[From Heaven to the Hay in the Heart] Part 1Sýnishorn

Heaven Revealed God The Son!

Heaven had a plan to bring us a savior. Before the Savior could be born, He was revealed as the preincarnate Messiah. There are several “Christophanies” in the Old Testament that show how much God desired to reveal Himself to us. Christophany is a term derived from the word theophany, which means the apparition of God as an angel or human being.

In Genesis, we find Jacob wrestling all night with a Man who is later revealed as God Himself. Jacob expressed that he had fought with and seen God face-to-face, yet his life was spared. God the Son appeared to Jacob as a Man who wrestled with the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. At this encounter, He changed Jacob’s name into Israel.

The Book of Daniel tells us that King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished when he saw four figures in the fiery furnace, instead of three, all walking around free and unharmed. The fourth figure seemed like the Son of God. What a Christophany! Right there, Nebuchadnezzar recognized Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego as servants of the Most High God, and he acknowledged that the God of Israel was the Most High God.  

The life of Samson had a significant beginning. His mother saw the Angel of the Lord, who told her she would have a son who was to be dedicated to God from the womb, and who would deliver Israel from the Philistines. The Angel even told her not to drink any wine. That is specific how this Christophany was. Later, the Angel appears to the woman’s husband, Manoah, who recognizes this was God Himself (Judges 13:22).

The Angel of the Lord also appeared to Gideon, who feared for his life for he had seen the Lord face-to-face. But the Lord told him not to be afraid, for he would not die.

All of God the Son’s appearances and manifestations were mighty and supernatural and looked forward to the day when Jesus would be born to bring heaven to earth.

Have you realized that heaven is revealed at Christmas by God’s promises come to life, so that you may enter the Kingdom of Heaven? The hay held a Savior, signifying that human hearts lie in the dirt, filled with sin, and in need of salvation. The hay certainly bears the message of a humble birth; it also implies our need for a humble heart, capable of accepting God’s Gift, laid in a manger.