--- title: Who Appeared to Abraham? url: https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/ot-christophany/ markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/ot-christophany.md type: argument perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching topics: [Deity of Christ] challenges: [Jesus Is a Created Being] verses: [Exodus 6:2, John 6:46, John 1:18, Exodus 24:11, Exodus 6:3, 1 Timothy 6:16, Exodus 24:9, Exodus 24:10, Exodus 33:20] strength: Strong tone: Good attribution: Matt Slick (CARM) added: '2026-03-31' last_reviewed: '2026-03-31' index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt --- # Who Appeared to Abraham? *If no one has seen the Father, the OT appearances were Christ* ## Doorstep Question > "Exodus 6:2-3 says God appeared to Abraham as "God Almighty." But John 6:46 says no one has seen the Father. And John 1:18 says "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son has made him known." If no one has ever seen the Father, who was appearing throughout the Old Testament?" ## JW Claim Jehovah appeared to Abraham and the patriarchs. Jesus did not exist as God but as Michael the Archangel before his earthly birth. ## Strategy Present the logical chain: (1) Exodus 6:2-3 — God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as "God Almighty." (2) John 6:46 — no one has seen the Father except the Son. (3) John 1:18 — no one has ever seen God, but the Son has made him known. If the Father was never seen, but God was seen in the OT, the person appearing must be the pre-incarnate Son. This means Jesus is fully God — not a created angel, but the very God who walked with Abraham, wrestled with Jacob, and spoke from the burning bush. ## Key Insight The Old Testament appearances of God were appearances of Christ before his incarnation. The Father has never been seen — so every OT theophany points to the deity of Christ. ## JW Responses & Counters ### Response 1 **JW says:** "Angels appeared on Jehovah's behalf — they represented him" **Counter:** But the text doesn't say an angel appeared AS God Almighty. Exodus 6:2 says "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham." The speaker identifies himself as Jehovah, not as an angel representing Jehovah. And Genesis 18 describes Jehovah eating a meal with Abraham — that's not how the Bible describes angelic messengers. ### Response 2 **JW says:** "John 1:18 means no human has seen God's full glory" **Counter:** Even if we read it that way, the verse says the Son "has made him known" — the Son is the one who reveals God. That's exactly what the OT theophanies were: God making himself known through the Son. The question remains — if the Father was never seen, who was seen? ### Response 3 **JW says:** "Exodus 24:11 says they got 'a vision' of God — they didn't literally see him." **Counter:** Your own NWT contradicts itself within two verses. Verse 10 says 'they got to see the God of Israel' — straightforward seeing. Then verse 11 changes to 'they got a vision of the [true] God.' The Hebrew word in verse 11 is chazah, meaning 'to see' or 'to behold' — there is no word for 'vision' in the Hebrew text. The NWT inserted it to soften the plain meaning. And notice: they 'ate and drank' in God's presence. You do not eat and drink in a vision. Seventy elders physically saw the God of Israel, shared a covenant meal with him, and survived. If no one has seen the Father (John 6:46), this person they saw must be the pre-incarnate Son — the same God of Israel. ## What to Avoid Don't overwhelm with too many OT theophanies. Pick one (Genesis 18 or Exodus 6:2-3) and let the logic do the work. This argument stumped a JW caller on Matt Slick's show — simplicity is its strength. ## Homework Read Exodus 6:2–3 and John 1:18 until you can quote both from memory, then John 6:46. Choose one Old Testament appearance, Genesis 18 or Exodus 6:2–3, and know it well; one example works better than a list. Check Exodus 24:9–11 in the NWT for yourself, comparing 'they got to see the God of Israel' in verse 10 with 'they got a vision' in verse 11, and note that they ate and drank. Practise the doorstep question aloud until the chain is short: the Father unseen, God seen, so who appeared? Expect 'angels represented Jehovah'; rehearse pointing out that in Exodus 6:2 the speaker identifies himself as Jehovah, not as an angel. ## Next Moves - [Yahweh Sent Yahweh](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/yahweh-sent-yahweh.md) - [Abraham Rejoiced to See My Day](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/abraham-saw-my-day.md) - [Isaiah Saw Jesus' Glory](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/john12-isaiah6.md) - [The Word of the Lord — Yahweh's Visible Person](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/word-of-the-lord.md)