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From Genesis to Malachi, Scripture consistently presents compelling accounts of God visibly appearing and personally interacting with individuals. Yet, at the same time, the Bible emphatically asserts God's inherent invisibility and inaccessibility to human sight. John declares plainly, "No man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18), and Paul explicitly identifies the Father as dwelling "in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see" (1 Timothy 6:16). Moreover, Paul teaches that God's fundamental nature and divine attributes are inherently invisible, discerned only indirectly through creation (Romans 1:20), and describes Christ specifically as "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15).
This apparent contradiction—visible manifestations of an inherently invisible God—is resolved by understanding that every visible revelation of God recorded in the Old Testament is, in fact, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ, the Son of God. Christ, as the eternal Word (John 1:1, 14), is the bodily expression of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9), uniquely mediating God's invisible essence and glory in forms that humanity can safely encounter. Thus, these Old Testament appearances of God, or Christophanies, affirm Christ's eternal deity and His distinct role as mediator between God and humanity.
Exodus 33 provides a clear illustration of this distinction. When Moses asks God, "shew me thy glory" (Exodus 33:18), he is requesting an unfiltered revelation of God's essential majesty. God responds decisively:
"Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." (Exodus 33:20)
Yet, earlier in the same chapter, we read:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." (Exodus 33:11)
These verses appear contradictory at first glance. However, the key lies in recognizing that "face to face" refers to intimate, personal communication through a mediated appearance rather than an unveiled display of divine glory. When Moses seeks the fullness of God’s glory, God mercifully limits the revelation, permitting Moses to see only His "back parts" (Exodus 33:23). Thus, Moses experiences a genuine yet carefully mediated revelation, demonstrating that God’s visible interactions are graciously accommodated to human limitations. These interactions are best understood as appearances of Christ—the Son who reveals the Father without overwhelming humanity with His absolute holiness.
One of the most remarkable theophanies in Scripture occurs in Genesis 32, when Jacob—alone and vulnerable on the night before his reunion with Esau—is suddenly confronted by an unknown figure:
“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” (Genesis 32:24)
At first glance, this is just “a man.” But by the end of the account, this man blesses Jacob, renames him Israel (a covenantal act), and Jacob himself declares:
“I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” (Genesis 32:30)
Jacob's statement is not poetic hyperbole. It is the theological conclusion of a man who knew he had encountered someone far greater than a mere man or angel. He wrestled with God, and he survived.
So how can Jacob say he saw God face to face and yet live? The only consistent answer is that he encountered God in a veiled, bodily form—not the unmediated glory of the Father, but a visible manifestation of God that a man could grapple with, physically and personally.
That is, this was a Christophany—an appearance of the pre-incarnate Son of God.
The text goes out of its way to link this man with divine authority. He not only contends with Jacob, but also renames him:
“Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28)