Christophanies

JESUS SPEAKING

‘Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.  But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.’ (Luke 24: 25 – 32)

FAITHFUL THOUGHTS

After Christ’s death, a pair of discouraged followers who had abandoned their faith were walking down a road that led out of Jerusalem. Having recently been resurrected, Jesus drew near to them in disguise and began explaining the old testament prophecies concerning Himself, His ministry, and eventual crucifixion. Upon realizing that the stranger was Christ, their faith returned and they journeyed back into Jerusalem. Any old testament scripture that describes Jesus Christ centuries before His arrival is known as a Christophany.

One notable Christophany from the old testament occurs in the book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar created a statue of himself, and demanded that everyone bow down to it and worship him. Three Jewish boys named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused, citing their faith in the one true and living God. As punishment, the boys were thrown into a fiery furnace to be burned alive. However, King Nebuchadnezzar soon looked into the flames and saw something quite miraculous. The king said, “Look! […] 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.” (Daniel 3: 25) One might rightly infer that this fourth man is Jesus Christ. The boys are then released without further threat.

There are many Christophanies throughout the old testament, and many descriptions of Jesus written down hundreds of years before His arrival. There is only one book ever written that has predicted future events with such precision; that book is the Holy Bible. May we trust in God’s word and have great faith in what He has written.

“Lord Heavenly Father, May we honor you with our hearts and never bow down to false idols. Only You have the power to save us and the power to grant us eternal life. May we offer a portion of our day to the reading and studying of Your word, that we might grow in our knowledge of the truth. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.” God bless all of You!