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APPENDIX TWO.
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 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY
                    Systematic & Biblical

Aranged and Compiled by Emery H. Bancroft, DD.

Late professor of Bible Doctringe and Systematic theology at the Baptist
Bible Seminary Johnson city, New York.
Various © 1925 –1949 ninth printing 1972 USA

Extract: pp.84-85

The character of the pre-existence of Christ can not be better expressed Man that of primeval glory John 17:6; PhH. 2:6, 7; Col 1 16; Heb 1:3 Just what this primeval glory was, we do not know. Jesus is spoken of as being in the bosom of the Father: John 1:18 and of being loved by the Father "before the foundation of the world " John 17:24 These and other phrases express ineffable relationships within the godhead which we can not comprehend

1. Old Testament Appearings.

From Genesis to Malachi, there are frequent instances of christophanies or appearings of Christ to His ancient people. These were two kinds; namely, material symbols, and manifestations in human form. The latter were theophanies or christophanies proper. (Theophany means an appearance of God; Christophany, an appearance of Christ).

a. Material Symbols

From the days of the Garden of Eden till the time of the destruction of Solomon 8 temple, there was a sensible representation of God upon the earth. Our first parents were permitted to come into close contact with Jehovah Himself: Gen. 3:8. In this verse, the word presence is literally “face”. Here there was a Divlne manifestation to both the eye and the ear. After the fall, God placed at the entrance of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword, visible manifestations of His presence. It was before this presence of God, doubtless, that Cain and Abel brought their offerings, and from it that Cain fled: Gen. 4:4,16. To the patriarchs, the Lord both appeared and spake in a manner Sensible to the eye and ear: Gen. 17:1; 18:1; Acts 7:2. Again, to Moses at the burning bush, Jehovah both appeared and spoke: Ex. 3:1-6. Finally, in the pillar of cloud and fire and in the Shekinah glory in tabernacle and temple, Jehovah repeatedly appeared and

spake to his servants Moses and Joshua, and made known His will to Israel: Ex. 13:21; 14:20; 19:24; 20:1-26; 40:34-38; I Kings 8:10, 11; II Chron. 5:13,14. There was no visible manifestation of the presence of Jehovah to the temple of Zerubbabel or in the temple of Herod.

b. Manifestation in Human Form.

In the Old Testament mention 18 made of an august, celestial Personage, “who acts in the name of Jehovah”, whose name is used interchangeably with that of Jehovah, and who received Divine honor and reverence.

The more prominent names given to this heavenly being are:

· the Angel,
· the Angel of Jehovah,
· the Angel of the Presence (or face),
· and the Angel or Messenger of the Covenant.

He can be none other than the Jehovah of the Old Testament, or the Christ of the New Testament—He who became the incarnate Word or Logos: Gen. 16:10-13; Ex.23:20-25;32:34; 33:21-23; Josh. 5:13-15; Judges 13 :3-20; Isa.63:9; Gen. 22:15; Zech.1:11,12; Mal. 3:1.

NOTE:
The identity of the material symbols of the pre-existent Christ, with His manifestations is clear from such passages as Ex.3:2 and 14 19. Nor is there any doubt that these symbols and theophanles were manifestations and appearances of the ,pre-existent Christ "The glory of the Lord," and the "Word of the Lord” are frequent Old Testament names for the sensible representations of God—the former describing them as they appealed to the eye, and the latter as they appealed to the ear. In the first chapter of John, these same descriptive expressions are applied to Christ: John 1; 14. Modern Bible students feel the necessity of proving the deity of Christ This was not true of John His contention was that He whom we now know as the second person of the Trinity, the angel of Oldd Testment revelation, became incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth.

2. Prophetic Pictures.

There are three pictures of the pre-existent Christ, so striking and beautiful as to deserve special attenton and emphasis:

 a. The Slain Lamb.
This is a picture of the passover Lamb: Ex. 12. John the Baptist identified Christ as the sacrificial Lamb: John 1:29; I Cor. 5:7. John the seer on Patmos had a vision of our Lord as the bleeding Lamb: Rev. 12:11, slain from the toundatlon of the world: Rev. 13:8.

 b. The Obedient Servant.
This is the picture of Christ portrayed in Psalm 40:8-8. See Heb.10:6-10. Undoubtedly the primary reference of these passages is to Ex.21:24, where we read of the Hebrew bondslave, who, unwilling to claim rightful liberty because of his love for his master, wife, and children, submitted to have his ear bored with an awl as the seal of voluntary and perpetual service. In Psa.40:6, the word "opened" means digged or bored,—a reference to Ex. 21:6. This picture of our Lord is fulfilled in the gospel of Mark, which represents Him as the Servant of Jehovah

 c. The Beloved Son.

This is the picture presented in II Sam.7:14-16; Psa 2:7; 89:26-29. At the baptism of Jesus, the Father identifies Him as the well-beloved Son: Matt.3:17; Mark 1:11; Lulce 3:22. This was repeated at the tranfiguration: Matt. 17:6; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:36.
See also Isa. 42:1; Eph. 1:8.

D. The Incarnation of Christ - Incarnation is derived from the Latin word meaning, literally, enfleshment; i.e., the assumption of humanity. Scripture teaches, both by prophetic utterance and historic statement, that the Son of the Old Testament became incarnate in Jesus, who was the Christ, the Messiah of God: Gen. 3:15; Psa. 2.7, 12; Isa. 9:6; Matt. 1 :18-25; Luke 1: 26-36;
John 1:14; Acts 10:38; Rom. 8:3,4; Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14.
It also teaches that the purpose of the incarnate was redemption:
Gen. 3:16; Isa. 63:4; Matt. 1:21; 20:28; Luke 1:68-76;
John 3:16, 17; Gal. 4:4, 6; I Tim. 1:16; I John 3:8; 4:10.

NOTE;
There are those who assert that, if our frst parents had not sinned, Jesus Christ would have been born into the world just the same This may be true, but we know no Scripture that proves it. On the contrary, the above and many similar passages unmistakably teach that the incarnation was in order to the atonement.
 
 

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