Introduction
In this study, “ God and Jesus Appeared Together to Abram – Genesis 15 “, we will explore a fascinating event described in the Bible, where, although many do not realize it, both God and Jesus appeared together before Abram. Throughout this article, we will analyze the details of this episode, considering the symbologies present in the text of Genesis 15, such as the “smoke oven” and the “fire torch“, and we will discuss what these figures represent. We will also explore how this moment reveals profound aspects of the divine nature and pre-existence of Jesus, challenging many of the traditional interpretations of the relationship between God and His Son.
When God and Jesus Appeared to Abraham
Although many have read the book of Genesis, few know about the episode in which God and Jesus appeared together to Abraham. And this was to be expected, considering that such an event is described figuratively. It is necessary to pay attention to the words used in chapter 15 to perceive the presence of these two Beings.
Alliance Made
This chapter begins by describing a conversation between God and Abram. After this dialogue, the Lord gave His word that Abram’s descendants would be like the stars of the sky (Genesis 15:5), even though Abram was already old. It was during this episode that Abram believed the Lord, and this was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). To confirm this covenant, God ordered him to take some animals and cut them in half, except for the animals that were birds.
Genesis 15:9-10 – “And he said unto him, Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he brought all these unto him, and cut them in two, and laid the two parts opposite each other: but the fowl he did not cut.“
The Manifestation of Both
The account goes on to mention that birds of prey descended from the sky on the corpses, but Abram scared them away. Abram was probably waiting for some other order from God, or even for Him to manifest Himself. Time passed until the sun began to set and Abram fell asleep. It is at this moment that we find the account of God’s presence. Let’s see:
Genesis 15:17 – “And it came to pass, when the sun went down, and it was dark, and behold a smoking furnace , and a flaming torch passed between those parts.“
This is a very interesting point, because we can get a glimpse of God and Jesus Manifesting Themselves Together to Abraham!
The Oven and the Torch
It’s amazing how often we don’t pay attention to the details! At times, the Bible compares God to the “fire” consumer. On this occasion, the text says that a “smoke oven” passed between the cut animals. This “oven” is a figurative reference to the person of God!
In addition to the “fire” being a symbol applied to God on other occasions, there is another factor that confirms to us that it is really God manifesting himself in this situation, and that factor is the “darkness” which manifested itself at sunset. It is evident that at sunset, the light ceases, but if this is evident, then why describe such a manifestation? The explanation for this question is precisely the fact that this is the means by which God manifests himself personally in the presence of other human beings.
God Hiding in the Darkness
God’s use of darkness is intentional, because if He did not, His glory would consume any sinful being who stood before Him. And this was not the only time that God manifested Himself in the midst of darkness throughout biblical history. There were two other times when God had to act in this way. They were:
When God came down to give the Law to Moses
Deuteronomy 5:22 – “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly on the mountain out of the midst of the fire , the cloud, and the thick darkness , with a loud voice, and added nothing more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.“
When God came down to the foot of the cross to be with His Son
Luke 23:44-46 – “And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, and the sun was darkened ; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And when he had said this, he breathed his last.“
Who Was the Torch?
Now that we are sure that it was God manifesting himself there and that the “smoke oven” is a figure of speech to refer to Him, we need to find out who that other manifestation was that was present with Him. Let’s reread the text:
Genesis 15:17 – “And it came to pass, when the sun went down, and it was dark, and behold a smoking furnace , and a flaming torch passed between those parts.“
The above passage not only presents a “smoke oven” passing between those halves, but also a “fire torch“. They are not a single symbol, but two symbols present within the narration . Note that both figures used are of the same nature . The “oven” has a fire inside it. The “torch” was also of fire, that is, both are of the same nature. God and Jesus Manifested Themselves Together to Abraham!
He Who Shares the Same Nature as God
No word in Scripture has meaning without reason. If someone describes the two figures as having the same nature, this means that the two beings present in the covenant made with Abraham also have the same nature. We know that God is a divine being. The question we must now ask is: Who in the Bible is presented as having the same nature as God, that is, the divine?
Colossians 2:9 – “For in him [ Christ ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily“
The Bible declares that Christ possesses all the fullness of deity. This becomes evident since the Bible also presents Jesus as His only begotten Son.
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son …“
Therefore, Jesus was present together with His Father in the covenant made with Abraham. Both were present on that occasion. And God did not make this covenant alone; Jesus also passed between the halves of the animals. This is fantastic, because this text also proves the pre-existence of Jesus, that is, that He already existed before His incarnation. To the One who came to this earth to give His life as a ransom for the repentant sinner!
Same Nature, But There Is a Difference
But this is not the only interesting information that the text of Genesis shows us. Notice that, although they describe two figures with the same nature, someone observes a factor that shows the difference between them, and this factor is greatness. To God they attribute the “oven“, and for Jesus, the “torch“.
Oven -> God
Torch -> Jesus
What does this information have to tell us? I think it is quite obvious. The “oven” is greater than the “torch“. This means that God is greater than Jesus . This information seems to contradict what many believe, that Jesus is God Himself, or that He is on an equal footing with the person of God, as taught, for example, in the doctrine of the Trinity or in other Oneness beliefs. But we can also understand this detail through Jesus’ own words, when he said:
John 14:28 – “You have heard that I said to you, ‘I go away and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘ I go to the Father.’ For my Father is greater than I.“
Conclusion
The text is very clear, because Jesus Himself affirmed the difference in greatness between His person and that of His Father . Although many claim that Christ said such words because of His incarnation, we cannot use the same argument to explain the difference in figures used in the manifestation to Abraham. Here is a reflection for us on the true position of God and that of Jesus , as well as the fact that both were present in the covenant made with Abraham.
May God bless the reader.
