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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Abraham and Sodom	Joseph	Monday, July 16, 2012
Question: I was wondering brother, in the old Testiment it is often mentioned that some of the ancient people walked with God. Abraham for instance was visited by three "strangers" one of whom stayed behind and with whom Abraham spoke with begging for God to forgive Sodom if a few good people where left. Maybe it was an Angel but I remember reading and Abraham referred to him as Lord. Also Abraham treated this i dividual differently than the other two Angels i believe. Other characters I believe are mentioned to have walked beside God. My question is if Jesus hadn't come yet how could anyone have walked beside God?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) To All Folks: When asking about a Biblical passage, please, please, please, post the citation so I do not have to spend time trying to find the passage. Dear Joseph: On the question, "if Jesus hadn't come yet how could anyone have walked beside God?" Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He always was, is now, and ever shall be. He is eternal and thus present in Old Testament times even though his Incarnation had not yet taken place. Remember, He is God. There are several passages in the Old Testament where Jesus is thought to appear in human form. This one you refer to in Genesis 18 is one of them. In this instance Abraham calls this man, “My Lord” (“Adonai” in Hebrew), which is a phrase in scripture used only to refer to God (see Ps. 110:1). Thus, we know that Abraham was talking to God in a human form. We see this again in the story of a man wrestling with Jacob (Gen. 32:22-32). It is common to interpret that this man was an angel, but Jacob says, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life was spared”. Hosea 12:3 makes it clear that God was the man he wrestled with. Again with Joshua, in Joshua 5:13-15, he meets a man to whom he "fell on his face and worshiped him." The man had to be God, as to worship anyone else would be idolatry, the gravest sin of all and punishable by death. Other appearances include Judges 13:3-23. These instances are appearances of God in human form. It is the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus, who is the human face of God, throughout all time past, present, and future. Everything is possible with God, including appearing in his human form before the Incarnation. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Abraham and Sodom

Joseph

Monday, July 16, 2012

Question:

I was wondering brother, in the old Testiment it is often mentioned that some of the ancient people walked with God. Abraham for instance was visited by three "strangers" one of whom stayed behind and with whom Abraham spoke with begging for God to forgive Sodom if a few good people where left. Maybe it was an Angel but I remember reading and Abraham referred to him as Lord. Also Abraham treated this i dividual differently than the other two Angels i believe. Other characters I believe are mentioned to have walked beside God.

My question is if Jesus hadn't come yet how could anyone have walked beside God?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

To All Folks: When asking about a Biblical passage, please, please, please, post the citation so I do not have to spend time trying to find the passage.

Dear Joseph:

On the question, "if Jesus hadn't come yet how could anyone have walked beside God?"

Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He always was, is now, and ever shall be. He is eternal and thus present in Old Testament times even though his Incarnation had not yet taken place. Remember, He is God.

There are several passages in the Old Testament where Jesus is thought to appear in human form. This one you refer to in Genesis 18 is one of them. In this instance Abraham calls this man, “My Lord” (“Adonai” in Hebrew), which is a phrase in scripture used only to refer to God (see Ps. 110:1). Thus, we know that Abraham was talking to God in a human form.

We see this again in the story of a man wrestling with Jacob (Gen. 32:22-32). It is common to interpret that this man was an angel, but Jacob says, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life was spared”. Hosea 12:3 makes it clear that God was the man he wrestled with. Again with Joshua, in Joshua 5:13-15, he meets a man to whom he "fell on his face and worshiped him." The man had to be God, as to worship anyone else would be idolatry, the gravest sin of all and punishable by death. Other appearances include Judges 13:3-23.

These instances are appearances of God in human form. It is the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus, who is the human face of God, throughout all time past, present, and future. Everything is possible with God, including appearing in his human form before the Incarnation.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum