traditionally reconciled this anomaly? By liberally interpreting the Biblical author’s sightings. They think it either can’t be a literally true sighting, or if it were literally true, the seer is excused because God must have been seen only partially, was obscured, or from a distance afar, thus leaving the Law absolute and unbroken. Even though there is often no ambiguity by the authors.

The Gentile Christians after the first three centuries began to interpret the Bible the same way the Greek Philosophers interpreted their myths of the Greek pantheon of gods; they deemed the Biblical Theophanies as mere poetic fictions and allegories. Escaping the Greek Philosophers' criticisms, but at the same time abandoning one of their earlier doctrines, the Doctrine of Deification. But it was still taught in various forms with some modification between the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholicism and has been reintroduced as part of Roman Catholicism since Vatican II’s release of Early Christian documents concerning the subject.

Item number 460 of the Catechism adopted at the Vatican II Council reads: The Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature:" "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God." "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God." "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods." By “Deification” or “Theosis”, a terms coined by first century Christians for when mortal men become divine beings, is the answer this issue. These men who saw God were not truly “men” when they “saw God”.

Theosis is the Legal Loophole in the Law

Those who saw God did have something in common with each other that isn’t common in all men; at one point in their lives they weren’t “men”. The Letter to the Hebrews offers information about Melchizedek and his priesthood that is not in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, notice how at first glance that Melchizedek himself is described as not a man. The Priest and King Melchizedek is immortal (no end of days), said to have no earthly father, no earthly mother, rather he was a “Son of God” (Hebrews 7:3). Much like Christ, who is a priest “after Melchizedek”, Melchizedek himself was another priest like Christ, as he also had “ariseth [(G#450) raised up (again), resurrected]” (Hebrews 7:11, 15).

All this can be explained by the apotheosis of the Melchizedek priesthood, which transforms royal figures into priestly born-again sons of God (LXX, Ps 109:3-4; Ps 110:3-4; 2:7; 89:20, 26-27). Philo of Alexandria, of a High Priestly family, describes transfiguration as a type of being born again without human parents, "the first birth took place in the flesh and had corruptible parents, while the second birth... had its seat in the soul which was changed from begotten to unbegotten; and it had not mother" and no human father, a "divine birth" (Philo, Q. Exodus 11:46). It is not extraordinary to say Melchizedek was a son of God. This is not saying that Melchizedek, the King of Salem, is Jesus Christ in a past life. Melchizedek was resurrected, even though Christ was the first to resurrect from the dead, the priestly initiation ritual is considered a spiritual death and resurrection (Col 3:1).and rebirth into a Son of God is also called a "resurrection" (Lk 20:36). Hence Melchizedek simply by being a royal priest was resurrected, through the resurrection rituals of the Christians. 

The Davidic kings at their coronation were made as priests forever “after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4) they were made a “son” of the Lord (2 Samuel 7:2; Psalm 2:7), and King David said he was “anointed” and “raised up [qum (H#6965) raised up, resurrected] (2 Sa 23:1-2). Priestly Initiation rites were an attempt to prepare a man to enter into a transfigured state incase should God appear to him in his service. Creating temporary resurrected states are what we might prefer to call the “Transfigured” states. There are many Biblical transfigured people, that despite their divine obtainment of immortal glory at one time in their mortal lives, they would eventually still die of natural old age and still need to await a 'true' resurrection. They did indeed obtain at least an effective and temporary “resurrected” state, an “angelic” state, before their death and before the resurrection of Christ and, and importantly, when they saw God.

Theosis has several forms, differing in duration and permanency but in all cases, these once mortal men achieved immortality, transcending into angelic beings, near godhood status. The Resurrected state was obtained by Christ and others after his resurrection, is considered permanent obtained after the final judgment. The Transfigured state is a temporary but similar condition seen from of Moses, Christ and Stephen at times when they saw God. They did not die seeing God’s presence but lived-on and died much later by a natural death. There is also a Translated state which is a more enduring form of Transfiguring, but is not indefinite, seen by Enoch, Moses, Elijah and John. There is an artificial transfigured state, the Priesthood.

Purity, that is of the heart, is the qualification for the Melchizedek Priesthood, which Christians need by which they can see and approach God, not only in death but in life if the need arises. By apotheosis of the Melchizedek priesthood, anyone worthy can be transformed, reborn, into a priest, an heir and son of God by the swearing of an “oath” of the “testament [covenant]” (Hebrew 7:20-21; Numbers 25:13; Nehemiah 13:25). Becoming a priest is how we (Jew, Gentile, male and female) must become to, because we are to ultimately follow Christ through the heavenly veil of the heavenly temple (Hebrews 6:19-20; 10:19-20) we can approach God and thus see him (Hebrews 7:19).Just as in the past, only a priest could prepare himself through purification rituals and survive approaching God in the Temple. Aaronic priests were excluded from service due to superficial ideas of “purity”. The Christian priesthood is different; Christ critiques this notion of priestly purity when he said “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mat 5:8).

The Patriarchs Walked and Talked with God

Chronologically, first of the many examples of this conflict are the Patriarchs of old who saw God before the time of Moses. It can be observed that most all of them either were Temple Priests or were spontaneously conscripted into becoming one in the instant, or shortly thereafter, they saw God. Though the first ones on my chronological list don’t actually say they saw God, but by comparing them to the other Patriarchal accounts help to show a pattern that is the case. The first three great Patriarchs said they would walk and talk with God. Both Enoch and Noah “walked with God” (Genesis 5:21-24; 6:9), and it seems Adam had also walked with God until one fateful day he missed his rendezvous because he was naked (Genesis 3:8-9).

Adam's Apotheosis

Most agree Adam could freely meet with God before his Fall and one might excuse Adam from disobeying the Mosaic Law because he wasn’t exactly a true man yet, he was an immortal. Which is sort of the point, Adam's pre-Fallen state was a type of Theosis. Priestly Apotheosis is also a theme found in Genesis. While not obvious in English, those familiar with the Hebrew language used in Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible, leads one to conclude that Adam is a King-Priest. Jewish Rabbis know and observed that the language in the statement that Adam was in the “image [selem (H#6754) image (as a statue), likeness (as resemblance)] of God”, should be understood to mean that Adam is a King (Midrash Rabbah Genesis 17:14). While Rabbis fail to fully explain how, they know that in an ancient near-eastern historical context, this was universal common language for the practice of ancient priest-kings in the Near East to dress their kings in the garb of their god and put them in a temple as living images of their god.

Thus, note the setting, Eden was a country and to the east was planted the arboreal temple of Eden, the “sanctuary” in a “garden” at the summit of the “mountain of God” (Ezekiel 28:13-14, 18) which rivers flowed in four directions (Genesis ). Temple imagery, like the Temple in Jerusalem, which was a mere artificial recreation of the original Garden of Eden. Adam was not made in the Garden but was made in God's image outside the garden. Then God “put ['sum (H#7760)]” Adam into the garden. This “put” is not a typical word, it is used to describe Temple furniture (2 Chronicles 4:8), and temple images (1 Kings 17:29; Zech 5:5-11) they are “putting” these items in a temple because a temple is this verb turned into a noun, a Temple is a “rest [or putting place]” (Psalm 132:7-8, 14; Isaiah 66:1).

God then tasked Adam to “dress [abad (H#5647)]” and “keep [shamar (H#8104)]” it (Genesis 2:15). These are all words repeatedly used elsewhere in the Bible to refer to a Priest's temple service and upkeep of temple instruments (Numbers 3:7-8). So those who know the Hebrew language, Adam was commissioned with tasks that have priestly connotations. Adam was considered a son “of God” (Luke 3:38; Genesis 1:26; 2:15). This is also a mark of the Melchizedek priesthood.

Enoch saw God

Enoch was the next person to have “walked with God” (Genesis 5:21-24). Enoch was a initiated as a priest, as this is the meaning of his name, “Enoch [hnk (H#2585), initiated]” which refers to his initiated state, not what he was born to. Initiation into the Melchizedek Priesthood included receiving of a new name, which many Biblical figures that have their new names commonly contains a meaning to denote their condition. What purpose was Enoch initiated? Enoch is a new Adam, or rather an anti-Adam, reversing the Adamaic condition; he would reverse how one man had became fallen who was once divine and was able to walk and commune with God in a sacred space.

The Jews, after the fall of the Jerusalem and the advent of Christianity, actively removed angel myths and any books with information about the original priesthood, like The Book of Enoch, from their canon because this is where the Christian priesthood descends. Enoch began a new post-Adamaic age of priests after the manner of Adam. The First Book of Enoch, pre-Christian scriptures (Hebrew fragments were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. proving it is not a Christian innovation) says Enoch had access to a sanctuary that was in Eden.

All Enochian literature explains that Enoch was initiated by angelic ministers with Priestly Robes and Priestly-Messianic Anointing Myrrh oil, and called him a reborn “Son of Man”, an apocalyptic phrase for a son of God, describing his angel-like condition and status as an agent of the Lord (1 Enoch, 2 Enoch, 3 Enoch). The Books of Enoch portrays Enoch's initiation into the High Priesthood as a transfiguration. This is Theosis, when a royal priestly figure transforms from human into a divine angelic being, "And my spirit was transfigured, And I cried with a loud voice... With the spirit of power and blessed, and glorified and extolled." (1 Enoch 71:11) “Human beings were not created but to be like angels” (1 Enoch 69:10).

First Enoch also contains the Book of Dreams, which has a Hebrew history encoded as an animal fable. In the ancient apocalyptic code, angel figures are "men" dressed in white (1 Enoch 87:2; 90:21, 31). Thus the Seventy angels over the Seventy nations are depicted, portrayed as men, Seventy shepherds (1 Enoch 89:61-62). While other unnamed, but recognizable, Biblical figures are born animals. However some of these animals eventually become "men", or rather, they are men who became divine beings. Noah is born a white bull, but after he is told a secret, he becomes a man (1 Enoch 89:1), and Moses is born a white sheep, but becomes a man (1 Enoch 89:36)., The Apocalypse of Weeks is also an encoded history told as a series of 10 "weeks", 10 ages of Israel, and the 'men' figures are Noah, Abraham and Elijah (1 En 93:4-5, 8).

Thus the initiated High Priest Enoch is prepared to stand before God in his temple. He goes to see God, and Enoch describes heaven as having three levels, like unto a Solomonic Temple, passing a wall (of fire and crystal), he enters into a (crystal) house (with a starry ceiling) and then enters a second larger house (of fire) inside the first house. As a High Priest, he entered the third area of the heavenly temple, the Holy of Holies, alone (1 Enoch 14:8ff). Enoch stands before the heavenly throne to make intercession for the fallen angels that sinned (1 Enoch 15:2)). If Enoch saw the throne of God, did he not then see the one upon the throne?

Enoch's heavenly temple also has Edenic imagery, he sees the throne set on top of a mountain (1 Enoch 18:8), set upon the many flowing rivers (of fire) (1 Enoch 14), by a tree (1 Enoch 25:3). The Book of Jubilees, also known as Little Genesis, portrays Enoch as being put by God in Eden to be a scribe (Jubilees 4:17; 1 Enoch 12:4). Significant to the point that Enoch is a priest, a scribe is a priestly art, it also usually involves sitting in a chair, thus royal enthronement in heaven. Even though in Jubilees, Enoch ministers in Eden and not a Heavenly temple, that might be a distinction without a difference, Jews think the Garden of Eden might have always existed in a heavenly sphere. Eden was a temple and it still existed after Adam's expulsion (Jubilees 3:27). Enoch is portrayed as a High Priest and that he burns incense in the sanctuary (Jubilees 2:25) in Eden or another unknown Temple. Jubilees also portrays Noah as knowing Eden was a Holy of Holies (Jubilees 8:19).

Noah saw God

Noah, like Enoch was completely initiated into the priesthood, or as it says he was “prefect (H#8549) complete]”.thus prepared, like Enoch, Noah “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Noah is a priest who would mediate and renew the Everlasting Covenant of Adam for his own generation. We can assume this because he received the same commission of Adam, which is the same commission that will be given to Abraham for his Everlasting Covenant.

Noah forges the Everlasting Covenant and sees a sign of God’s acceptance, a “bow”. However, this wasn’t simply a rainbow, God says Noah saw “My bow” (Genesis 9:3) it was a Rainbow Theophany. Rainbows describe the light of God’s glory, like others who have seen God, they report that God is surrounded by a light and glory, and that it looks like a rainbow (Ezekiel 1:26-28).

Another sign that Noah had seen God in this instance is that here Noah starts a common future Patriarchal practice. Being so far from the sanctuary of Eden, Noah began the practice of sanctuary building. Each of the buildings marks when and where they saw God, by building a temple where He physically stood. Such as after Noah saw God’s “bow”, Noah then places the temple-like Ark, a triple partitioned structure of a heavenly design (Genesis 6:16), on a mountain top, and there he builds an alter (Genesis ). Thus the Ark on Ararat now becomes a makeshift temple. Patriarchs and Kings ever since thereafter start building temple on the exact spots where they had physically seen God standing at (Genesis 12:6-7; 18:1; 26:25; 28:18; 1 Chronicles 16:38-40; 2 Chronicles 1:2-13).

Abraham and Sarah saw God

King Melchizedek was a “Son of God” (Hebrews 7:3). The Priest-King of Salem. He had a superior Priesthood than even Levi possessed, and as the spiritual superior of Abraham, marked by the fact that he blessed Abraham and not the other way around. Which Jews say at this moment Melchizedek passed on the Semitic priesthood Abraham was blessed with from Melchizedek. Melchizedek's offering foreshadows sacramental bread and wine. Priesthood somehow came through Shem to Abraham (1 Chronicles 1:24-27). Abram, and his royal covenant wife, are both renamed with new regal names “Abraham” and “Sarah [princess]”

Abraham has a Theophany of the Lord and two angels, as “three men” under a grove of trees, “The Lord Appeared unto [Abraham] by the terebinth trees” (Genesis 12:7; 14:18-20). Later they come, Sarah makes cakes and Abraham greets and entertains them as friends (Genesis 18:8). This meeting is so casual, so extraordinary, Abraham became forever regarded as the “friend of God” (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). Also so extraordinary that some Jews and scholars still deem this as impossible. Whoever this man was, it either couldn't really be the Lord God, or they didn’t really eat a meal with them. They can't accept the truth, if the truth is unacceptable.

Hagar Saw God

Hagar was rescued by, and received a covenant promise from, an “angel of the Lord” (Genesis 16:7, 9-11). As with many later times in the Bible, this was a Angel Theophany. This “the angel of the Lord” she saw turned out to be “the Lord” himself. “So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her”, (Gen 16:13)

"Thou God seest [H#7210] me: for she said, Have I also here looked [H#7200] after him that seeth me?” (KJV) or “'You are a God of seeing,' for she said, 'Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’” (ESV). If she had seen God, she lived, the Law somehow doesn’t apply to her. Why? If I’m correct, though Hagar is not Abraham's wife of the original covenant. Hagar may have gone through similar initiation rites when she was given to Abraham, or she was simply pure enough for the Holy Spirit to protect her at the time to grant a spontaneous transfiguration to forge another covenant. Like the First Gentile Christian Cornelius, pure enough to receive the Holy Ghost before partaking in any rite of circumcision nor baptismal rites (Acts 10:44-48). Thus the encounter transfigured her, that protected her from the divine encounter and also fertilized her with a divinely promised seed. Fertility is a common mark of female divine encounters.

She not only being saved, she was being offered a royal Covenant with God and her seed, an Ishmaelic Covenant (Genesis 6:16). While her promised seed would not be the line of the promised messiah, and would not receive land in Caanan as Sarah's seed would, her seed was promised things in common to Israelite covenant holders, with a near same commission. Promised fertility and land to rule (Genesis 16:10-12). Ishmael received his own promised land in Arabia and was fruitful with Twelve princes, just like Jacob-Israel's Twelve princes.

Isaac Saw God

The Angel of the Lord asked for Abraham's son, “And Isaac spake unto Abraham... Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide [ra'ah, see] himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:7-8). The translation does not literally translate “God will provide”, but rather “God will see” so the common interpretation is, “God will see-to-it”.

Isaac was spared from being sacrificed by an “angel of the Lord”, and this turned out to be an Angel Theophany. It was actually the Lord himself whom had asked for his son to begin with. The angel says, “thou hast not withheld thy son… from me” (Genesis 22:11-12, 15). Because Abraham knows he saw God, in Patriarchal custom, he built a holy shrine on the physical spot God stood.

He calls the spot on the mount “Jehovah-Jireh [that is (H#3070) YHWH and (H#7200) ra'ah which means to “see”]. Which is literally “Yhwh/Lord Sees”. In Hebrew there is usually two ways to interpret something, there is the common interpretation The Lord-(will)-See-(To it)] because “On the mountain of Yahweh shall provided [see to it]” or it could be interpreted The Lord-(is)-Seen, for in this “place the Lord will [ra'ah, be seen]” or (Genesis 22:14)

Isaac also makes a covenant with Laban at a place they called Mizpah [the Tower]. The Tower is a temple (Isaiah 5; 1 Enoch 89:56; Assumption of Moses 2:4; Shepherd of Hermas, Parables 3:2:4; 9:3:1; 9:7:1). Issac is a temple builder.

Jacob saw God

Jacob's Dream saw a multi-teired heaven, he describes as a Ladder, his in which he saw God (Genesis 28:12). Whether dreams count as a theophany, Jacob has no doubt, and as custom dictates, he build a temple at the physical location where he saw God, on the stone pillow, and named it Bethel: The House of God.

Jacob said he “saw” a “man” and “wrestled” or embraced him until sun rise and is renamed “Israel” (). Parallel to Royal Priestly initiation rites includes a ritual embrace, a new name like that of both Kings and Priests, a ritual usually done at sun rise on the 8th day (1st Day). Jacob names the spot “Penuel: for I have seen God face to face” and to his great surprise, a In seeming contradiction to Mosaic Law, he observed “my life is preserved”, he saw God and did not die (Gen 32:24-30). Not all Jews agree to the meaning of the name Israel, some say it derives from the words “Ys [(H#376) man)] r’h [(H#7200) sees, saw]-El [(H#410) God] “ “a man seeing God” (Prayer of Joseph Fragment a-3; Midrash on Hosea 9:10; Philo of Alexandria, Leg. Alt. 2:34; 3:186; Post. 92; Conf. 56, 146).

In Jewish Tradition, Jacob had re-transformed into an angel, his angelic name, “Israel” was his pre-mortal name who had been always was prior to his birth (The Prayer of Joseph).

Moses Himself Seems to Defy the Mosaic Law and saw God

Moses was among the last of the true Patriarchs before he delegated tasks to his new lesser priests, but Moses was also a “priest” (Psalms 99:1). He wasn’t one of Aaron’s sons, he was his brother. The later authority of the Aaronic High Priesthood was much more inferior to Moses’ own authority. Unlike a High Priest of Aaron who had to prepare all year to endure God’s presence once during the Atonement, Moses was able to speak to the Lord, “face to face”. many times long before he was on Sinai (Deuteronomy 5:4-5). Before the Sinai and the Sin of the Golden Calf, Moses and God spoke “mouth to mouth”, and Moses was permitted to see his “form” without any word of warning, no questions during it, or any lingering issues afterwards (Numbers 12:8).

It’s the priesthood that men in the past prepared themselves to interact with God in temple service and survive. First Century Jewish scholar, Philo of Alexandria, preeminent scholar among Egyptian Jews and from a High Priestly family (Jerome, On Illustrious Men, 11) interprets "there shall be no man in the tabernacle" (Lev 16:17) when the High Priest enters the presence of God, as "he shall not be a man" (Philo, On Dreams 2:189-213). Hence, Moses was not a man, he transfigured when he saw God, and this is what made his face shine (Ex 34:29; Philo, Moses 1:158). Moses' authority was different from Aaron's, the priesthood is necessary to approach God (Philo, Abr., 122), while Aaron could only prepare himself once a year, there was a higher priesthood that allowed Moses to endure it continually (Philo, Gig 52-55).

A change and a warning originates from the Lord, only after the Israelites sinned with the Golden Calf. Moses, as the Royal High Priest, attempting to renew the Everlasting Covenant of Abraham, before it would become amended into the inferior Mosaic Covenant. Moses failed to implement the original Abrahamic covenant before he could even bring the Law for the Covenant down. Moses smashes the covenant tablets that were written by the anthropomorphic (human) “finger of God” (Exodus 32:19). In Jewish tradition, those were different commandments on those other tablets, intended for “immortals”. Or as the Christians said, the Mosaic Law was carnal ().

Moses after this failure to renew the covenant returns to the Lord bearing some blame as he begs for forgiveness on behalf of Israel and offers his life to fix it, which the Lord refuses. As Moses talks to God “face to face”, as Moses did many times did before. Though unlike times before, Moses is suddenly vexed, and notices something that he has not brought up at any other time than at this juncture. Moses was seeing the Lord kept holding His anthropomorphic “hand” over his anthropomorphic “face”, and Moses is only now at this low point inquiring about this odd thing that seems to have not happened before, or else why would he ask now? To answer Moses’ confusion, having never done this before and never had to explained this to him before, He says that He is holding His hand over His face because “no man can see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). Moses was just on the mountain earlier having ritually prepared himself, but after returned from the scene now it seems Moses himselfis not fully or properly transfigured.

All Israel saw God: Deuteronomy vs. Exodus

In Exodus, God is the most anthropomorphic. Moses calls God “a man” of war (Exod. 15:3). God is on the mountain top, and it is covered in smoke, like temple incense clouds, which functions to obscure God: “Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for YHWH had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln…” (Exodus 19:18). God warns the Israelites not to come near the mountain to try to see him or they could die, “Go down, warn the people not to break through to YHWH to gaze, lest many of them perish.” (Exod 19:21).

So, if regular people were to go up the mountain, they will see God, and “many”, but not all, will die as a consequence. So in Exodus, God makes a physical appearance on earth in a bodily form that, though fatal, can be seen by normal humans, which is the reason for the smoke and for the laying down of rules to keep the Israelites away.

God does permit a select group of Israelites a glimpse at him while they ate because they won't die if they saw God. Moses, Aaron, the Seventy Elders (and two Prophets), the Twelve Princes of Israel from each of the Twelve Tribes, were not treated as ordinary people at Sinai. They had been initiated into the priesthood and so were all invited up the sacred mountain to eat their sacred meal and there they all, quote, “saw the God of Israel”. Not a mere light, or glory, or fire theophany, but an actual form in human likeness. Exodus says they saw him as a man on the throne, they “saw the God of Israel” and saw under his “feet” a sapphire stone (Exod 24:10) and the Nobles of Israel also “saw God”. This must be an exception to the Law of Moses that threatened death, as they were surprised that they were brought to no harm after seeing God (Exodus 24:9-12)

It does seem to be contradicted by a lost book of Moses, discovered during the reign of King Josiah, with an introduction and ending were written by an unknown author, attributed to Moses, the Book of Deuteronomy (The Second Law [of Moses]). Deuteronomy recasts the revelation at Sinai. In both accounts of the revelation, the Israelite do not see God, however, the reason differs. In Deuteronomy, by contrast, God does not manifest himself on earth in a bodily form. God does make a fire, and speak from the fire, but the book pleads that the Israelites should not imagine that their forefathers had seen God in some corporeal form in the fire, “YHWH spoke to you out of the fire: the voice of words you heard but you did not see a form.” (Deut 4:12). The voice came from the fire, “From the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; on earth He let you see His great fire; and from amidst that fire you heard His words.” (Deut 4:36). It seems in Deuteronomy, God is only manifested in words and in fire, not in a bodily form.

Or perhaps there is middle ground, after all, the rest of Israel were not allowed near the Mountain, for as normal men would “perish” at the sight of the glory, it would kill uninitiated men on accident (Exodus 24:9-10). Only the Elders had divine protection, but what else are we to attribute to their survival?

The Jews have had conflicting ideologies throughout time to explain this, but there are many Jewish sources that give one very simple explanation. Jews remember in their oral traditions (the Talmud) and in their great commentaries (Midrash Rabbah), the Israelites did literally see God, seemingly in violation of the Law, however in accord with the Law, they did not “live” when they saw him, they had instantaneously “died” and were instantaneously raised up, they had been transfigured in the blink of an eye (Talmud, b. Shabbat 88b; Midrash Exodus Rabbah 29:4, 9; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 20:4; Pesikta Rabbati 20:4; Midrash Tehillim 19:13; 68:5, 7).

If you doubt all of these ancient sources, the same conclusion could be derived from the Bible. The Bible describes Apotheosis of the common Israelites. All Israel was originally intended to be made priests before the sin with the golden calf, not merely the Levites (Exodus 19:5-5; Deuteronomy 7:6-8). There were already a few non-Aaronic priests among them before the initiation of Aaron (Exodus 19:22). As some Israelites had been ritually preparing themselves, they washed their cloths (Exodus 19:10) but also immersed their bodies (Exodus 19:6, 14; Mekhilta on Exodus 19:14; Rambani on Exodus 19:14). And after this baptism, a washing ritual of the original Priesthood (Testament of Levi 8:2-10). It was the Priestly initiatory baptism, a ritual death and resurrection, enabled the Seventy Elders of Israel, and a Nobles to go halfway up the mountain with Aaron and survive the Theophany.

Balaam, The Moabite Prophet and his *** Saw God

Balaam the Prophet was instructed of King Balak to go to Moab and curse Israel, but the “Angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him”. Balaam could not see him. However, the *** could see him as clear as day and would not cross paths with him. The *** pushed itself against a wall and even laid down in the middle of the road. Balaam beat it three time when the *** spoke reason (Numbers 22:22-35). “The Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face” (Numbers 22:31), this was an Angel Theophany, who made even a foreign Prophet and his *** seers.

Joshua Saw God

After Wandering in the desert for 40 years, and Joshua was put in charge of taking Canaan. When they neared Jericho, Joshua, “lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand.” Joshua approached the Man and asked, “Are you for us or against us? He says he was not against them, “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped” this Man. Where he stood was Temple grounds, “take your saddle off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy” (Joshua 5:13-15)

The Seers are Prophets who see God

The Prophets of old didn’t define their positions as prophets by merely “speaking” the word of the Lord, but by “seeing” Him also. Those older prophets even used to be called “Seers” (1 Samuel 9:9), but the scribes that abridged the “Deuteronomic” histories (Judges, Samuel and Kings) seems to dislike this term because they disliked the idea of seeing God all together.

Jeremiah defined prophethood with seeing the council of Elohim, by which prophet received decrees to deliver to earth (Jeremiah 23:18). Daniel relates the decree of the “watchers”, the “gods” of the council ruled by the Most High God (Daniel 44:8, 13, 17)

Gideon Saw God

Gideon wasn’t a Levite, but was from the tribe of Manasseh, but he become consecrated a priest after he meets an “angel of the Lord” who was the Lord Himself (Judges 6:14-16). In the Book of Judges, the term “angel of the Lord” is almost always means “the Lord”. Judges says it was the “angel of the Lord” that slew the firstborn of Egypt (Judges 2:2), while the Mosaic accounts make it clear it was the Lord himself, and no one else (Exodus 12:12; Deuteronomy 32:35). So, Gideon saw God “face to face” (Judges 6:22). When he suddenly realized he has done the impossible, he gets worried that he is going to die, but doesn’t (Judges 6:16). Moses said that men aren’t supposed to be able to see God and live. If the exception is a priest, Gideon of non-Levitical decent, must have spontaneously transfigured. Elements of consecration that made him a Melchizedek priest. When he offers a meal to the angel on a rock, it then becomes transmuted into burnt offering, and act accepted which consecrated Gideon as a priest and he builds a pillar temple on the spot he saw God (). “Consecration” means “to put into the hand”, a token of office in put in your hand. For Aaronic priests, incense or sacrificial meat is put in their hand, and they were supposed to throw it into the fire, and only after that act is a man consecrate to his office.

Manoah and his Wife saw God

Manoah and his wife pray for children. His wife sees a “man”, who turned out to be an “angel” whose name is “secret”, who turns out was “God”. The divine name of the Lord, though spelled out in Hebrew as YHWH, is deemed “ineffable”, the proper pronunciation is a secret. To make know doubt they saw God, they paraphrase Moses when they say, “we shall surely die, because we have seen God” (Judges 13:22). They didn’t die, but why?

Manoah offered the man food, but the man requested a burnt offering to the Lord. (Judges 13:16). The man ascended into heaven, signaling to them he was God. Manoah and his wife by the act of giving an accepted offering were thus consecrated as priests. Also, his wife was conceiving while barren which is a sign of her involvement in the covenant. Miraculous conceptions, fertility are signs of those who entered the royal priestly covenant. Entering the Royal covenant in temple marriage enables even women in olden times to become likewise anointed and enrobed like a priest and so were able to approach God safely.

King David and the Elders of Israel saw God

David was anointed and ritually resurrected or “raised up” (Psalms 89:19) like Melchizedek was (Hebrews 7:15-17) and also reborn as a “son” of God (2 Samuel 7:2) in the Temple (Psalms 2:7; LXX, Psalms 109:3; 2 Kings 11:14) and during the king’s coronation, the temple priests sang a psalm to him declaring him a “priest after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalms 110:4). He would offer burnt offerings and peace offering before the Ark of the Covenant when it was brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuels 6:17-18). So it’s no great wonder that even King David saw a detailed anthropomorphic God of Israel twice (1 Kings 11:9). David “saw… the Lord stand… having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem… David and the elders of Israel… fell upon their faces” (1 Chronicles 16:38-40; 2 Chronicles 1:2-13). Solomon built the Temple on the exact place they physically saw God standing. Solomon offered sacrifices himself three times a year (1 Kings 9:25).

Isaiah saw God

Isaiah was a Temple priest, “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne” flanked by “Seraphim”-angels (Isaiah 6:1), and in defiance of the Mosaic Law, as he exclaims “Woe is me! Because I am a man… mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). While that is true, Isaiah is spontaneously purified by an intermediary Seraphic-angel (Isaiah 6:6-7).

In Jewish history, Isaiah was executed by King Manasseh for the crime of "They say that Isaiah was cut asunder by the people, as one who depraved the law and spoke beyond what Scripture authorized. For Scripture says, No one shall see my face and live; but he says, I saw the Lord of Hosts. Moses, they say, saw Him not, and thou didst see Him! And for this cause they cut him asunder."

The scriptures do say King Manasseh had a bloody reign (2 Kings 21:16) and Hebrews 11 presents a list of Old Testament champions of faith, including a description of several anonymous martyrs and persecuted saints. Hebrews 11:37 states, “Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword” (Hebrews 11:37). There is only one tale of a martyr that was sawed in half, the Isaiah the prophet. A host of first-century Jewish-Christian books and Rabbinical traditions describe how Isaiah was killed; he was ordered to be sawn in two by King Manasseh while in a cedar tree; the Talmud, Ascension of Isaiah; Martyrdom of Isaiah; Lives of the Prophets; Josephus, "Manasseh not sparing even the prophets of the Lord" (Antiq. x.3.1) and Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 120. Did Isaiah violated the dictates of the law against theophanies?

Ezekiel Saw God

Ezekiel was a Temple priest (Ezekiel 1:3), he says to God “there will I plead with you face to face” (Ezekiel 20:35). God traveled with Israel into Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1). Ezekiel sees the Chariot throne flanked by “Cherubim”-angels (Ezekiel 1:5). Then he sees God on the throne in the form of a “man” (Ezekiel 1:26). In his second vision of God, sees God again as a man of fire and bronze (Ezekiel 8;2; 1:27). The one on the throne was accompanied by a Christ-like man in white robes. The scribe of the one’s judgments (Ezekiel 9:1). Christ is the scribe of the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5).

Daniel Saw God

Daniel, a member of the royal family of Judea (Daniel 1:3, 6; Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 10:10:1[186]; Ginzburg, Legend of the Jews, V6, p 414). Daniel was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, being one of the three eunuchs (Isaiah 39:7), and the three companions were his sons (Daniel 1:3, 6-7, 11, 18; Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 10:10:2 [190]). A married persons with three children can be called a “eunuch” as it is generally the accepted term for “courtiers” on account that many of the ancient courtiers were made eunuchs (Genesis 39).

As a Wiseman in King David's court he was threatened when the King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the death of all Wise courtiers. Daniel had taken some Nazarite vow against eating meat or wine.

“I saw in the night visions... with the clouds of heaven, the “son of man” (Daniel 7:9-14), The man in linen (Daniel 10-12). The unnamed warrior angel of Israel, while the angel Michel came to his aid (Daniell 10:2). Christ is the warrior on the white horse (Revelation 19:11-16) aided by Michael the Archangel (Revelations 12:7). When the prophet Daniel received a vision of the glorious Christ, his strength left him. He fell into deep sleep with his face to the ground. However, an angel touched him and told him not to fear (Daniel 10:8–12). He knew "[Illaya (H#5943) Elyon]" rules the nations of the earth by means of the "gods (H#426)" (Daniel 4:8), the "holy ones [(H#6922)]", the "watchers ['irim (H#5894)]" (Daniel 4:13, 17), who rescued his servants by means of a certain "Son of God" (Dan 3:35; 6:22).

Zechariah saw God

Zechariah had ten visions in one night, the first is a man on a red horse, an angelic horseman envoy responding to the “angel of the Lord” and the “Lord of Hosts”, a man among the myrtle trees (Zechariah 1:7-17). This is the Lord himself, and is correspondent to the Christ-warrior on the white horse (Revelation 19:11-16), the leader of the four horsemen (Revelation 6:1-8). Zechariah is shown in another vision Joshua the High Priest as he stood before the Angel of the Lord, the angel somehow had the right to remove Joshua's iniquity (Zechariah 3:1) and gave him priestly garments of glory. A little Apotheosis to make him worthy to stand before him.

Peter, James and John saw God

The transfiguration of Jesus is one of the most “neglected” stories in the entire New Testament. The Apostles were seers and so saw who Christ really was. "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Corinthians 12:3). Peter confesses that Jesus is the Son of God;;Jesus commands the disciples not to tell anyone; Promises the keys of binding (Melchizedek authority); Jesus calls his disciples to follow him sacrificially; Jesus transfigures on the 8th day on the mountain; and commands the disciples to keep quiet until after his resurrection, finally the Apostles somehow have the keys.

The Transfiguration is the event in which the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples experienced Jesus assume a glorious nature. The transfiguration narrative was Christ's Apotheosis, and a Christophany. Which describes a visual revelation of who Jesus really is. The term Christophany is a variation on the more familiar word Theophany, a scene in which the deified Christ reveals his self to humans. In the transfiguration story Jesus is revealed as a glorious figure superior to Moses and Elijah, and is identified by the heavenly voice of God the Father from behind a bright cloud as his Son. In the Markan context of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, the transfiguration gives a glimpse of Jesus’ new nature. The account 2 Peter of the transfiguration of Jesus. Peter claims to have been an “eyewitness” to the “majesty” of Jesus and to have heard the heavenly voice proclaim him Son of God, the was the Kings of old were (see Ps 2:7; 2 Sam 7:2).

A bright cloud enveloped the top of the mountain, and a voice from within the cloud said “this is my Son” meaning that this was God the Father himself physically on the mountain. Some call this a Cloud Theophany, but God isn't a cloud. The cloud is functioning as Temple incense, to obscure the sight of God the Father who is hidden inside the cloud. While the disciples collapsed..

Stephen Saw God

Habakkuk says that God is too bright for human eyes (Habakkuk 3:4) This is what Paul says also, God “dwells in unapproachable light whom no man has ever seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). How do we interpret this? For what do we make of the fact that Paul has done seemingly contrary to this statement and has seen this unseen light of God and also personally witnessed another apostle be killed for the inhuman feat and crime of seeing God.

While he was still Saul the Pharisee, he witnessed the trial of the Apostle Stephen standing before the entire Jewish High Priestly Council of the Seventy Elders, the Sanhedrin, when Stephen Transfigures with the divine light of an angel. They “saw his face as it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). This was a transformation through the power of the Holy Ghost and this physical transformation is what allowed him to see what was otherwise hidden, to see the anthropomorphic forms of both God the Father and Jesus Christ in heaven. Stephen, “being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God… Behold I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55)

Once again, seeing God through transfiguration is not some innovation I am making; rather this is an ancient but commonly discarded insight because it is contrary to common modern dogmas. They rather doubt the reality of these scriptures to support the strict meaning of other scriptures just because they can neither explain how it was done, nor replicate the feat, being devoid of divine leaders. An explanation is offered in a First Century Jewish-Christian document, claimed to be authored by Clement, not the Biblical Clement who was the Bishop of Rome, another Clement, a traveling companion of Apostle Peter. Quoting Peter, Peter is portrayed giving an excellent explanation, “the eyes of mortals cannot see the invisible form of the Father or Son, because it is illuminated by exceeding light. For he who sees God cannot live. For the excess of light dissolves the flesh of him who sees, unless by the secret power of God, the flesh be changed into light, so it can see light.” (Clementine Homilies 17:16)

It was by his transformation that Stephen had divine sight, but if Stephen’s transformation was beyond the study and experiences of the Jewish Priests and Scribes of his day, armed with an uninspired interpretation of the Law of Moses makes Stephan’s testimony seems contrary to the Law. Men cannot see God and live. Therefore, this man who has seen, or claims to have seen, God and must then die. The High Priests of the Sadducees and Pharisees that heard Stephen’s claim to see God screamed, plugged up their ears, cast him out and stoned him to death for the great crime the scriptural law that has clearly been misinterpreted by uninspired men (Acts 7:57-58). Saul heard what Stephen had said, and so not only did he know a man who claimed to have seen God, and he himself would soon see the glory of the Lord.

Paul Saw God

On the road to Damascus, he saw a “light from heaven” that fell to earth and Saul asked, “who art thou Lord?”, the Light said, “I am Jesus”. This is a Christophany, but if you think Paul was safe because he only saw the Lord-Jesus, the Lord said that men cannot see Him in Exodus. To Paul, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord-God of the Old Testament. He used Old Testament passages that referred to the Lord Yahweh and applied them to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul takes references Joel 2:32 when telling them to call on the Lord God and applies it to the Lord Jesus in Romans 10:13. Paul refers to Christ in 1 Corinthians 2:16, for example, but he alludes to Isaiah 40:13 (cf. Isaiah 40:13-28; 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5). For just a few more examples; Romans 10:13 cf. Joel 2:32; 1 Cor. 1:31 cf. Jer. 9:24; 1 Cor. 2:16 cf. Isa. 40:13; 1 Cor. 10:26 cf. Ps. 24:1; 2 Cor. 10:17 cf. Jer. 9:24. The other Apostles see, to concur, the pre-incarnate Jesus is the Biblical “I Am” who spoke to met Abraham in his tent (John 8:58) and spoke to Moses in the Burning Bush, the very person who originally told Moses men couldn’t see him and live in the first place (Exodus 3:14).

What is interesting at the road to Damascus is that Jesus was still invisible to the other men who did not see the light Saul was seeing. Jesus Christ isn't the one who changed from invisible to visible, Paul was the one who changed. As a seer, he could see that which was still invisible to others. He did physically see the divine light, its potency to human eyes is probably why he also went blind (Act 9:3-9). Paul would see the Lord many other times (Acts 23:11). In his words it was not merely a light, he saw his person and he added his testimony to the other Apostles as a witness of the resurrected Christ, “he was seen of me also” (1 Corinthians 15:8) Without occasion, Paul would often describe Christ the exact way Stephen did as on the right hand of God the Father, “Christ… who is even at the right hand of God” (Romans 8:34). “The God of our Lord… set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:17, 20; Col 3:1). As Stephen told him, sits to the right of God's throne (Hebrews 12:2; also 1:3; 10:12). Paul speaks of Christians joining to the Melchizedek Priesthood, it is the way anyone one can as a High Priests do, “draw nigh unto God”, and thus see him (Hebrews 7:19)

Paul had frequent ascension visions, his “visions and revelations [apocalypse?] of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 12:1). he would see a Holy of Holies of a heavenly Temple. He calls it “paradise [pardec (G#3857), a Persian word referring to a walled park or a enclosed garden, like those on the interior of great Persian buildings]”, like a Temple, the Holy of Holies is the great interior room of the Temple. Paul also calls it the “third heaven”, heaven like the Temple of Solomon was tripartite, three sections (a Courtyard, a Holy Place and a Holy of Holies). Paul deemed it “unlawful” to describe what he saw in that place, but I’d wager it was perhaps exactly what Stephen saw that was so unlawful. The basic prophetic vision of the heavenly Holy of Holies often describes the contents as the Throne of God and also the One sits upon it. Through his many encounters, Paul must have undergone transformations of his own, “out of the body or out of the body I cannot tell”, he could have met God in the flesh. Paul often described how but the abundance of his encounters with God, he was barely a human. How due to a thorn in his side he was not yet “exhalted above measure through the abundance of revelations” (2 Corinthians 12:1-7). Paul knew of many ancient temple traditions, and calls the transfiguring of the body akin to a change of a robe (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

Theophanies and Theosis in the Apocalypses

Like Paul, John the Revelator also had apocalyptic visions of heaven, such as in what he called his “revelation [apocalypse] of Jesus Christ” (Revelations 1:1). Other examples of an apocalypse are those of the Book of Daniel and Book of Enoch. Visionary ascensions into heaven, all marked by strange imagery, but the imagery is often similar. One of these common themes are; animal figures symbolize men, and men figures symbolize divine beings.

So, in the apocalypse of Daniel, Daniel talks about the “beasts” that rise out of the “sea”, these chimera sea animals are actual representatives of the non-Israelite kings and their kingdoms that attack Israel (Daniel 7:3, 17). While those Daniel calls “men” are actually divine figures. Christians know Gabriel is an divine angel (Luke 1:11-19; 1 Enoch) but when he appears in Daniel he is called “the man Gabriel” (Daniel 9:21). Daniel has a figure he refers to as the “son of man” (Daniel 7:13), which the Apostles use to refer to Christ because a “son of man” despite other times he is the “Son of God”, is because the phrase is interchangeable.

The language of the apocalypses of the First Book of Enoch is important to the topic, is Enoch's theme of animals becoming men. What Enoch means is that these are really transfigurations of men into divine beings. Enoch's Book of Dreams describes an apocalyptic history of the Hebrews, there are unnamed but identifiable human Biblical figures as animals that later transform in to “men”, Noah is a white “bull” that becomes a “man” (1 Enoch 89:1). There is an angelic Christ-like figure called “the Son of Man” (1 Enoch 37-71) and when Enoch himself becomes initiated by angels with priestly robes, the angels declared Enoch a “Son of Man”, a born again “son of God” (1 Enoch 71:14).

Now in John's Apocalypse, he write of the “man-child”, but we recognize this as Jesus Christ, so in John’s language, and he means the “divine-child” (Revelations 12:5). Like the sea monsters in Daniel, representing nations attacking Jerusalem nations, the fourth beast has ten horns, representing a fourth empire which will persecute God's people (Daniel 7:7). John sees a sea dragon with seven heads and ten horns that come to destroy Jerusalem, identified as seven human "kings." The Roman Empire, whose ensign was a dragon, the seven heads represent seven successive rulers of Rome which are succeeded by a ten-nation confederacy which had ten simultaneous kings (Rev 17:10-13, Adv. Haer. 5.26.1). And just like in Daniel, Jesus Christ is the “Son of Man” instead of the “Son of God” (Revelations 1:13).

With this in mind, John himself, very much like the description that Stephen and Paul gave, saw God the Father and Jesus at his right hand, but might get glanced over because he describes them in apocalyptic terms, “I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book [a man, meaning it is a divine being, an anthropomorphic God the Father]… in the midst of the throne and the four beasts [humans]… stood a lamb [a more iconic beast, a human, Christ because he is the 'lamb of God”]… He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne [a lamb with anthropomorphic hands]” (Revelations 5:1).

The Christophany of John, John Became “of God” and Sees God the Father

Now the Book of Revelations was written while in prison, and afterwards he wrote the Gospel of John. So, despite having personally seen God the Father in his Apocalyptic vision, John himself would later say that “no man” has seen God and lived (John 1:18), but John later qualifies his meaning again as, “not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father” (John 6:46). Are we to assume he merely means only Jesus saw God? Because Jesus, under certain contexts, isn’t the only Son of God. John acknowledges that all Christians will see God, they just won't be men when they see him. Men can become “of God”, and transform through theosis and this enables them to see God. As John says, “now we are the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear; we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

When John sees the Lord in his glory, John, as a man, does not survive his experience, neither was he a mere man afterwards. He was becoming transfigured and initiated as a Temple High Priest. John saw a Temple in heaven, after the manner of a restored Temple of Solomon, rather than like unto the Temple of Herod which was still under control of hostile Jewish High Priests. John saw the form of a man standing in the midst of seven golden lamps (the heavenly temple’s Menorah). So, this is the Holy Place, and the man he saw is the High Priest of the heavenly Temple, Jesus Christ. Then the man he sees transfigures (Revelations 1:13-14) and John sees the transfigured glory, it seems comparable to the Glory of the Lord in the past, as John then falls down “as dead” (Revelations 1:17). Just like when the prophet Daniel received a his vision of the glorious Christ, his strength left him. He fell into deep sleep with his face to the ground. However, an angel touched him and told him not to fear (Daniel 10:8–12).

Our word for “initiation” comes from the Latin and means “finishings or deaths”. John also puts the rites of the ancient priests on display in his book; including baptism/washing, anointing and enrobing, etc., and all representing death, burial, revival, quickening of your spirit into the body, and resurrection. They also relate to birth or rebirth. As a child of emerges from the immersion of the womb waters, his breath/spirit enters him, he is “born”, or in the ritual sense he is “born again”, a ritually transfigured state. One is physically prepared to experience the divine presence and thereafter meeting the divine by which he may very well physically transfigure. Other times they spontaneously transfigure and then latter are consecrated, as both events go hand in hand. Which John in Revelations uses language only for initiates “he that hat an ear, let him hear,” a message for only the “true” among the seven churches in Asia (Revelations 3:7). Initiates are those becoming “Priests and Kings”, entering a “royal priesthood” (Revelations 1:5-6; 1 Peter 2:5). The priests sang during the King's coronation that the King was a “priests after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalms 110:4). Through this process, Kings were born again as the “son” of the Lord God (2 Samuel 7:2; Psalms 2:7).

Once John had seen God and died, he gets back up. John is about to be initiated into the Royal-Melchizedek High Priesthood. For at the Holy Place a door opens, and John hears a voice summoning him inside the Holy of Holies through its veil (Revelations 4:1). Which if one studied other Jewish ascension visions, they describe how the back side of the heavenly veil contains all of history written on it. It is interesting that at this point that John on the other side of the Temple veil, John regales us with a panorama of all history, past and future (the 6 Seals and 6 Woes of Trumpets are what was the past, the 7th Seal and Trumpet is the future). During John’s initiation the Angel had given John a book he had to eat (Revelations 10:9-10) possibly a purification rite for John. Similar to when Isaiah dreaded death from seeing the Lord because he was impure, a mediator Seraphim-Angel put a coal to his lips, which served to purge and purify Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5-6).

The completion of the priestly rites was enthronement, marked by some equivocation between the new human sons of God and the angelic Sons of God, even Christ, the pre-eminent, firstborn Son of God. John says, “he that hath an ear let him hear” to them that overcome can “sit with me in my throne… [just] as I… am sit down with my Father in his throne” (Revelations 3:2). This royal enthronement is not just a post-mortem statement, just as the royal anointing and enrobing was done in life, this status can also be obtained before death. We see at the end of John’s own initiation. At first, John was not rebuked for worshiping the Christ-angel (Revelations 1:17) but after his induction, he is then rebuked for worshiping the Christ-angel for the reason that both John and the Christ were (now, not before) “fellow servants” to God the Father (Revelations 19:10; 22:8-9). As Paul puts it, by God’s “adoption of sons” (Galatians 5:4), equivocates with other sons “thou art no more a servant but a son, and if a son the heir of God” (Galatians 4:8) and if heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. By becoming “sons” through the priesthood, it renders everyone equal regardless of decent, or even gender, which I’ll have to explain elsewhere (Galatians 3:27-28).

This was Christ’s greatest crime of blasphemy to the Jews. By Christ merely claiming to be a Son of God, while not claiming to be “God” the Father, they thought it was still blasphemy because His status as a Son of God was still a claim to be equal to God. Jesus' equality with the Father is brought on by his sonship (John 5:18 Philip 2:6), thus the Father and Son are equal (Matthew 20:12; Luke 20:36; John 5:18; Philip 2:6). Those made sons are made equal to God. As John says, that sons “of God hath seen God” (1 John 6:46; Philip 2:6; John 5:18). Even though Christ has the honor of the designation of the “first born”, but we can become equal by becoming a “first born” also (Rom 8:14, 29), as King David (Psalms 89:26-27), forming a church of the first born (Hebrews 12:23).

What conclusion

An initiate into the New Everlasting Covenant, the body can be obtain a resurrected form, but the condition of death is stayed and one’s body is relatively immortal when compared to what you were before. Subtle changes can have been made to the body, death is delayed, longevity is given. Though not yet an angel, through these blessings, you are more than an average human.

Arguments against Theosis

Theosis is Wrong: the Serpent was a liar

Many seriously misunderstand and misinterpret Genesis 3 to say the aspiration to godhood is sin. Note that the serpent makes two claims: (1) "ye shall not surely die" and (2) "ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3). If one looks ahead further, to Genesis 3:22, God confirmed that second claim of the serpent came to pass: "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us [gods], to know good and evil:"..

So to use of Genesis 3 to counter the doctrine of deification/theosis has two problems associated with it. The first is this chapter isn't even relevant to beliefs about deification, the Serpent never claimed that Adam and Eve would be “gods”, just that they would be "as gods, knowing good and evil." The Second and bigger problem is that Satan was, in fact, telling the truth on this point, as the Lord God confirms.

While the Serpent did beguile Eve, so he did lie, but as the old saying goes, the best lies are usually ones with some truth added to it. A lie was mixed with the truth. that Adam and Eve wouldn't die (a lie) but eating would make them "as gods, knowing good and evil" (a truth). The lie was transgressing God's law that threatened death would not bring death. Even death is strained, as God permits them to live to fulfill their commission, though they ultimately died. The act or desire to be like God is a sin or morally wrong, it is wrong to try to be like God without God. Though the blessing of he fruit had a price, was men be good or do good when they do not know what good is? Would there be no need for such a dangerous tree, or for God to have provided a sacrificial lamb from the foundation of the world if the Fall and having men come closer to godhood was somehow not God’s plan?

The desire for godhood is not a sin, to try to obtain godhood without God is a sin. No fruit, no tower to heaven.

Theosis is wrong: It violates the first commandment

This misinterprets the scriptures, firstly, not only does the first commandment “have no other gods before Me." not say there are no other gods, but it also actually presupposes that there are other gods, gods that are not to be worshiped nor prioritized before the Lord.

Secondly, how would the theosis of men violate the importance on the worship and placement of the "one true God". Man becoming derivative lesser gods, like-God, etc does not replace the God as our one true God, no matter how many may hold the title.

If you believe in God in such a way as to insist that whatever belongs to God Himself belongs to Him alone, and that no one can obtain his qualities and once obtained can be considered to be like God, Genesis shows that is not true. God said man became as "gods" because they knew good from evil, an attribute of gods only at the time. The only distinction from the divine Fall of Adam, men were also imperfect and mortal. But Christ came to fix that, shall we not all be resurrected into immortal and be 'eternal' like God is, as an inheritance (Mark 10:17)? Are we not adopted and become an heir, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans. 8: 17). As sons of God, we are to inherit “all” that the Father has, including some of His attributes (Revelation 21:7). To become one with Christ, even as Christ is one with the Father (John 17:20-23) To sit with Christ on His throne (Revelations. 3:21) To receive a glorified, immortal body like the body that Christ has (Philippians 3:21) To partake of the divine nature and be given all things pertaining to life and godliness, receiving glory (2 Peter 1:3-4) To be made kings and priests unto God and his Father (Rev. 1:6) As spirit children of God, to become partakers of his holiness (Hebrews 12:9-10) To be exalted by God (1 Peter 5:6). We were commanded to become perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:4). Are these promises, immortality, power, dominion, and other formerly unique attributes of God impossible to obtain?

Theosis is Salvation

Have you ever asked what is it to be saved? The world will give an uncertain answer, because its debated heavy. Well, the Bible actually gives us a definition of salvation; Salvation is when the body has transformed into the type of glory Christ had when he was resurrected. (Philip. 3:21).

Theophanies are not literal: God is “Spirit” (non-physical) so can’t physically be seen.

Firstly it is not Biblical that spirits don’t have any physical properties, because they can physically interact with matter, as Biblical spirits are described as physical wind that physically interact with people, like at Pentecost (Acts 2:2). The definition that spirits are non-physical is the influence later Greek Christians and philosophers.

Secondly, it is also not Biblical that spirits can’t be seen. When Christ was seen walking on water, they thought they were seeing a ghost (Matthew 14:29-27). When Christ was dead and resurrected, he was seen, but He had to prove to the Apostles what he wasn’t merely a spirit (Luke 24:37-39). The spiritually gifted Witch of Endor saw the Spirit of Samuel, though some dogmas doubt this, but the text says “it was Samuel” (1 Samuel 28:14) she described the to King Saul the correct visual attributes of the Spirit of Samuel, as an “old” man in a “coat” or robe.

Theophanies are not literal: God is “Invisible” so by definition can't be seen.

Christ’s physical body is in the “image [physical copy] of an invisible God” (Colossians 1:5), and indeed God is invisible to men, but that does not mean he is impossible to see. Rather, he is hidden behind a veil of this world. Things are invisible, not do to is properties but because they are in an invisible world, a place that is veiled from sight. Elisha sees. Elisha’s eyes were opened and he saw the invisible forces defending them. (2 Kings 6:17).

[CV75]

5 hours ago, Pyreaux said:

Theophanies and Theosis

How Men See God and Live

What is a Theophany

A “Theophany” is the term for when human beings see a physical manifestation of God, be any form, in a fire, a bright cloud, but sometimes a fully formed anthropomorphic (human) shape. It's a common enough Biblical motif that scholars have commonly used the term “theophany” for it. However, even as many Biblical authors have said in no uncertain terms they have "'seen God", the problem is that the literal act of seeing God is a feat people believe Moses deemed as an impossible feat due to the deadly light of glory that radiates off His divine bodily form, from which a mere mortal cannot both endure and survive. Take note of Moses' choice of words, that “no man” can “see God” and live (Exodus 33:20).

Yet, Isaiah saw Elyon in his divine assembly on the mountain of the north (Isa 14:13). Stephen saw the Father, with Christ standing his right side (Ac 7:55-56). Hebrews constantly described seeing a God with a face, eyes, ears, hands, feet, clothes, robe and sash (Ex 24:10; 31:18; 33:11; Isa 6:1; Dan 10:5; Eze 1:26) walks, talks, smells, (Gen 3:8) and even feels anger, sorrow and love (Ex 4:14; Jer 31:3). Inversely, the shape of a man is in the shape of God (Gen 1:26-27; 5:1-2; 9:6). Since many Biblical figures clearly state they have “seen God” and yet survived to write their tale in the Bible, if the common interpretation of the Law that it decrees that death comes for any human that sees God is being constantly undermined by each seer who sees and seems very aware they defied the Law when they are all pleasantly surprised, they have indeed survived it.

There must be, therefore, a serious misinterpretation of the Biblical law or this is a Biblical contradiction. After all, not a single Biblical figure has died (in any permanent sense) after claiming to “see God”. Also, morally speaking, why should they? If God was the one who wished to engage with them, He should then provide a way to accomplish the otherwise impossible. How have people traditionally reconciled this anomaly? By liberally interpreting the Biblical author’s sightings. They think it either can’t be a literally true sighting, or if it were literally true, the seer is excused because God must have been seen only partially, was obscured, or from a distance afar, thus leaving the Law absolute and unbroken. Even though there is often no ambiguity by the authors.

The Gentile Christians after the first three centuries began to interpret the Bible the same way the Greek Philosophers interpreted their myths of the Greek pantheon of gods; they deemed the Biblical Theophanies as mere poetic fictions and allegories. Escaping the Greek Philosophers' criticisms, but at the same time abandoning one of their earlier doctrines, the Doctrine of Deification. But it was still taught in various forms with some modification between the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholicism and has been reintroduced as part of Roman Catholicism since Vatican II’s release of Early Christian documents concerning the subject.

Item number 460 of the Catechism adopted at the Vatican II Council reads: The Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature:" "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God." "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God." "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods." By “Deification” or “Theosis”, a terms coined by first century Christians for when mortal men become divine beings, is the answer this issue. These men who saw God were not truly “men” when they “saw God”.

Theosis is the Legal Loophole in the Law

Those who saw God did have something in common with each other that isn’t common in all men; at one point in their lives they weren’t “men”. The Letter to the Hebrews offers information about Melchizedek and his priesthood that is not in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, notice how at first glance that Melchizedek himself is described as not a man. The Priest and King Melchizedek is immortal (no end of days), said to have no earthly father, no earthly mother, rather he was a “Son of God” (Hebrews 7:3). Much like Christ, who is a priest “after Melchizedek”, Melchizedek himself was another priest like Christ, as he also had “ariseth [(G#450) raised up (again), resurrected]” (Hebrews 7:11, 15).

All this can be explained by the apotheosis of the Melchizedek priesthood, which transforms royal figures into priestly born-again sons of God (LXX, Ps 109:3-4; Ps 110:3-4; 2:7; 89:20, 26-27). Philo of Alexandria, of a High Priestly family, describes transfiguration as a type of being born again without human parents, "the first birth took place in the flesh and had corruptible parents, while the second birth... had its seat in the soul which was changed from begotten to unbegotten; and it had not mother" and no human father, a "divine birth" (Philo, Q. Exodus 11:46). It is not extraordinary to say Melchizedek was a son of God. This is not saying that Melchizedek, the King of Salem, is Jesus Christ in a past life. Melchizedek was resurrected, even though Christ was the first to resurrect from the dead, the priestly initiation ritual is considered a spiritual death and resurrection (Col 3:1).and rebirth into a Son of God is also called a "resurrection" (Lk 20:36). Hence Melchizedek simply by being a royal priest was resurrected, through the resurrection rituals of the Christians. 

The Davidic kings at their coronation were made as priests forever “after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4) they were made a “son” of the Lord (2 Samuel 7:2; Psalm 2:7), and King David said he was “anointed” and “raised up [qum (H#6965) raised up, resurrected] (2 Sa 23:1-2). Priestly Initiation rites were an attempt to prepare a man to enter into a transfigured state incase should God appear to him in his service. Creating temporary resurrected states are what we might prefer to call the “Transfigured” states. There are many Biblical transfigured people, that despite their divine obtainment of immortal glory at one time in their mortal lives, they would eventually still die of natural old age and still need to await a 'true' resurrection. They did indeed obtain at least an effective and temporary “resurrected” state, an “angelic” state, before their death and before the resurrection of Christ and, and importantly, when they saw God.

Theosis has several forms, differing in duration and permanency but in all cases, these once mortal men achieved immortality, transcending into angelic beings, near godhood status. The Resurrected state was obtained by Christ and others after his resurrection, is considered permanent obtained after the final judgment. The Transfigured state is a temporary but similar condition seen from of Moses, Christ and Stephen at times when they saw God. They did not die seeing God’s presence but lived-on and died much later by a natural death. There is also a Translated state which is a more enduring form of Transfiguring, but is not indefinite, seen by Enoch, Moses, Elijah and John. There is an artificial transfigured state, the Priesthood.

Purity, that is of the heart, is the qualification for the Melchizedek Priesthood, which Christians need by which they can see and approach God, not only in death but in life if the need arises. By apotheosis of the Melchizedek priesthood, anyone worthy can be transformed, reborn, into a priest, an heir and son of God by the swearing of an “oath” of the “testament [covenant]” (Hebrew 7:20-21; Numbers 25:13; Nehemiah 13:25). Becoming a priest is how we (Jew, Gentile, male and female) must become to, because we are to ultimately follow Christ through the heavenly veil of the heavenly temple (Hebrews 6:19-20; 10:19-20) we can approach God and thus see him (Hebrews 7:19).Just as in the past, only a priest could prepare himself through purification rituals and survive approaching God in the Temple. Aaronic priests were excluded from service due to superficial ideas of “purity”. The Christian priesthood is different; Christ critiques this notion of priestly purity when he said “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mat 5:8).

The Patriarchs Walked and Talked with God

Chronologically, first of the many examples of this conflict are the Patriarchs of old who saw God before the time of Moses. It can be observed that most all of them either were Temple Priests or were spontaneously conscripted into becoming one in the instant, or shortly thereafter, they saw God. Though the first ones on my chronological list don’t actually say they saw God, but by comparing them to the other Patriarchal accounts help to show a pattern that is the case. The first three great Patriarchs said they would walk and talk with God. Both Enoch and Noah “walked with God” (Genesis 5:21-24; 6:9), and it seems Adam had also walked with God until one fateful day he missed his rendezvous because he was naked (Genesis 3:8-9).

Adam's Apotheosis

Most agree Adam could freely meet with God before his Fall and one might excuse Adam from disobeying the Mosaic Law because he wasn’t exactly a true man yet, he was an immortal. Which is sort of the point, Adam's pre-Fallen state was a type of Theosis. Priestly Apotheosis is also a theme found in Genesis. While not obvious in English, those familiar with the Hebrew language used in Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible, leads one to conclude that Adam is a King-Priest. Jewish Rabbis know and observed that the language in the statement that Adam was in the “image [selem (H#6754) image (as a statue), likeness (as resemblance)] of God”, should be understood to mean that Adam is a King (Midrash Rabbah Genesis 17:14). While Rabbis fail to fully explain how, they know that in an ancient near-eastern historical context, this was universal common language for the practice of ancient priest-kings in the Near East to dress their kings in the garb of their god and put them in a temple as living images of their god.

Thus, note the setting, Eden was a country and to the east was planted the arboreal temple of Eden, the “sanctuary” in a “garden” at the summit of the “mountain of God” (Ezekiel 28:13-14, 18) which rivers flowed in four directions (Genesis ). Temple imagery, like the Temple in Jerusalem, which was a mere artificial recreation of the original Garden of Eden. Adam was not made in the Garden but was made in God's image outside the garden. Then God “put ['sum (H#7760)]” Adam into the garden. This “put” is not a typical word, it is used to describe Temple furniture (2 Chronicles 4:8), and temple images (1 Kings 17:29; Zech 5:5-11) they are “putting” these items in a temple because a temple is this verb turned into a noun, a Temple is a “rest [or putting place]” (Psalm 132:7-8, 14; Isaiah 66:1).

God then tasked Adam to “dress [abad (H#5647)]” and “keep [shamar (H#8104)]” it (Genesis 2:15). These are all words repeatedly used elsewhere in the Bible to refer to a Priest's temple service and upkeep of temple instruments (Numbers 3:7-8). So those who know the Hebrew language, Adam was commissioned with tasks that have priestly connotations. Adam was considered a son “of God” (Luke 3:38; Genesis 1:26; 2:15). This is also a mark of the Melchizedek priesthood.

Enoch saw God

Enoch was the next person to have “walked with God” (Genesis 5:21-24). Enoch was a initiated as a priest, as this is the meaning of his name, “Enoch [hnk (H#2585), initiated]” which refers to his initiated state, not what he was born to. Initiation into the Melchizedek Priesthood included receiving of a new name, which many Biblical figures that have their new names commonly contains a meaning to denote their condition. What purpose was Enoch initiated? Enoch is a new Adam, or rather an anti-Adam, reversing the Adamaic condition; he would reverse how one man had became fallen who was once divine and was able to walk and commune with God in a sacred space.

The Jews, after the fall of the Jerusalem and the advent of Christianity, actively removed angel myths and any books with information about the original priesthood, like The Book of Enoch, from their canon because this is where the Christian priesthood descends. Enoch began a new post-Adamaic age of priests after the manner of Adam. The First Book of Enoch, pre-Christian scriptures (Hebrew fragments were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. proving it is not a Christian innovation) says Enoch had access to a sanctuary that was in Eden.

All Enochian literature explains that Enoch was initiated by angelic ministers with Priestly Robes and Priestly-Messianic Anointing Myrrh oil, and called him a reborn “Son of Man”, an apocalyptic phrase for a son of God, describing his angel-like condition and status as an agent of the Lord (1 Enoch, 2 Enoch, 3 Enoch). The Books of Enoch portrays Enoch's initiation into the High Priesthood as a transfiguration. This is Theosis, when a royal priestly figure transforms from human into a divine angelic being, "And my spirit was transfigured, And I cried with a loud voice... With the spirit of power and blessed, and glorified and extolled." (1 Enoch 71:11) “Human beings were not created but to be like angels” (1 Enoch 69:10).

First Enoch also contains the Book of Dreams, which has a Hebrew history encoded as an animal fable. In the ancient apocalyptic code, angel figures are "men" dressed in white (1 Enoch 87:2; 90:21, 31). Thus the Seventy angels over the Seventy nations are depicted, portrayed as men, Seventy shepherds (1 Enoch 89:61-62). While other unnamed, but recognizable, Biblical figures are born animals. However some of these animals eventually become "men", or rather, they are men who became divine beings. Noah is born a white bull, but after he is told a secret, he becomes a man (1 Enoch 89:1), and Moses is born a white sheep, but becomes a man (1 Enoch 89:36)., The Apocalypse of Weeks is also an encoded history told as a series of 10 "weeks", 10 ages of Israel, and the 'men' figures are Noah, Abraham and Elijah (1 En 93:4-5, 8).

Thus the initiated High Priest Enoch is prepared to stand before God in his temple. He goes to see God, and Enoch describes heaven as having three levels, like unto a Solomonic Temple, passing a wall (of fire and crystal), he enters into a (crystal) house (with a starry ceiling) and then enters a second larger house (of fire) inside the first house. As a High Priest, he entered the third area of the heavenly temple, the Holy of Holies, alone (1 Enoch 14:8ff). Enoch stands before the heavenly throne to make intercession for the fallen angels that sinned (1 Enoch 15:2)). If Enoch saw the throne of God, did he not then see the one upon the throne?

Enoch's heavenly temple also has Edenic imagery, he sees the throne set on top of a mountain (1 Enoch 18:8), set upon the many flowing rivers (of fire) (1 Enoch 14), by a tree (1 Enoch 25:3). The Book of Jubilees, also known as Little Genesis, portrays Enoch as being put by God in Eden to be a scribe (Jubilees 4:17; 1 Enoch 12:4). Significant to the point that Enoch is a priest, a scribe is a priestly art, it also usually involves sitting in a chair, thus royal enthronement in heaven. Even though in Jubilees, Enoch ministers in Eden and not a Heavenly temple, that might be a distinction without a difference, Jews think the Garden of Eden might have always existed in a heavenly sphere. Eden was a temple and it still existed after Adam's expulsion (Jubilees 3:27). Enoch is portrayed as a High Priest and that he burns incense in the sanctuary (Jubilees 2:25) in Eden or another unknown Temple. Jubilees also portrays Noah as knowing Eden was a Holy of Holies (Jubilees 8:19).

Noah saw God

Noah, like Enoch was completely initiated into the priesthood, or as it says he was “prefect (H#8549) complete]”.thus prepared, like Enoch, Noah “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Noah is a priest who would mediate and renew the Everlasting Covenant of Adam for his own generation. We can assume this because he received the same commission of Adam, which is the same commission that will be given to Abraham for his Everlasting Covenant.

Noah forges the Everlasting Covenant and sees a sign of God’s acceptance, a “bow”. However, this wasn’t simply a rainbow, God says Noah saw “My bow” (Genesis 9:3) it was a Rainbow Theophany. Rainbows describe the light of God’s glory, like others who have seen God, they report that God is surrounded by a light and glory, and that it looks like a rainbow (Ezekiel 1:26-28).

Another sign that Noah had seen God in this instance is that here Noah starts a common future Patriarchal practice. Being so far from the sanctuary of Eden, Noah began the practice of sanctuary building. Each of the buildings marks when and where they saw God, by building a temple where He physically stood. Such as after Noah saw God’s “bow”, Noah then places the temple-like Ark, a triple partitioned structure of a heavenly design (Genesis 6:16), on a mountain top, and there he builds an alter (Genesis ). Thus the Ark on Ararat now becomes a makeshift temple. Patriarchs and Kings ever since thereafter start building temple on the exact spots where they had physically seen God standing at (Genesis 12:6-7; 18:1; 26:25; 28:18; 1 Chronicles 16:38-40; 2 Chronicles 1:2-13).

Abraham and Sarah saw God

King Melchizedek was a “Son of God” (Hebrews 7:3). The Priest-King of Salem. He had a superior Priesthood than even Levi possessed, and as the spiritual superior of Abraham, marked by the fact that he blessed Abraham and not the other way around. Which Jews say at this moment Melchizedek passed on the Semitic priesthood Abraham was blessed with from Melchizedek. Melchizedek's offering foreshadows sacramental bread and wine. Priesthood somehow came through Shem to Abraham (1 Chronicles 1:24-27). Abram, and his royal covenant wife, are both renamed with new regal names “Abraham” and “Sarah [princess]”

Abraham has a Theophany of the Lord and two angels, as “three men” under a grove of trees, “The Lord Appeared unto [Abraham] by the terebinth trees” (Genesis 12:7; 14:18-20). Later they come, Sarah makes cakes and Abraham greets and entertains them as friends (Genesis 18:8). This meeting is so casual, so extraordinary, Abraham became forever regarded as the “friend of God” (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). Also so extraordinary that some Jews and scholars still deem this as impossible. Whoever this man was, it either couldn't really be the Lord God, or they didn’t really eat a meal with them. They can't accept the truth, if the truth is unacceptable.

Hagar Saw God

Hagar was rescued by, and received a covenant promise from, an “angel of the Lord” (Genesis 16:7, 9-11). As with many later times in the Bible, this was a Angel Theophany. This “the angel of the Lord” she saw turned out to be “the Lord” himself. “So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her”, (Gen 16:13)

"Thou God seest [H#7210] me: for she said, Have I also here looked [H#7200] after him that seeth me?” (KJV) or “'You are a God of seeing,' for she said, 'Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’” (ESV). If she had seen God, she lived, the Law somehow doesn’t apply to her. Why? If I’m correct, though Hagar is not Abraham's wife of the original covenant. Hagar may have gone through similar initiation rites when she was given to Abraham, or she was simply pure enough for the Holy Spirit to protect her at the time to grant a spontaneous transfiguration to forge another covenant. Like the First Gentile Christian Cornelius, pure enough to receive the Holy Ghost before partaking in any rite of circumcision nor baptismal rites (Acts 10:44-48). Thus the encounter transfigured her, that protected her from the divine encounter and also fertilized her with a divinely promised seed. Fertility is a common mark of female divine encounters.

She not only being saved, she was being offered a royal Covenant with God and her seed, an Ishmaelic Covenant (Genesis 6:16). While her promised seed would not be the line of the promised messiah, and would not receive land in Caanan as Sarah's seed would, her seed was promised things in common to Israelite covenant holders, with a near same commission. Promised fertility and land to rule (Genesis 16:10-12). Ishmael received his own promised land in Arabia and was fruitful with Twelve princes, just like Jacob-Israel's Twelve princes.

Isaac Saw God

The Angel of the Lord asked for Abraham's son, “And Isaac spake unto Abraham... Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide [ra'ah, see] himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:7-8). The translation does not literally translate “God will provide”, but rather “God will see” so the common interpretation is, “God will see-to-it”.

Isaac was spared from being sacrificed by an “angel of the Lord”, and this turned out to be an Angel Theophany. It was actually the Lord himself whom had asked for his son to begin with. The angel says, “thou hast not withheld thy son… from me” (Genesis 22:11-12, 15). Because Abraham knows he saw God, in Patriarchal custom, he built a holy shrine on the physical spot God stood.

He calls the spot on the mount “Jehovah-Jireh [that is (H#3070) YHWH and (H#7200) ra'ah which means to “see”]. Which is literally “Yhwh/Lord Sees”. In Hebrew there is usually two ways to interpret something, there is the common interpretation The Lord-(will)-See-(To it)] because “On the mountain of Yahweh shall provided [see to it]” or it could be interpreted The Lord-(is)-Seen, for in this “place the Lord will [ra'ah, be seen]” or (Genesis 22:14)

Isaac also makes a covenant with Laban at a place they called Mizpah [the Tower]. The Tower is a temple (Isaiah 5; 1 Enoch 89:56; Assumption of Moses 2:4; Shepherd of Hermas, Parables 3:2:4; 9:3:1; 9:7:1). Issac is a temple builder.

Jacob saw God

Jacob's Dream saw a multi-teired heaven, he describes as a Ladder, his in which he saw God (Genesis 28:12). Whether dreams count as a theophany, Jacob has no doubt, and as custom dictates, he build a temple at the physical location where he saw God, on the stone pillow, and named it Bethel: The House of God.

Jacob said he “saw” a “man” and “wrestled” or embraced him until sun rise and is renamed “Israel” (). Parallel to Royal Priestly initiation rites includes a ritual embrace, a new name like that of both Kings and Priests, a ritual usually done at sun rise on the 8th day (1st Day). Jacob names the spot “Penuel: for I have seen God face to face” and to his great surprise, a In seeming contradiction to Mosaic Law, he observed “my life is preserved”, he saw God and did not die (Gen 32:24-30). Not all Jews agree to the meaning of the name Israel, some say it derives from the words “Ys [(H#376) man)] r’h [(H#7200) sees, saw]-El [(H#410) God] “ “a man seeing God” (Prayer of Joseph Fragment a-3; Midrash on Hosea 9:10; Philo of Alexandria, Leg. Alt. 2:34; 3:186; Post. 92; Conf. 56, 146).

In Jewish Tradition, Jacob had re-transformed into an angel, his angelic name, “Israel” was his pre-mortal name who had been always was prior to his birth (The Prayer of Joseph).

Moses Himself Seems to Defy the Mosaic Law and saw God

Moses was among the last of the true Patriarchs before he delegated tasks to his new lesser priests, but Moses was also a “priest” (Psalms 99:1). He wasn’t one of Aaron’s sons, he was his brother. The later authority of the Aaronic High Priesthood was much more inferior to Moses’ own authority. Unlike a High Priest of Aaron who had to prepare all year to endure God’s presence once during the Atonement, Moses was able to speak to the Lord, “face to face”. many times long before he was on Sinai (Deuteronomy 5:4-5). Before the Sinai and the Sin of the Golden Calf, Moses and God spoke “mouth to mouth”, and Moses was permitted to see his “form” without any word of warning, no questions during it, or any lingering issues afterwards (Numbers 12:8).

It’s the priesthood that men in the past prepared themselves to interact with God in temple service and survive. First Century Jewish scholar, Philo of Alexandria, preeminent scholar among Egyptian Jews and from a High Priestly family (Jerome, On Illustrious Men, 11) interprets "there shall be no man in the tabernacle" (Lev 16:17) when the High Priest enters the presence of God, as "he shall not be a man" (Philo, On Dreams 2:189-213). Hence, Moses was not a man, he transfigured when he saw God, and this is what made his face shine (Ex 34:29; Philo, Moses 1:158). Moses' authority was different from Aaron's, the priesthood is necessary to approach God (Philo, Abr., 122), while Aaron could only prepare himself once a year, there was a higher priesthood that allowed Moses to endure it continually (Philo, Gig 52-55).

A change and a warning originates from the Lord, only after the Israelites sinned with the Golden Calf. Moses, as the Royal High Priest, attempting to renew the Everlasting Covenant of Abraham, before it would become amended into the inferior Mosaic Covenant. Moses failed to implement the original Abrahamic covenant before he could even bring the Law for the Covenant down. Moses smashes the covenant tablets that were written by the anthropomorphic (human) “finger of God” (Exodus 32:19). In Jewish tradition, those were different commandments on those other tablets, intended for “immortals”. Or as the Christians said, the Mosaic Law was carnal ().

Moses after this failure to renew the covenant returns to the Lord bearing some blame as he begs for forgiveness on behalf of Israel and offers his life to fix it, which the Lord refuses. As Moses talks to God “face to face”, as Moses did many times did before. Though unlike times before, Moses is suddenly vexed, and notices something that he has not brought up at any other time than at this juncture. Moses was seeing the Lord kept holding His anthropomorphic “hand” over his anthropomorphic “face”, and Moses is only now at this low point inquiring about this odd thing that seems to have not happened before, or else why would he ask now? To answer Moses’ confusion, having never done this before and never had to explained this to him before, He says that He is holding His hand over His face because “no man can see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). Moses was just on the mountain earlier having ritually prepared himself, but after returned from the scene now it seems Moses himselfis not fully or properly transfigured.

All Israel saw God: Deuteronomy vs. Exodus

In Exodus, God is the most anthropomorphic. Moses calls God “a man” of war (Exod. 15:3). God is on the mountain top, and it is covered in smoke, like temple incense clouds, which functions to obscure God: “Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for YHWH had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln…” (Exodus 19:18). God warns the Israelites not to come near the mountain to try to see him or they could die, “Go down, warn the people not to break through to YHWH to gaze, lest many of them perish.” (Exod 19:21).

So, if regular people were to go up the mountain, they will see God, and “many”, but not all, will die as a consequence. So in Exodus, God makes a physical appearance on earth in a bodily form that, though fatal, can be seen by normal humans, which is the reason for the smoke and for the laying down of rules to keep the Israelites away.

God does permit a select group of Israelites a glimpse at him while they ate because they won't die if they saw God. Moses, Aaron, the Seventy Elders (and two Prophets), the Twelve Princes of Israel from each of the Twelve Tribes, were not treated as ordinary people at Sinai. They had been initiated into the priesthood and so were all invited up the sacred mountain to eat their sacred meal and there they all, quote, “saw the God of Israel”. Not a mere light, or glory, or fire theophany, but an actual form in human likeness. Exodus says they saw him as a man on the throne, they “saw the God of Israel” and saw under his “feet” a sapphire stone (Exod 24:10) and the Nobles of Israel also “saw God”. This must be an exception to the Law of Moses that threatened death, as they were surprised that they were brought to no harm after seeing God (Exodus 24:9-12)

It does seem to be contradicted by a lost book of Moses, discovered during the reign of King Josiah, with an introduction and ending were written by an unknown author, attributed to Moses, the Book of Deuteronomy (The Second Law [of Moses]). Deuteronomy recasts the revelation at Sinai. In both accounts of the revelation, the Israelite do not see God, however, the reason differs. In Deuteronomy, by contrast, God does not manifest himself on earth in a bodily form. God does make a fire, and speak from the fire, but the book pleads that the Israelites should not imagine that their forefathers had seen God in some corporeal form in the fire, “YHWH spoke to you out of the fire: the voice of words you heard but you did not see a form.” (Deut 4:12). The voice came from the fire, “From the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; on earth He let you see His great fire; and from amidst that fire you heard His words.” (Deut 4:36). It seems in Deuteronomy, God is only manifested in words and in fire, not in a bodily form.

Or perhaps there is middle ground, after all, the rest of Israel were not allowed near the Mountain, for as normal men would “perish” at the sight of the glory, it would kill uninitiated men on accident (Exodus 24:9-10). Only the Elders had divine protection, but what else are we to attribute to their survival?

The Jews have had conflicting ideologies throughout time to explain this, but there are many Jewish sources that give one very simple explanation. Jews remember in their oral traditions (the Talmud) and in their great commentaries (Midrash Rabbah), the Israelites did literally see God, seemingly in violation of the Law, however in accord with the Law, they did not “live” when they saw him, they had instantaneously “died” and were instantaneously raised up, they had been transfigured in the blink of an eye (Talmud, b. Shabbat 88b; Midrash Exodus Rabbah 29:4, 9; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 20:4; Pesikta Rabbati 20:4; Midrash Tehillim 19:13; 68:5, 7).

If you doubt all of these ancient sources, the same conclusion could be derived from the Bible. The Bible describes Apotheosis of the common Israelites. All Israel was originally intended to be made priests before the sin with the golden calf, not merely the Levites (Exodus 19:5-5; Deuteronomy 7:6-8). There were already a few non-Aaronic priests among them before the initiation of Aaron (Exodus 19:22). As some Israelites had been ritually preparing themselves, they washed their cloths (Exodus 19:10) but also immersed their bodies (Exodus 19:6, 14; Mekhilta on Exodus 19:14; Rambani on Exodus 19:14). And after this baptism, a washing ritual of the original Priesthood (Testament of Levi 8:2-10). It was the Priestly initiatory baptism, a ritual death and resurrection, enabled the Seventy Elders of Israel, and a Nobles to go halfway up the mountain with Aaron and survive the Theophany.

Balaam, The Moabite Prophet and his *** Saw God

Balaam the Prophet was instructed of King Balak to go to Moab and curse Israel, but the “Angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him”. Balaam could not see him. However, the *** could see him as clear as day and would not cross paths with him. The *** pushed itself against a wall and even laid down in the middle of the road. Balaam beat it three time when the *** spoke reason (Numbers 22:22-35). “The Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face” (Numbers 22:31), this was an Angel Theophany, who made even a foreign Prophet and his *** seers.

Joshua Saw God

After Wandering in the desert for 40 years, and Joshua was put in charge of taking Canaan. When they neared Jericho, Joshua, “lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand.” Joshua approached the Man and asked, “Are you for us or against us? He says he was not against them, “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped” this Man. Where he stood was Temple grounds, “take your saddle off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy” (Joshua 5:13-15)

The Seers are Prophets who see God

The Prophets of old didn’t define their positions as prophets by merely “speaking” the word of the Lord, but by “seeing” Him also. Those older prophets even used to be called “Seers” (1 Samuel 9:9), but the scribes that abridged the “Deuteronomic” histories (Judges, Samuel and Kings) seems to dislike this term because they disliked the idea of seeing God all together.

Jeremiah defined prophethood with seeing the council of Elohim, by which prophet received decrees to deliver to earth (Jeremiah 23:18). Daniel relates the decree of the “watchers”, the “gods” of the council ruled by the Most High God (Daniel 44:8, 13, 17)

Gideon Saw God

Gideon wasn’t a Levite, but was from the tribe of Manasseh, but he become consecrated a priest after he meets an “angel of the Lord” who was the Lord Himself (Judges 6:14-16). In the Book of Judges, the term “angel of the Lord” is almost always means “the Lord”. Judges says it was the “angel of the Lord” that slew the firstborn of Egypt (Judges 2:2), while the Mosaic accounts make it clear it was the Lord himself, and no one else (Exodus 12:12; Deuteronomy 32:35). So, Gideon saw God “face to face” (Judges 6:22). When he suddenly realized he has done the impossible, he gets worried that he is going to die, but doesn’t (Judges 6:16). Moses said that men aren’t supposed to be able to see God and live. If the exception is a priest, Gideon of non-Levitical decent, must have spontaneously transfigured. Elements of consecration that made him a Melchizedek priest. When he offers a meal to the angel on a rock, it then becomes transmuted into burnt offering, and act accepted which consecrated Gideon as a priest and he builds a pillar temple on the spot he saw God (). “Consecration” means “to put into the hand”, a token of office in put in your hand. For Aaronic priests, incense or sacrificial meat is put in their hand, and they were supposed to throw it into the fire, and only after that act is a man consecrate to his office.

Manoah and his Wife saw God

Manoah and his wife pray for children. His wife sees a “man”, who turned out to be an “angel” whose name is “secret”, who turns out was “God”. The divine name of the Lord, though spelled out in Hebrew as YHWH, is deemed “ineffable”, the proper pronunciation is a secret. To make know doubt they saw God, they paraphrase Moses when they say, “we shall surely die, because we have seen God” (Judges 13:22). They didn’t die, but why?

Manoah offered the man food, but the man requested a burnt offering to the Lord. (Judges 13:16). The man ascended into heaven, signaling to them he was God. Manoah and his wife by the act of giving an accepted offering were thus consecrated as priests. Also, his wife was conceiving while barren which is a sign of her involvement in the covenant. Miraculous conceptions, fertility are signs of those who entered the royal priestly covenant. Entering the Royal covenant in temple marriage enables even women in olden times to become likewise anointed and enrobed like a priest and so were able to approach God safely.

King David and the Elders of Israel saw God

David was anointed and ritually resurrected or “raised up” (Psalms 89:19) like Melchizedek was (Hebrews 7:15-17) and also reborn as a “son” of God (2 Samuel 7:2) in the Temple (Psalms 2:7; LXX, Psalms 109:3; 2 Kings 11:14) and during the king’s coronation, the temple priests sang a psalm to him declaring him a “priest after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalms 110:4). He would offer burnt offerings and peace offering before the Ark of the Covenant when it was brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuels 6:17-18). So it’s no great wonder that even King David saw a detailed anthropomorphic God of Israel twice (1 Kings 11:9). David “saw… the Lord stand… having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem… David and the elders of Israel… fell upon their faces” (1 Chronicles 16:38-40; 2 Chronicles 1:2-13). Solomon built the Temple on the exact place they physically saw God standing. Solomon offered sacrifices himself three times a year (1 Kings 9:25).

Isaiah saw God

Isaiah was a Temple priest, “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne” flanked by “Seraphim”-angels (Isaiah 6:1), and in defiance of the Mosaic Law, as he exclaims “Woe is me! Because I am a man… mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). While that is true, Isaiah is spontaneously purified by an intermediary Seraphic-angel (Isaiah 6:6-7).

In Jewish history, Isaiah was executed by King Manasseh for the crime of "They say that Isaiah was cut asunder by the people, as one who depraved the law and spoke beyond what Scripture authorized. For Scripture says, No one shall see my face and live; but he says, I saw the Lord of Hosts. Moses, they say, saw Him not, and thou didst see Him! And for this cause they cut him asunder."

The scriptures do say King Manasseh had a bloody reign (2 Kings 21:16) and Hebrews 11 presents a list of Old Testament champions of faith, including a description of several anonymous martyrs and persecuted saints. Hebrews 11:37 states, “Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword” (Hebrews 11:37). There is only one tale of a martyr that was sawed in half, the Isaiah the prophet. A host of first-century Jewish-Christian books and Rabbinical traditions describe how Isaiah was killed; he was ordered to be sawn in two by King Manasseh while in a cedar tree; the Talmud, Ascension of Isaiah; Martyrdom of Isaiah; Lives of the Prophets; Josephus, "Manasseh not sparing even the prophets of the Lord" (Antiq. x.3.1) and Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 120. Did Isaiah violated the dictates of the law against theophanies?

Ezekiel Saw God

Ezekiel was a Temple priest (Ezekiel 1:3), he says to God “there will I plead with you face to face” (Ezekiel 20:35). God traveled with Israel into Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1). Ezekiel sees the Chariot throne flanked by “Cherubim”-angels (Ezekiel 1:5). Then he sees God on the throne in the form of a “man” (Ezekiel 1:26). In his second vision of God, sees God again as a man of fire and bronze (Ezekiel 8;2; 1:27). The one on the throne was accompanied by a Christ-like man in white robes. The scribe of the one’s judgments (Ezekiel 9:1). Christ is the scribe of the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5).

Daniel Saw God

Daniel, a member of the royal family of Judea (Daniel 1:3, 6; Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 10:10:1[186]; Ginzburg, Legend of the Jews, V6, p 414). Daniel was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, being one of the three eunuchs (Isaiah 39:7), and the three companions were his sons (Daniel 1:3, 6-7, 11, 18; Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 10:10:2 [190]). A married persons with three children can be called a “eunuch” as it is generally the accepted term for “courtiers” on account that many of the ancient courtiers were made eunuchs (Genesis 39).

As a Wiseman in King David's court he was threatened when the King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the death of all Wise courtiers. Daniel had taken some Nazarite vow against eating meat or wine.

“I saw in the night visions... with the clouds of heaven, the “son of man” (Daniel 7:9-14), The man in linen (Daniel 10-12). The unnamed warrior angel of Israel, while the angel Michel came to his aid (Daniell 10:2). Christ is the warrior on the white horse (Revelation 19:11-16) aided by Michael the Archangel (Revelations 12:7). When the prophet Daniel received a vision of the glorious Christ, his strength left him. He fell into deep sleep with his face to the ground. However, an angel touched him and told him not to fear (Daniel 10:8–12). He knew "[Illaya (H#5943) Elyon]" rules the nations of the earth by means of the "gods (H#426)" (Daniel 4:8), the "holy ones [(H#6922)]", the "watchers ['irim (H#5894)]" (Daniel 4:13, 17), who rescued his servants by means of a certain "Son of God" (Dan 3:35; 6:22).

Zechariah saw God

Zechariah had ten visions in one night, the first is a man on a red horse, an angelic horseman envoy responding to the “angel of the Lord” and the “Lord of Hosts”, a man among the myrtle trees (Zechariah 1:7-17). This is the Lord himself, and is correspondent to the Christ-warrior on the white horse (Revelation 19:11-16), the leader of the four horsemen (Revelation 6:1-8). Zechariah is shown in another vision Joshua the High Priest as he stood before the Angel of the Lord, the angel somehow had the right to remove Joshua's iniquity (Zechariah 3:1) and gave him priestly garments of glory. A little Apotheosis to make him worthy to stand before him.

Peter, James and John saw God

The transfiguration of Jesus is one of the most “neglected” stories in the entire New Testament. The Apostles were seers and so saw who Christ really was. "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Corinthians 12:3). Peter confesses that Jesus is the Son of God;;Jesus commands the disciples not to tell anyone; Promises the keys of binding (Melchizedek authority); Jesus calls his disciples to follow him sacrificially; Jesus transfigures on the 8th day on the mountain; and commands the disciples to keep quiet until after his resurrection, finally the Apostles somehow have the keys.

The Transfiguration is the event in which the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples experienced Jesus assume a glorious nature. The transfiguration narrative was Christ's Apotheosis, and a Christophany. Which describes a visual revelation of who Jesus really is. The term Christophany is a variation on the more familiar word Theophany, a scene in which the deified Christ reveals his self to humans. In the transfiguration story Jesus is revealed as a glorious figure superior to Moses and Elijah, and is identified by the heavenly voice of God the Father from behind a bright cloud as his Son. In the Markan context of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, the transfiguration gives a glimpse of Jesus’ new nature. The account 2 Peter of the transfiguration of Jesus. Peter claims to have been an “eyewitness” to the “majesty” of Jesus and to have heard the heavenly voice proclaim him Son of God, the was the Kings of old were (see Ps 2:7; 2 Sam 7:2).

A bright cloud enveloped the top of the mountain, and a voice from within the cloud said “this is my Son” meaning that this was God the Father himself physically on the mountain. Some call this a Cloud Theophany, but God isn't a cloud. The cloud is functioning as Temple incense, to obscure the sight of God the Father who is hidden inside the cloud. While the disciples collapsed..

Stephen Saw God

Habakkuk says that God is too bright for human eyes (Habakkuk 3:4) This is what Paul says also, God “dwells in unapproachable light whom no man has ever seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). How do we interpret this? For what do we make of the fact that Paul has done seemingly contrary to this statement and has seen this unseen light of God and also personally witnessed another apostle be killed for the inhuman feat and crime of seeing God.

While he was still Saul the Pharisee, he witnessed the trial of the Apostle Stephen standing before the entire Jewish High Priestly Council of the Seventy Elders, the Sanhedrin, when Stephen Transfigures with the divine light of an angel. They “saw his face as it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). This was a transformation through the power of the Holy Ghost and this physical transformation is what allowed him to see what was otherwise hidden, to see the anthropomorphic forms of both God the Father and Jesus Christ in heaven. Stephen, “being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God… Behold I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55)

Once again, seeing God through transfiguration is not some innovation I am making; rather this is an ancient but commonly discarded insight because it is contrary to common modern dogmas. They rather doubt the reality of these scriptures to support the strict meaning of other scriptures just because they can neither explain how it was done, nor replicate the feat, being devoid of divine leaders. An explanation is offered in a First Century Jewish-Christian document, claimed to be authored by Clement, not the Biblical Clement who was the Bishop of Rome, another Clement, a traveling companion of Apostle Peter. Quoting Peter, Peter is portrayed giving an excellent explanation, “the eyes of mortals cannot see the invisible form of the Father or Son, because it is illuminated by exceeding light. For he who sees God cannot live. For the excess of light dissolves the flesh of him who sees, unless by the secret power of God, the flesh be changed into light, so it can see light.” (Clementine Homilies 17:16)

It was by his transformation that Stephen had divine sight, but if Stephen’s transformation was beyond the study and experiences of the Jewish Priests and Scribes of his day, armed with an uninspired interpretation of the Law of Moses makes Stephan’s testimony seems contrary to the Law. Men cannot see God and live. Therefore, this man who has seen, or claims to have seen, God and must then die. The High Priests of the Sadducees and Pharisees that heard Stephen’s claim to see God screamed, plugged up their ears, cast him out and stoned him to death for the great crime the scriptural law that has clearly been misinterpreted by uninspired men (Acts 7:57-58). Saul heard what Stephen had said, and so not only did he know a man who claimed to have seen God, and he himself would soon see the glory of the Lord.

Paul Saw God

On the road to Damascus, he saw a “light from heaven” that fell to earth and Saul asked, “who art thou Lord?”, the Light said, “I am Jesus”. This is a Christophany, but if you think Paul was safe because he only saw the Lord-Jesus, the Lord said that men cannot see Him in Exodus. To Paul, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord-God of the Old Testament. He used Old Testament passages that referred to the Lord Yahweh and applied them to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul takes references Joel 2:32 when telling them to call on the Lord God and applies it to the Lord Jesus in Romans 10:13. Paul refers to Christ in 1 Corinthians 2:16, for example, but he alludes to Isaiah 40:13 (cf. Isaiah 40:13-28; 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5). For just a few more examples; Romans 10:13 cf. Joel 2:32; 1 Cor. 1:31 cf. Jer. 9:24; 1 Cor. 2:16 cf. Isa. 40:13; 1 Cor. 10:26 cf. Ps. 24:1; 2 Cor. 10:17 cf. Jer. 9:24. The other Apostles see, to concur, the pre-incarnate Jesus is the Biblical “I Am” who spoke to met Abraham in his tent (John 8:58) and spoke to Moses in the Burning Bush, the very person who originally told Moses men couldn’t see him and live in the first place (Exodus 3:14).

What is interesting at the road to Damascus is that Jesus was still invisible to the other men who did not see the light Saul was seeing. Jesus Christ isn't the one who changed from invisible to visible, Paul was the one who changed. As a seer, he could see that which was still invisible to others. He did physically see the divine light, its potency to human eyes is probably why he also went blind (Act 9:3-9). Paul would see the Lord many other times (Acts 23:11). In his words it was not merely a light, he saw his person and he added his testimony to the other Apostles as a witness of the resurrected Christ, “he was seen of me also” (1 Corinthians 15:8) Without occasion, Paul would often describe Christ the exact way Stephen did as on the right hand of God the Father, “Christ… who is even at the right hand of God” (Romans 8:34). “The God of our Lord… set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:17, 20; Col 3:1). As Stephen told him, sits to the right of God's throne (Hebrews 12:2; also 1:3; 10:12). Paul speaks of Christians joining to the Melchizedek Priesthood, it is the way anyone one can as a High Priests do, “draw nigh unto God”, and thus see him (Hebrews 7:19)

Paul had frequent ascension visions, his “visions and revelations [apocalypse?] of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 12:1). he would see a Holy of Holies of a heavenly Temple. He calls it “paradise [pardec (G#3857), a Persian word referring to a walled park or a enclosed garden, like those on the interior of great Persian buildings]”, like a Temple, the Holy of Holies is the great interior room of the Temple. Paul also calls it the “third heaven”, heaven like the Temple of Solomon was tripartite, three sections (a Courtyard, a Holy Place and a Holy of Holies). Paul deemed it “unlawful” to describe what he saw in that place, but I’d wager it was perhaps exactly what Stephen saw that was so unlawful. The basic prophetic vision of the heavenly Holy of Holies often describes the contents as the Throne of God and also the One sits upon it. Through his many encounters, Paul must have undergone transformations of his own, “out of the body or out of the body I cannot tell”, he could have met God in the flesh. Paul often described how but the abundance of his encounters with God, he was barely a human. How due to a thorn in his side he was not yet “exhalted above measure through the abundance of revelations” (2 Corinthians 12:1-7). Paul knew of many ancient temple traditions, and calls the transfiguring of the body akin to a change of a robe (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

Theophanies and Theosis in the Apocalypses

Like Paul, John the Revelator also had apocalyptic visions of heaven, such as in what he called his “revelation [apocalypse] of Jesus Christ” (Revelations 1:1). Other examples of an apocalypse are those of the Book of Daniel and Book of Enoch. Visionary ascensions into heaven, all marked by strange imagery, but the imagery is often similar. One of these common themes are; animal figures symbolize men, and men figures symbolize divine beings.

So, in the apocalypse of Daniel, Daniel talks about the “beasts” that rise out of the “sea”, these chimera sea animals are actual representatives of the non-Israelite kings and their kingdoms that attack Israel (Daniel 7:3, 17). While those Daniel calls “men” are actually divine figures. Christians know Gabriel is an divine angel (Luke 1:11-19; 1 Enoch) but when he appears in Daniel he is called “the man Gabriel” (Daniel 9:21). Daniel has a figure he refers to as the “son of man” (Daniel 7:13), which the Apostles use to refer to Christ because a “son of man” despite other times he is the “Son of God”, is because the phrase is interchangeable.

The language of the apocalypses of the First Book of Enoch is important to the topic, is Enoch's theme of animals becoming men. What Enoch means is that these are really transfigurations of men into divine beings. Enoch's Book of Dreams describes an apocalyptic history of the Hebrews, there are unnamed but identifiable human Biblical figures as animals that later transform in to “men”, Noah is a white “bull” that becomes a “man” (1 Enoch 89:1). There is an angelic Christ-like figure called “the Son of Man” (1 Enoch 37-71) and when Enoch himself becomes initiated by angels with priestly robes, the angels declared Enoch a “Son of Man”, a born again “son of God” (1 Enoch 71:14).

Now in John's Apocalypse, he write of the “man-child”, but we recognize this as Jesus Christ, so in John’s language, and he means the “divine-child” (Revelations 12:5). Like the sea monsters in Daniel, representing nations attacking Jerusalem nations, the fourth beast has ten horns, representing a fourth empire which will persecute God's people (Daniel 7:7). John sees a sea dragon with seven heads and ten horns that come to destroy Jerusalem, identified as seven human "kings." The Roman Empire, whose ensign was a dragon, the seven heads represent seven successive rulers of Rome which are succeeded by a ten-nation confederacy which had ten simultaneous kings (Rev 17:10-13, Adv. Haer. 5.26.1). And just like in Daniel, Jesus Christ is the “Son of Man” instead of the “Son of God” (Revelations 1:13).

With this in mind, John himself, very much like the description that Stephen and Paul gave, saw God the Father and Jesus at his right hand, but might get glanced over because he describes them in apocalyptic terms, “I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book [a man, meaning it is a divine being, an anthropomorphic God the Father]… in the midst of the throne and the four beasts [humans]… stood a lamb [a more iconic beast, a human, Christ because he is the 'lamb of God”]… He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne [a lamb with anthropomorphic hands]” (Revelations 5:1).

The Christophany of John, John Became “of God” and Sees God the Father

Now the Book of Revelations was written while in prison, and afterwards he wrote the Gospel of John. So, despite having personally seen God the Father in his Apocalyptic vision, John himself would later say that “no man” has seen God and lived (John 1:18), but John later qualifies his meaning again as, “not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father” (John 6:46). Are we to assume he merely means only Jesus saw God? Because Jesus, under certain contexts, isn’t the only Son of God. John acknowledges that all Christians will see God, they just won't be men when they see him. Men can become “of God”, and transform through theosis and this enables them to see God. As John says, “now we are the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear; we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

When John sees the Lord in his glory, John, as a man, does not survive his experience, neither was he a mere man afterwards. He was becoming transfigured and initiated as a Temple High Priest. John saw a Temple in heaven, after the manner of a restored Temple of Solomon, rather than like unto the Temple of Herod which was still under control of hostile Jewish High Priests. John saw the form of a man standing in the midst of seven golden lamps (the heavenly temple’s Menorah). So, this is the Holy Place, and the man he saw is the High Priest of the heavenly Temple, Jesus Christ. Then the man he sees transfigures (Revelations 1:13-14) and John sees the transfigured glory, it seems comparable to the Glory of the Lord in the past, as John then falls down “as dead” (Revelations 1:17). Just like when the prophet Daniel received a his vision of the glorious Christ, his strength left him. He fell into deep sleep with his face to the ground. However, an angel touched him and told him not to fear (Daniel 10:8–12).

Our word for “initiation” comes from the Latin and means “finishings or deaths”. John also puts the rites of the ancient priests on display in his book; including baptism/washing, anointing and enrobing, etc., and all representing death, burial, revival, quickening of your spirit into the body, and resurrection. They also relate to birth or rebirth. As a child of emerges from the immersion of the womb waters, his breath/spirit enters him, he is “born”, or in the ritual sense he is “born again”, a ritually transfigured state. One is physically prepared to experience the divine presence and thereafter meeting the divine by which he may very well physically transfigure. Other times they spontaneously transfigure and then latter are consecrated, as both events go hand in hand. Which John in Revelations uses language only for initiates “he that hat an ear, let him hear,” a message for only the “true” among the seven churches in Asia (Revelations 3:7). Initiates are those becoming “Priests and Kings”, entering a “royal priesthood” (Revelations 1:5-6; 1 Peter 2:5). The priests sang during the King's coronation that the King was a “priests after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalms 110:4). Through this process, Kings were born again as the “son” of the Lord God (2 Samuel 7:2; Psalms 2:7).

Once John had seen God and died, he gets back up. John is about to be initiated into the Royal-Melchizedek High Priesthood. For at the Holy Place a door opens, and John hears a voice summoning him inside the Holy of Holies through its veil (Revelations 4:1). Which if one studied other Jewish ascension visions, they describe how the back side of the heavenly veil contains all of history written on it. It is interesting that at this point that John on the other side of the Temple veil, John regales us with a panorama of all history, past and future (the 6 Seals and 6 Woes of Trumpets are what was the past, the 7th Seal and Trumpet is the future). During John’s initiation the Angel had given John a book he had to eat (Revelations 10:9-10) possibly a purification rite for John. Similar to when Isaiah dreaded death from seeing the Lord because he was impure, a mediator Seraphim-Angel put a coal to his lips, which served to purge and purify Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5-6).

The completion of the priestly rites was enthronement, marked by some equivocation between the new human sons of God and the angelic Sons of God, even Christ, the pre-eminent, firstborn Son of God. John says, “he that hath an ear let him hear” to them that overcome can “sit with me in my throne… [just] as I… am sit down with my Father in his throne” (Revelations 3:2). This royal enthronement is not just a post-mortem statement, just as the royal anointing and enrobing was done in life, this status can also be obtained before death. We see at the end of John’s own initiation. At first, John was not rebuked for worshiping the Christ-angel (Revelations 1:17) but after his induction, he is then rebuked for worshiping the Christ-angel for the reason that both John and the Christ were (now, not before) “fellow servants” to God the Father (Revelations 19:10; 22:8-9). As Paul puts it, by God’s “adoption of sons” (Galatians 5:4), equivocates with other sons “thou art no more a servant but a son, and if a son the heir of God” (Galatians 4:8) and if heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. By becoming “sons” through the priesthood, it renders everyone equal regardless of decent, or even gender, which I’ll have to explain elsewhere (Galatians 3:27-28).

This was Christ’s greatest crime of blasphemy to the Jews. By Christ merely claiming to be a Son of God, while not claiming to be “God” the Father, they thought it was still blasphemy because His status as a Son of God was still a claim to be equal to God. Jesus' equality with the Father is brought on by his sonship (John 5:18 Philip 2:6), thus the Father and Son are equal (Matthew 20:12; Luke 20:36; John 5:18; Philip 2:6). Those made sons are made equal to God. As John says, that sons “of God hath seen God” (1 John 6:46; Philip 2:6; John 5:18). Even though Christ has the honor of the designation of the “first born”, but we can become equal by becoming a “first born” also (Rom 8:14, 29), as King David (Psalms 89:26-27), forming a church of the first born (Hebrews 12:23).

What conclusion

An initiate into the New Everlasting Covenant, the body can be obtain a resurrected form, but the condition of death is stayed and one’s body is relatively immortal when compared to what you were before. Subtle changes can have been made to the body, death is delayed, longevity is given. Though not yet an angel, through these blessings, you are more than an average human.

Arguments against Theosis

Theosis is Wrong: the Serpent was a liar

Many seriously misunderstand and misinterpret Genesis 3 to say the aspiration to godhood is sin. Note that the serpent makes two claims: (1) "ye shall not surely die" and (2) "ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3). If one looks ahead further, to Genesis 3:22, God confirmed that second claim of the serpent came to pass: "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us [gods], to know good and evil:"..

So to use of Genesis 3 to counter the doctrine of deification/theosis has two problems associated with it. The first is this chapter isn't even relevant to beliefs about deification, the Serpent never claimed that Adam and Eve would be “gods”, just that they would be "as gods, knowing good and evil." The Second and bigger problem is that Satan was, in fact, telling the truth on this point, as the Lord God confirms.

While the Serpent did beguile Eve, so he did lie, but as the old saying goes, the best lies are usually ones with some truth added to it. A lie was mixed with the truth. that Adam and Eve wouldn't die (a lie) but eating would make them "as gods, knowing good and evil" (a truth). The lie was transgressing God's law that threatened death would not bring death. Even death is strained, as God permits them to live to fulfill their commission, though they ultimately died. The act or desire to be like God is a sin or morally wrong, it is wrong to try to be like God without God. Though the blessing of he fruit had a price, was men be good or do good when they do not know what good is? Would there be no need for such a dangerous tree, or for God to have provided a sacrificial lamb from the foundation of the world if the Fall and having men come closer to godhood was somehow not God’s plan?

The desire for godhood is not a sin, to try to obtain godhood without God is a sin. No fruit, no tower to heaven.

Theosis is wrong: It violates the first commandment

This misinterprets the scriptures, firstly, not only does the first commandment “have no other gods before Me." not say there are no other gods, but it also actually presupposes that there are other gods, gods that are not to be worshiped nor prioritized before the Lord.

Secondly, how would the theosis of men violate the importance on the worship and placement of the "one true God". Man becoming derivative lesser gods, like-God, etc does not replace the God as our one true God, no matter how many may hold the title.

If you believe in God in such a way as to insist that whatever belongs to God Himself belongs to Him alone, and that no one can obtain his qualities and once obtained can be considered to be like God, Genesis shows that is not true. God said man became as "gods" because they knew good from evil, an attribute of gods only at the time. The only distinction from the divine Fall of Adam, men were also imperfect and mortal. But Christ came to fix that, shall we not all be resurrected into immortal and be 'eternal' like God is, as an inheritance (Mark 10:17)? Are we not adopted and become an heir, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans. 8: 17). As sons of God, we are to inherit “all” that the Father has, including some of His attributes (Revelation 21:7). To become one with Christ, even as Christ is one with the Father (John 17:20-23) To sit with Christ on His throne (Revelations. 3:21) To receive a glorified, immortal body like the body that Christ has (Philippians 3:21) To partake of the divine nature and be given all things pertaining to life and godliness, receiving glory (2 Peter 1:3-4) To be made kings and priests unto God and his Father (Rev. 1:6) As spirit children of God, to become partakers of his holiness (Hebrews 12:9-10) To be exalted by God (1 Peter 5:6). We were commanded to become perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:4). Are these promises, immortality, power, dominion, and other formerly unique attributes of God impossible to obtain?

Theosis is Salvation

Have you ever asked what is it to be saved? The world will give an uncertain answer, because its debated heavy. Well, the Bible actually gives us a definition of salvation; Salvation is when the body has transformed into the type of glory Christ had when he was resurrected. (Philip. 3:21).

Theophanies are not literal: God is “Spirit” (non-physical) so can’t physically be seen.

Firstly it is not Biblical that spirits don’t have any physical properties, because they can physically interact with matter, as Biblical spirits are described as physical wind that physically interact with people, like at Pentecost (Acts 2:2). The definition that spirits are non-physical is the influence later Greek Christians and philosophers.

Secondly, it is also not Biblical that spirits can’t be seen. When Christ was seen walking on water, they thought they were seeing a ghost (Matthew 14:29-27). When Christ was dead and resurrected, he was seen, but He had to prove to the Apostles what he wasn’t merely a spirit (Luke 24:37-39). The spiritually gifted Witch of Endor saw the Spirit of Samuel, though some dogmas doubt this, but the text says “it was Samuel” (1 Samuel 28:14) she described the to King Saul the correct visual attributes of the Spirit of Samuel, as an “old” man in a “coat” or robe.

Theophanies are not literal: God is “Invisible” so by definition can't be seen.

Christ’s physical body is in the “image [physical copy] of an invisible God” (Colossians 1:5), and indeed God is invisible to men, but that does not mean he is impossible to see. Rather, he is hidden behind a veil of this world. Things are invisible, not do to is properties but because they are in an invisible world, a place that is veiled from sight. Elisha sees. Elisha’s eyes were opened and he saw the invisible forces defending them. (2 Kings 6:17).

Thoughts?

[Pyreaux]

On 10/2/2022 at 7:48 AM, CV75 said:

Thoughts?

"Thought?"

Well, this is a paper that I had mentioned in this post:

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by Pyreaux

[JLHPROF]

3 hours ago, Brahms said:

I like this, but I wonder why it is called salvation rather than exaltation. I think of it as being saved in our best possible condition, and I think of the word saved as it is used to save files and records in computer programs.  Much better than being deleted.

Exaltation requires family kingdoms.  Salvation only involves the Savior and the saved.

[Saint Bonaventure]

Pyreaux, thanks for sharing your thoughts on theophanies and theosis. I imagine you spent significant time on the post you wrote, and I've found several of your ideas interesting. Your notion about differences in what a person sees during a theophany has my wheels turning.

I think, though, that if you intended your post as a response to my "Lo here" and "Lo there" post, you've not understood my point. That's probably on me, as my "Lo here" and "Lo there" post combines several ideas and just isn't all that clear. I'll try to clarify here, and even at the risk of making things worse.

 I think Joseph Smith was on the right track when he realized that the Protestants' appeals to the Bible divided the people. I can't speak to the Protestant preachers' manner and sincerity, but as I understand it, Joseph Smith realized that appealing to the Bible, on its own, was not going to answer his questions. 

Joseph Smith discovered, through reason so far as I can observe, that sola scriptura leads to division and contention. On a foundation of sola scriptura everyone has their own private interpretation. All of these arguments that Joseph Smith heard ultimately devolve into "But that's my interpretation!" because no Protestant, by definition, can claim the authority to objectively interpret scripture. The whole point of sola scriptura is that scripture is of private, that is, subjective, interpretation and one person's interpretation of scripture cannot be proven to be better, or truer, than another person's interpretation.  

When Joseph Smith read the words of St. James and desired wisdom, he was on the right path. As I indicated in my "Lo here" and "Lo there" post, I'm not going to speculate on what he experienced in the forest, or at other times. Catholic teaching allows for multiple possibilities.

My concern in the "Lo here" and "Lo there" post is that some of the folks discussing the gold plates might still be caught up in "Lo here" and "Lo there." Anything less than definitive, supernatural intervention, or wisdom to forego an unsolvable problem, and the puzzle of the gold plates will never be solved. Apologists and critics will forever move the goal posts with private interpretation, and no appeals to history will provide objective, indisputable answers to their questions. Many of them don't appear to have questions at all; they just pose subjective assertions in the form of questions, a technique as old as the rhetoricians of Aristotle's day and well-worn by Joseph's day.

Even if your President Nelson showed up at a press conference with gold plates, leafed through them, and explained what particular symbols meant, critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would cry foul. More importantly, believers wouldn't have their answers either. None of us were there for the definitive events, and so wisdom and faith suggest that obsessing about gold plates isn't wise.

Catholics and Orthodox do not believe in sola scriptura, and instead believe that the Church, as the body of Christ on earth, authoritatively teaches some objective truths. These are truths that will never be "walked back" or disregarded. We can develop in our understanding of them, but they don't change (and neither does God). As one responds to the grace of God, one cooperates with perfect existence itself (with God). These ideas are foundational to what Catholics call synergism, which is cooperation with God's grace. They are also foundational to theosis, which is why Catholics and Orthodox don't hold to the other pillar of Protestants, sola fide.  

There's another Catholic principle here, and it is that God does not merely speak truth--although he does do that. God is truth. In philosophical terms, God is objective truth and all of our little, subjective truths of private truth positively melt before the perfect truth that is God. That's what my reference to the Indiana Jones movie is all about.

I'll say a little about your notions of theophany and theosis, as they seem to signal some of the difficulties when LDS and Catholics interact. Specifically, Catholics have been discussing these concepts for centuries. For example, theosis is clearly articulated by Saint Athanasius in the fourth century. So, when LDS folks come along and use the words Catholics are familiar with, but then invest those words with meanings that are incompatible with Catholicism, we get our dander up. The thoughts are something like, "These folks consider us apostate Christians, and yet here they are, using terms we've used for our discourse for centuries, and all while saying that they themselves are Christians too." It doesn't sit well. I don't think there is ill-intent necessarily, and I appreciate that we have to use words that one another will understand, just please know that what you've described as theosis is fundamentally different from what Catholics have said about theosis all along. Maybe a clear way to state this is that LDS seem to believe that humans are different from God as a matter of degree, hence LDS believe Christ is their eldest brother, while Catholics believe they are different from God as a matter of kind. 

Finally, I'll say that when I read about Joseph Smith's experience in the forest in the Rough Rolling book, my thoughts were drawn in a Franciscan direction. Saint Francis loved and found wisdom in God's creation. He joyously blended his thoughts with the psalms and the world around him: 

Quote

 

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let the sea roar and all that fills it;

let the field exult, and everything in it.

Then let all the trees of the forest sing for joy

before the Lord (Psalm 96:11-13)

 

The wisdom of God is not going to be found in the din of "Lo here" and "Lo there," but rather in the sea roaring and the trees singing.    

Edited October 8, 2022 by Saint Bonaventure

[mfbukowski]

https://www.amazon.com/Saw-Pillar-Light-Robert-Millet-ebook/dp/B08DQQVSLD

Lotsa more theophanies

$12. Amazon kindle. Great stuff, took this course at Education Week

">

As we often hear, Joseph Smith's First Vision is foundational to the restored gospel: no Vision, no Restoration. It all starts there. If a major encounter between a fourteen-year-old boy and the Gods of the universe did not occur, then all that we teach and practice, all the good we strive to do in the name of Christian service, is vain and superficial—in the long run, it would have no saving significance for the children of God.

What receives much less attention, however, is what we learn from Joseph's encounter with God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. When we begin to explore the theological concepts discovered, the lessons derived, and the principles learned from the Vision, we move into the realm of doctrine—and doctrine has the power to save. As President Boyd K. Packer taught so powerfully, "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior" (Ensign, Nov. 1986). Sincere pondering and our own personal, prayerful encounter with the doctrines of the First Vision will change us, bringing about the kind of deep conversion the apostles and prophets encourage us to seek.   >"

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by mfbukowski