The Testimony of the Hebrew Bible concerning God becoming a man

Exposing the blatant distortion of Biblical Truth

Sam Shamoun

In this paper we will basically be repeating and expanding on the points that we had already raised in the following article.

The Hebrew Bible emphatically testifies that God is unlike man in that he is completely reliable and consistent who will always do what he says. Man, however, is unreliable and inconsistent since he often changes his mind and breaks his promises:

“God is not man (ish), that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it?” Numbers 23:19

“And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or repent; for he is not a man (adam), that he should repent.” 1 Samuel 15:29

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and burning incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of compassion, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one, who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them in their fortresses. My people are bent on turning away from me; so they are appointed to the yoke, and none shall remove it. How can I give you up, O Ephraim! How can I hand you over, O Israel! How can I make you like Admah! How can I treat you like Zeboiim! My heart recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger, I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not man (ish), the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come to destroy.” Hosea 11:1-9

There are some who believe that these citations not only prove that God is not a man by nature but that he can never become a human being.

However, are these passages really suggesting that God cannot decide to become a human being at some point without ceasing to be God? Should we understand from these texts that the “is not” means that God can never become man, that it is impossible for him to take on human flesh and still remain God? Should we interpret these verses in the same way we explain passages that say God is jealous or that he is one (Exod. 20:4-5; Deut. 6:4), i.e. characteristics of God that remain eternally true and therefore cannot change?(1)  

In order to find the answer we must consult the very same Hebrew Scriptures to see what the inspired authors taught concerning God’s ability to appear as and/or become a man without ceasing to be God.

Beholding the Form of God

The Hebrew Bible claims that when Israel saw God descend in a cloud during the time of the Exodus they did not see any form but simply heard God’s voice:

“Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children-- how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, 'Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children so.' And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom. Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but saw no form (utemuna); there was only a voice. And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that you might do them in the land which you are going over to possess. 'Therefore take good heed to yourselves. Since you saw no form (temuna) on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. And beware lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. But the LORD has taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own possession, as at this day.” Deuteronomy 4:9-20

However, the inspired Scriptures emphatically testify that even though the people didn’t see it God does have a visible form which he allows certain individuals to behold, such as Moses:

“And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. And he said, 'Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of the LORD (utemunat YHWH). Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?’” Numbers 12:5-8

“Arise, O LORD! confront them, overthrow them! Deliver my life from the wicked by thy sword, from men by thy hand, O LORD, from men whose portion in life is of the world. May their belly be filled with what thou hast stored up for them; may their children have more than enough; may they leave something over to their babes. As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding thy form (temunateka).” Psalm 17:13-15

Moreover, there are clear indications that Yahweh assumes a human form since there are places where he takes on the appearance of a man:

“And he said to Moses, ‘Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship afar off. Moses alone shall come near to the LORD; but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.'... Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. The LORD said to Moses, 'Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.' So Moses rose with his servant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, 'Tarry here for us, until we come to you again; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a cause, let him go to them.' Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” Exodus 24:1-2, 9-18

Although the above passage doesn’t explicitly say that Moses and the elders beheld a man the reference to Yahweh’s feet strongly suggests that they were seeing the human appearance of God.

In this next example Yahweh appears as a man to Abraham along with two angels:

“And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, ‘My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I fetch a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on--since you have come to your servant.' So they said, 'Do as you have said.' And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, 'Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.' And Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, 'Where is Sarah your wife?' And he said, 'She is in the tent.' The LORD said, 'I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.' And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, 'After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?' The LORD said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, and say, "Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?" Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, in the spring, and Sarah shall have a son.' But Sarah denied, saying, 'I did not laugh'; for she was afraid. He said, 'No, but you did laugh.' Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him? No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice; so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.' Then the LORD said, 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know.' So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the LORD. Then Abraham drew near, and said, 'Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?' And the LORD said, 'If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.' Abraham answered, 'Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?' And he said, 'I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.' Again he spoke to him, and said, 'Suppose forty are found there.' He answered, 'For the sake of forty I will not do it.' Then he said, 'Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.' He answered, 'I will not do it, if I find thirty there.' He said, 'Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.' He answered, 'For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.' Then he said, 'Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.' He answered, 'For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.' And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.” Genesis 18:1-33

Here we have Yahweh eating food as a man and having human feet that could be washed without ceasing to be God! That one of the three men was Yahweh in human appearance can be easily demonstrated by the fact that although the above citation says that the men headed towards Sodom Yahweh remained with Abraham and only left sometime afterwards. This means that we should expect to find that only two men showed up to Sodom at first since the third man, Yahweh, stood behind with Abraham.

Lo and behold this is precisely what we learn from the very next chapter!  

“The two angels came to Sodom in the evening; and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the earth, and said, ‘My lords, turn aside, I pray you, to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise up early and go on your way.’ They said, ‘No; we will spend the night in the street.' But he urged them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.’” Genesis 19:1-5

Only two men initially showed up at Sodom, since the third man stayed behind to converse with Abraham. It is here that we discover that two of the men were angels. Thus, we have God and two angels showing up as men!

God appears as Adam

The OT furnishes another example of God appearing in human form:

“And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man (demut kemare'eh adam) high above it. Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And He said to me, 'Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.' Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. And He said to me: 'Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD.” As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.’” Ezekiel 1:26-28, 2:1-5

God manifests his glory to Ezekiel in human form, as the likeness and appearance of a man, in order to communicate and commission him as his spokesperson.

God as Ish

On another occasion Jacob wrestled with a man whom he identified as God!

“And Jacob was left alone; and a man (ish) wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, 'Let me go, for the day is breaking.' But Jacob said, 'I will not let you go, unless you bless me.' And he said to him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Jacob.' Then he said, 'Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.' Then Jacob asked him, 'Tell me, I pray, your name.' But he said, 'Why is it that you ask my name?' And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’” Genesis 32:24-30

We are further told that Yahweh is not only like a man of war:

“The LORD goes forth like a mighty man, like a man of war (ke ish milchamot) he stirs up his fury; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.” Isaiah 42:13

Compare the following:

“For behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, Takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah The stock and the store, The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water; The mighty man and the man of war (ish milchamah), The judge and the prophet, And the diviner and the elder;” Isaiah 3:1-2 NKJV

But that he actually IS a man of war!

“The LORD is a man of war (YHWH ish milchamah); the LORD is his name.” Exodus 15:3

Hence, the same inspired prophetic writings which stated that Yahweh is not a man also testify that he is a man, i.e. in certain ways Yahweh and man are alike whereas in other respects they are quite different.

God as the Son of Man

According to the prophets, particularly Daniel, God even appears as a Son of Man:

“As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened... In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped (served) him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 NIV

In this vision the blessed prophet sees thrones being set in place, one of which happens to be occupied by the Ancient of Days. The one like a Son of Man occupies the other throne since he is said to have authority, sovereign power and a dominion which lasts forever.

Daniel's Son of Man is clearly God or, more specifically, a fully Divine Person distinct from God (in this case the Ancient of Days), since he is worshiped in the same way that God is and reigns like God does:

“Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship (serve) and obey him.” Daniel 7:27 NIV

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’ … Then Nebuchadnezzar said, 'Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.’” Daniel 3:16-18, 28 NIV

“Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!' ... When he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish and said to Daniel, ‘O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?’ Then Daniel said to the king, ‘O king, live for ever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.’ … Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: ‘Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring for ever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.’” Daniel 6:16, 20-22, 25-27

This particular Son of Man even rides the clouds like God!

“Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds; his name is the LORD, exult before him! … Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, [Selah] to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; lo, he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and his power is in the skies.” Psalm 68:4, 32-34

“who hast laid the beams of thy chambers on the waters, who makest the clouds thy chariot, who ridest on the wings of the wind,” Psalm 104:3

“An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.” Isaiah 19:1

The Quran itself agrees that the cloud is the vehicle of Allah or his mode of transportation:

Do they then wait for anything other than that Allah should come to them in the shadows of the clouds and the angels? (Then) the case would be already judged. And to Allah return all matters (for decision). S. 2:210

God becomes a man

Not only do the prophetic Scriptures testify that God is/appears as a man (Adam, ish) and a son of man, the inspired authors go so far as to proclaim that God would eventually be born as a man!

“But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined… For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7

Amazingly, Isaiah calls Yahweh the Mighty God in the very next chapter!

“In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean upon him that smote them, but will lean upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” Isaiah 10:20-21

Thus, Yahweh himself would someday be born as a child in order to reign over David’s throne as the Mighty God!

And here is how some of the Jewish sources interpreted Isaiah 9:6:

The prophet saith to the house of David, A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; and he has taken the law upon himself to keep it, and his name has been called from of old, Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, He who lives forever, the Anointed One (or Messiah), in whose days peace shall increase upon us. (The Targum of Isaiah, J.F. Stenning, Editor and Translator [Oxford: Clarendon], p. 32; bold emphasis ours)

And:

Another explanation: He said to him: ‘I have yet to raise up the Messiah’ of whom it is written, For a child is born to us (Isa. IX, 5). (Midrash Rabbah Deuteronomy, Rabbi H. Freedman and Maurice Simon, Editors; Rev. Dr. J. Rabbinowitz, Translator [London: Soncino Press], I.20, p. 20)

As these quotes clearly attest, the Jews themselves understood that Isaiah 9:6 is referring to the Messiah whom both Christians and Muslims agree is Jesus!

For more on the meaning of Isaiah 9:6-7 and other related issues we suggest the following articles:

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_mighty_god.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/messiah_exaltation.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/messiah_deity_isaiah.htm

Concluding Remarks

To summarize the testimony of the holy, God-breathed Scriptures,

God has a visible form which he shows to his servants. Often this is a human form which God assumes.

In one of these instances where God appeared as a man he actually ate food and had his feet washed.

The prophetic writings even apply the words Adam and ish to God, i. e. God appeared in the form of a man (Adam) to Ezekiel, wrestled Jacob as a man (ish), and is called a man (ish) of war.

By calling God a man of war the inspired Scriptures attest that in some ways God is like a man, e.g. just like a man of war God is a warrior who fights to protect and save his people from their enemies.

The prophet Daniel saw God appear as a Son of Man, e.g. as a human being. 

The prophet Isaiah predicted that a child would someday be born who would be the Mighty God, which happens to be one of the Divine names which the prophet uses for Yahweh in the very same book.

The preceding data conclusively shows that God can and will actually become a human being someday without ceasing to be God. In light of this plain fact, statements of Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, and Hosea 11:9 cannot and should not be misconstrued to mean that God will or can never become a man. Nor should these texts be understood or interpreted in the same way one explains passages where God is said to be jealous or one. These verses are simply affirming that God is not a man by nature (something which no informed Christian asserts) and that he, unlike fallen human beings, is wholly reliable and consistent. 

However, these verses do point to the fact that when God does become a man he will not be like the rest of humanity that has been tainted by the power of sin and Satan. Unlike fallen mankind, God will become the kind of human being that is absolutely pure, holy, sinless, and perfect.

In other words God will be exactly like Jesus Christ, the absolutely pure and holy Son of God who was (and still is) completely free from all sins and imperfections! 

“And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ And Mary said to the angel, ‘How shall this be, since I have no husband?’ And the angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.’” Luke 1:30-35

“He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.” John 7:18

“And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him… Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” John 8:29, 46

“But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” Acts 3:14-15

“Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,” Acts 7:52

“And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Just One and to hear a voice from his mouth;’” Acts 22:14

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:14-15

“For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” Hebrews 7:26

“how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Hebrews 9:14

“You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” 1 Peter 1:18-19

“He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips.” 1 Peter 2:22

“And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure… You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin… Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous.” 1 John 3:3, 5, 7

Moreover, according to the NT Jesus is the Divine Son of Man whom the prophet Daniel saw in a vision, the One who rules forever and is worshiped by every creature:

“And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels, and gather HIS elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” Mark 13:26-27

“Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ And the high priest tore his garments, and said, ‘Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?’ And they all condemned him as deserving death.” Mark 14:61b-62

“and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen… Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast; his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’” Revelation 1:5-7, 12-18

“And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; and they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth.’ Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, ‘To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!’ And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Revelation 5:8-14

Christ’s coming also fulfills the promise of Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7 concerning the child who would be born to rule on David’s throne as the Mighty God:

“Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Caperna-um by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.’” Matthew 4:12-16

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ And Mary said to the angel, ‘How shall this be, since I have no husband?’ And the angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.’” Luke 1:26-35

Thus, the OT prophetic scriptures anticipated and prepared God’s people for the NT revelation that Jesus Christ is the fully Divine Son of Man and the Mighty God who became a man in order to reign over David’s kingdom forever.

In conclusion, the OT nowhere claims that God cannot become a man without ceasing to be God. That is simply a gross misunderstanding and/or blatant distortion of the testimony of the Hebrew Scriptures. Moreover, according to the witness of the inspired Christian Greek Scriptures Jesus Christ, who eternally exists as God by nature, became man without ever ceasing to be God. In fact Jesus Christ became the only kind of man that God could ever become, namely One who is absolutely pure and sinless in every way. 

Amen! Come Lord Jesus Christ, come! You are the eternal God who became and remains a man without ever ceasing to be God. We will forever love, praise, worship and adore you as the risen Lord and glorious God-man! Amen.

Endnotes

(1) This particular objection was taken from an article written by Ibn Anwar who is another Muslim neophyte trying to make a name for himself.

Ibn Anwar is simply another typical Muslim apologist who has no shame misrepresenting and manhandling God’s inspired Word or the words of his opponents. For instance, he badly distorts the position and beliefs of noted Christian scholar and apologist Dr. James R. White concerning the Incarnation. Dr. White has produced a video reply to Ibn Anwar’s blatant perversion and gross misrepresentation of his views which we highly recommend:

http://aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=3356
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kUvYd874wU&feature=channel_page

Ironically, this shameless dawagandist alludes to Psalm 102:27 to prove that God remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow when a) the verse doesn’t actually say that in those exact words, b) this is actually said of the Lord Jesus Christ in Hebrews 13:8, and c) Psalm 102:25-27 is applied to Christ to prove that he is the Immutable Lord who created and sustains all things (cf. Heb. 1:10-12)! 

Lord willing, there will be more rebuttals to this neophyte’s blatant perversion of Biblical truth to appear soon.