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God appeared to Jesus as...a Bright Cloud
God appeared to and witnessed of His Son Jesus, which we can read in Matthew 17:5 - 'While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud, said, THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED. HEAR YE HIM!'

From this part of Matthew - but also from Luke 9:35 and Mark 9:7 - we learn. that GOD appeared to Jesus and the disciples and that God gave witness of His Son Jesus. A loving Father witnessing of His Son.

God appears to His People as a Cloud
The way in which God presented Himself -as a Cloud- was not exceptional at all, because we learn from Exodus that 'appearing a a cloud' is equal to the presence of GOD.

In the above mentioned parts of the Bible every time again 'a cloud' is described, but never a person or a figure. This cloud usually appears in or above the Sanctuary -the Temple-. But also on Mount Sinai GOD appears like a Cloud: Exodus 24:16: ''And the glory of the LORD abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.'

So Moses had to stand in the middle of the cloud and there is no mention of another person or figure in the cloud.

But in Exodus 34 there is an other kind of appearance of a person within a cloud; not just a cloud. Please read with me:
Exodus 34:5 'And the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.'

In the past God came as a Bright Cloud of Light in our around His Holy Temple or on the Mountain Sinai, but nouw a man's figure appeared in a cloud; a man that proclaimed the name of the LORD GOD.

But from Exodus 34 we learn that there actually was a man in the cloud; a man that proclaimed the name of GOD.... Who was this man ???

Moses only knows of the One God; Moses didnot know Jesus yet!
For Moses it is obvious: it is His GOD standing in this cloud. Moses didnot know who Jesus was yet. But we know from the way in which the man appears and what he says, that it is not GOD standing next to him. Still Moses describes Him as 'LORD'.

From the Matthew-part we know, that both GOD and Jesus exist. As separate persons and not -as many Christians proclaim- as One Person. In Matthew we read about a Bright Cloud (GOD) and Jesus; being there at the same time seperately and the Father is witnessing of His Son Jesus.

And also the Old Testament indirectly tells us of GOD and Jesus in the way they appear and where they appear. Moses only knew 'the One God' from the 10-Commandments; Jesus hadnot been introduced to him yet.

But from the New Testament we know, that 'The Messiah' -the Chosen Son of God- would bring a Sacrifice that would restore our Convenant with GOD, His Father. We are very fortunate for we now know (from the New Testament) who Jesus is and and who God is.

Jesus travels 'by cloud'
From the Bible we learn, that Jesus travels 'by cloud'. We know this from a number of passages from the Bible, for instance:

Why making the difference between GOD and His Son Jesus ?
In the Old Testament the People of God were not yet able to distinguish GOD from Jesus. And that is the main reason why they use the same title for both GOD and Jesus: LORD.

Still the Jews knew, that on a certain time a 'Messiah' -The Chosen One by God- would come to them. And Jesus came and told them, that he actually is the Messiah they expected.

And of course GOD Himself testifies at the moment Jesus was baptisted, that Jesus was His Son.

We Christians are very fortunate to have the New Testament: a book that testifies of the Son of God. And for all people that want a confirmation of who Jesus was and why He was here I: I advise them to read the Book of Hebrews - chapters 8 and 9. The complete story who Jesus really is and why He came has been written down in these chapters. Please read with me:

Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service to God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people; the Holy Spirit by this signifying that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest, so long as the first tabernacle was yet standing. It was a figure for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, which could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience, since it concerned only meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation.

But Christ, having come a High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands (that is to say, not of this building); neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, entered in once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if sprinkling the unclean with the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were covered under the first testament, those who are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. And so not even the first testament was dedicated without blood.

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you." Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And by the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

It was therefore necessary that the copies of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Nor yet should He offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place with blood of others every year; for then would He have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once, in the end of the world, hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto those who look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin, unto salvation.

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of those things, can never, with those sacrifices which they offered continually year by year, make those who come unto it perfect. For then would not sacrifices have ceased to be offered? For worshipers once purged should have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Therefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, "Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not have, but a body hast Thou prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure.

Then said I, ‘Lo, I come (in the volume of the Book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, O God.’" Above when He said, "Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings, and offering for sin Thou wouldest not have, neither hadst pleasure therein" (which are offered in accordance with the law), then said He, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God," He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second.

By this will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering time and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down at the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting until His enemies be made His footstool. For by one offering He hath perfected for ever those who are sanctified.

Jesus is our Highpriest before GOD
Jesus offered himself without a spot. The blood of Jesus confirms the New Convenant GOD wants with us. All those that accept Jesus as his or her's personal Saviour will receive Eternal Life, GOD proclaims.

And that why it is good to know that Jesus is another person than GOD; Jesus is the door to GOD. If you wouldn't know that Jesus is not GOD, but the Son -the door to GOD- you could actually think, that your goal is 'the door', though GOD should be your final goal. And because of the Sacrifice of Jesus you can appear (clean/without sin) before GOD, which is a totally different thing from 'keeping standing in the doorway' !

By the way: from the moment you accept the Sacrifice Jesus made at the Cross by means of being baptised by immersing you are ready to appear before GOD. Because after being baptisted you can ask for the Gifts of The Spirit of God. You can receive the Spirit and accordingly participate in The Spirit.

And in this way The Convenant between GOD and men is truly being restored !!!

By: Hein Kuipers dd. 11 november 2003

If you want to continue reading, you can click on the articles beneath:

  • Who is Jesus?
  • What does the Bible say about 'laying on hands'?
  • The pagan origin of the Trinity
  • Ministry/laying on hands in practice

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