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The Old Testament records a number of pre-Bethlehem appearances of CHRIST JESUS (commonly referred to as theophanies or Christophanies).

The Pre-Incarnate CHRIST JESUS (physically visable and interactive appearances in the Old Testament as The LORD GOD, MELCHIZEDEK, The LORD, GOD, or as an ANGEL OF THE LORD).

Below are recorded many of His pre-Bethlehem appearances:

● As The LORD GOD Appearing To Adam

KJV Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

● As The LORD GOD Appearing To Adam and Eve

KJV Genesis 3:8
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

● Appeared as MELCHIZEDEK (KING OF SALEM) to Abraham and the king of Sodom

KJV Genesis 14:18-21
18. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. 20. And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 21. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

KJV Hebrews 7:1-3
1. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2. To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3. Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

● As The ANGEL OF THE LORD Appearing to Abraham's concubine Hagar and their son Ishmael

Genesis 16: 7, 13 (New King James Version)
7. Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur...13. Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"

● As The LORD Appearing to Abraham and Sarah

Genesis 18: 1, 2 (New King James Version)
1. Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,....

● As a man who is called GOD Appearing to Jacob

Genesis 32: 24, 30 (New King James Version)
24. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.... 30. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."

● As The ANGEL OF THE LORD Appearing to Moses

Exodus 3: 1-2 (New King James Version)
1. Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

KJV Exodus 17:6
Behold, I [Angel of The LORD] will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.

● As the angel of God Appearing to the Israelites

KJV Exodus 14:19
And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.

● As GOD To Moses and his father in law Jethro and seventy elders of Israel

KJV Exodus 18:12
12. And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.

● As an Angel Appearing to the Israelites

KJV Exodus 23: 20-21
20. Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in him.

● As The GOD OF ISRAEL Appearing to Moses, Aaron, Abihu and Seventy of the elders of Israel

KJV Exodus 24:9-10
9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. 10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

● As The ANGEL OF THE LORD Appearing to the Israelites

Judges 2: 1 (New King James Version)
1. Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: "I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, "I will never break My covenant with you.

● As COMMANDER OF THE ARMY OF THE LORD Appearing to Joshua

Joshua 5: 13-14 (New King James Version)
13. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" 14. So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"

● As The ANGEL OF THE LORD Appearing to Gideon

Judges 6: 11-12 (New King James Version)
11. Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"

● As The ANGEL OF THE LORD Appearing to Samson's parents

Judges 13: 3 (New King James Version)
3. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.

● As The SON OF GOD Appeared to King Nebuchadnezzar of Bablyon, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

Daniel 3: 24-15 (New King James Version)
24. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." 25. "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

● Appeared as His [GOD's] ANGEL to Daniel during the reign of King Darius of the Medes and Persians

Daniel 6: 21-22 (New King James Version)
21. Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live forever! 22. My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you."

● The ANGEL OF THE LORD Appearing to Zechariah the prophet

KJV Zechariah 3:1-3
1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

JESUS of the New Testament

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by...

No town in the world has such a glorious history or exalted status as Bethlehem, located today within the borders of Palestine. Despite all the
crises and sufferings it has endured throughout its 3,000 year history,
Bethlehem remains a relatively quiet place.

Bethlehem is mentioned in Genesis as Ephrath, the burial place of Rachael – a
place of pilgrimage for both Jews and Muslims. It is also referred to in the Old
Testament as the home of King David’s family.

But the event Bethlehem is best-known for is the birth of Jesus – the Light of the World – in an obscure stable there.

An American songwriter of the past century captured that event in his own special way, causing Bethlehem to be remembered in the hearts of millions around the world at Christmastime. Phillips Brooks was born December 13,
1835, in Boston and was a quiet, reserved young pastor. Brooks had no children of his own; in fact, he never married, but he loved the little ones of his
congregation very dearly.

During a leave of absence from his church in 1865, Brooks made a trip to Bethlehem. There he joined in the traditional Christmas Eve services at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, built upon the site of the little stable.

So moved was Brooks that he later wrote a poem for the children of his Sunday school, and his church organist set it to music.

Yet in thy dark street shineth
The everlasting Light:
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in Thee tonight.

The everlasting Light of Bethlehem, Jesus Christ, can brighten the life and alter completely the eternal destiny of all who call to Him by faith.

Here’s how you can know Christ, the babe of Bethlehem, the Light of the World:

1. Realize that you live in darkness, and that you need Jesus, the everlasting Light. Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19). For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

2. Realize that rejecting that Light carries a penalty. God is light, and in him
is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

3. Accept Jesus Christ, who made the Light accessible to you. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name (John 1:12). For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).

Pray this sincere prayer, meaning it with all your heart, and God will give you eternal life, right now!

“Dear Lord, I am a sinful person who needs You. I turn from my sins and surrender my heart and life to You, right now. Save me dear God and make me Your child. Thank You for coming to Bethlehem, and for dying for me to pay for my sins. Help me to live for You all the rest of my life.”

...The shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. (Luke 2:15)
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Bible references: KJV
Illustration by Don Adair
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