Who are These 3 Men Called the Lord?

[Jack]

Genesis 18:1-3
1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.

 

[Scott Downey]

The 2 men who left went to Sodom and are two angels of the LORD GOD, and Lot calls them lords.

Genesis 19
1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”

 

[Scott Downey]

Here is another interesting reference to God, the Son in the OT
Daniel 3

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore, because the king’s command was [c]urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his [d]counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”

They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the[e] Son of God.”

 

[Taken]

Genesis 18:1-3
1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.

Who?

I would say…He who was called “the Angel of the Lord”…. Ie the Word of God….Before His name (Jesus) was revealed…

Judg 13:
[18] And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

(Judg 13 -1-17 pertinent background lead in to Judg 13:18).



Glory to God,
Taken

 

[Scott Downey]

Who?

I would say…He who was called “the Angel of the Lord”…. Ie the Word of God….Before His name (Jesus) was revealed…

Judg 13:
[18] And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

(Judg 13 -1-17 pertinent background lead in to Judg 13:18).



Glory to God,
Taken

Called a Theophany, a visible manifestation of our invisible God.

What Exactly Is a Theophany? - Meaning and Examples

A theophany, then, is an appearance of God to human beings. But your previous guess was not entirely off the wall.

www.biblestudytools.com

Abraham in Genesis 18

Here we read that “the LORD appeared to [Abraham] by the oaks of Mamre.” How did he appear? “He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him.” It is here that God’s promise to Abraham to have a child is made again.

These men are invited into the home of Abraham and Sarah. From the language in this passage, it appears that one of these men is the Lord and the other two are angels. Some believe that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ (this is what we call a Christophany). It is important, though, because God is making his presence known as one who fulfills His promises. God also appeared to Abraham in Genesis 12 and 22. When God appeared to Abraham it was usually related to His original covenant and promise to bless Abraham.

 

[Scott Downey]

What about Jesus? Is the incarnation of Christ a theophany? If a theophany is God appearing to humanity to communicate His presence, is Jesus not the ultimate theophany? Yes and no. It is true that Jesus is a visible representation of God. He is Immanuel—God with us. Again, Poythress says it well:

“But we should note that the incarnation of Christ is different from the Old Testament instances of theophany. The Old Testament theophanies are preliminary. They foreshadow and prefigure the coming of Christ in the flesh. The coming of Christ is their fulfillment, their climax (Matt. 5:17). In addition, Christ’s incarnation is permanent, while the theophanies in the Old Testament were temporary. God saw to it that the Old Testament appearances of God had built into them an indication of their preliminary nature. The Old Testament looks forward to the New, not only by direct predictions but also by symbols that depict beforehand aspects of who Christ is and what he will do to accomplish redemption. Thus, the Old Testament theophanies have a forward-looking and symbolic dimension.”

 

[Scott Downey]

One thing to consider about a theophany is the Prescence of God, He is here with you all the time, invisible, but suddenly the Lord appears.
The Lord sees all, knows all, and nothing is hid from Him. When The Lord appears, He is making Himself known to you by your earthly senses to communicate directly with you, but He was really there all the time, with you. That is His promise to His people and only them.

KJ21
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Amen.
ASV
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
AMP
teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”

 

[Scott Downey]

The omnipresence and perfect knowledge of God, I find amazing that God can still love us, knowing all things, but see God is transforming us into the image of Christ, so we are His workmanship. Not unlike a man seeing some ugly or common thing and turning it into something beautiful, valuable and wonderful for his own purposes and sake.​

Some verses from here

What Does the Bible Say About God Sees Everything?

Bible verses about God Sees Everything

www.openbible.info

Proverbs 15:3 ESV​

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Hebrews 4:13 ESV​

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Job 28:24 ESV​

For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

Jeremiah 23:24 ESV​

Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.

Psalm 139:1-24 ESV​

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. ...

1 John 4:16 ESV​

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

 

[Taken]

What about Jesus? Is the incarnation of Christ a theophany? If a theophany is God appearing to humanity to communicate His presence, is Jesus not the ultimate theophany? Yes and no. It is true that Jesus is a visible representation of God. He is Immanuel—God with us. Again, Poythress says it well:

“But we should note that the incarnation of Christ is different from the Old Testament instances of theophany. The Old Testament theophanies are preliminary. They foreshadow and prefigure the coming of Christ in the flesh. The coming of Christ is their fulfillment, their climax (Matt. 5:17). In addition, Christ’s incarnation is permanent, while the theophanies in the Old Testament were temporary. God saw to it that the Old Testament appearances of God had built into them an indication of their preliminary nature. The Old Testament looks forward to the New, not only by direct predictions but also by symbols that depict beforehand aspects of who Christ is and what he will do to accomplish redemption. Thus, the Old Testament theophanies have a forward-looking and symbolic dimension.”

JESUS….yes..

THE WHY??? Was the “mystery”, in simplicity…revealed.

Invisible God…Issue for many OT men to believe without SEEING. (God called them stiffnecked and stubborn) and God Promised “them” a Messiah, they could SEE and that He would walk among “them”.

NT…Messiah arrives…Jews (Israelites) AND Gentiles SEE Him…many in Aw…in wonderment…curious….listening….SEEING….wondering….
Speculating….buzzing/talking….about Him.

God/in likeness as a man….with them….having the LEGAL parentage of mother/father of the House of David…

WHY…of what importance is that?
* God Established king David’s Throne…and declared his THRONE…EVERLASTING.
(2 Sam 7: 8, 13, 16)

* King David’s throne is an Earthly Throne, which can ONLY LAWFULLY Seat a man “OF the House of David”…
(Jesus fulfilled that Law).

* All of Heaven is Gods THRONE.
(Isa 66:1)

FOR it to become MADE; ON EARTH as it is IN HEAVEN….
(Matt 6:10)….
ONE….KING above all other kings…MUST have the satisfactory LEGAL authority and power TO RULE OVER BOTH:
The Heavenly KINGDOM and The Earthly KINGDOM….

To whit…ONLY Christ Jesus has been revealed to HOLD that LEGAL authority and promise unto Him.

Christ…the power, wisdom, seed OF God…
Jesus…the word and title holder of KING of kings…LORD of lords.
Having ALREADY Prepared and Secured His Inheritance to come into Fruition for the whole WORLD of manKIND to know and see.

Glory to God,
Taken

 

[Scott Downey]

God, who [a]at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the [b]worlds;

3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had [c]by Himself [d]purged [e]our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

And

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.