E-MAIL QUESTIONS ANSWERED
DAVID L. ODOM
>I am doing a study of Genesis chapter 18,
to find out whether or not the three men whom >appeared to Abraham were God
and two angels, the Trinity, or the Angel of the Lord, >and two angels. I am
going to need all the help I can get. If you have any information on >the
subject, or are interested in helping out, please send me an e-mail, and let me
know >what you think, or know. Thanks for your time.
It was good to hear from you. It is encouraging
to hear from one who is deeply interested in God's Inspired Word! I commend you
for your enthusiasm to find Truth! I would encourage you also to focus your
attention to my main Bible study through the 'Enter' sign. As you progress further
in that study, you will find some concepts that may be quite
different than what you have been taught in the past. I encourage you to use
the same attitude you are showing about finding the Truth concerning what was
involved with the three beings that appeared unto Abram in Gen. 18. But I do
want to point out that, while it is fine to try and figure out things such as
this in God's Word, knowing these things are not dependent upon our being
saved, and being allowed to enter God's home, heaven.
Now to your question. Most of the commentators assume that two of the men were
angels, and the other one was Jehovah, from an assumption derived from Genesis
19:1, where we see two of the men (angels) going on down to Sodom. But in order
to take this position that one of the men was Jehovah God in the flesh, you
have to assume such! Just because one of the men was the spokesperson for
Jehovah doesn't mean that Jehovah was literally in him! I believe the safest
position to take is that all three men were angels, manifested as men, as was
the case in many different accounts in the Bible. But I could be wrong in this,
since we are not given enough evidence to determine exactly how God did this.
Why do I believe this way, because there are too many passages in the Bible showing
the vast greatness and importance of God being manifested in the flesh through
Jesus Christ! Passages such as I Timothy 3:16 & Matthew 1:22,23 show us
that God was never with us in this manner before, that is, in the flesh! Also
remember that no man hath seen God at any time; John 1:18, but as the verse
tells us, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is
in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." So
I believe the safest position on this question is that all three men were angels,
but only one of them was the mouthpiece for God.
I must also point out that any question such as
this, where the answer is not clear, needs to bring our minds to Deuteronomy
29:29: "The secret things belong unto Jehovah our God; but the things that
are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all
the words of this law."
I hope these thoughts help you in your study. God
bless you in your endeavor to believe and follow only Truth. May all worship,
praise, glory and honor go to Jehovah God, the Creator of the Universe.
