Does Jesus Appear in the Old Testament?

Scripture reveals that Jesus Christ had a significant role in the Old Testament long before His incarnation as the Messiah.

You might be familiar with the idea that the Old Testament refers to Jesus in a variety of types, symbols, and Messianic prophecies (Luke 24:44-48). But some verses also suggest He appeared physically before His incarnation as a human.

Because He wasn’t given His earthly name until He was born to Mary, these appearances don’t mention Him by the name “Jesus” (Matthew 1:21). Instead, He is described by the way He appears or functions in a story—sometimes manifesting as an angel, a man, or even fire!

We’ll unpack these stories and see what they can tell us about Jesus’ role in the Old Testament:

Let’s start by talking about Jesus’ presence at Creation.

The Word

The Bible first hints at Jesus’ involvement with humanity in Genesis 1:26, when God says, “Let Us make mankind in Our image” (NKJV). And again, after Adam and Eve sin and God says, “The man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil” (Genesis 3:22, NKJV).

The plural pronouns in these passages suggest the presence of at least two members of the Godhead.

Later, the book of John confirms Jesus’ role at Creation. It speaks of the presence of the Word, the flesh begotten by God (John 1:14):

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-4, NKJV).

This is precisely why some Bible scholars believe Jesus was present at the Creation of the world in His pre-incarnate form.1

He played a personal part in our creation and watched our fall (Colossians 1:15-17). He first loved us as His creation and then came to save us even when we sinned against Him.

But before He died on the Cross, He served humanity by acting as God’s messenger.

The Angel of the Lord

The Angel of the Lord is a mysterious figure who appears throughout the Old Testament to deliver messages from God.

While God has certainly sent various “angels of the Lord” to deliver messages for Him, “the Angel of the Lord” seems to be a special being.

The Angel is often referred to as God or Lord.2 And when people see the Angel of the Lord, they say they’ve seen God Himself.3 They even bow down to worship him (Joshua 5:14; Judges 13:17-21), which is something normal angels have refused to receive. After all, only God has the right to accept worship as our God and Creator (Revelation 22:8-9).

Strong’s Bible concordance supports the idea that this Angel may “indicate a manifestation of God Himself.”4 Many theologians believe this Angel is Jesus.5

To be clear, the word angel doesn’t refer only to a specific group of heavenly beings. The most general sense of the word means “messenger,” and that’s exactly what Jesus does as the Angel of the Lord.6

He appears in various stories, giving messages of comfort and guidance to the people of the Old Testament.

However, this doesn’t mean He was an angel or any kind of created being.

Like the rest of the Godhead, He has existed forever (Micah 5:2; John 1:1). No one has ever “made” God the Son.

But because He’s God, and because His pre-incarnate form wasn’t tied to a human body, He could appear in whatever form He chose.

Let’s look at passages that talk about the Angel of the Lord to see what they have to say.

The Angel appears to Hagar (Genesis 16:1-13)

The first time the Bible mentions the Angel of the Lord is in the story of Hagar. In the story, she is running away from her mistress Sarah, Abraham’s wife, when Sarah becomes jealous of the child Hagar had with Abraham.

Hagar finds herself by a spring when the Angel of the Lord appears to her to comfort her. He tells her to return to Sarah and promises that God will make her son the father of a great nation.

Hagar is reassured by this news and seems to recognize this Angel as God, saying,

“You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, ‘Have I also here seen Him who sees me?’” (Genesis 16:13, NKJV).

Many Bible scholars aren’t sure who this figure is.7 Some, though, believe this Angel is Jesus Himself.8

The Angel appears to Abraham (Genesis 18:2-33)

A figure appears to Abraham to announce the birth of his son, Isaac. Though this figure is described as a man instead of an angel, there seems to be something supernatural about Him.

He arrives accompanied by two other men. Many Bible scholars interpret the man’s companions to be angels, and the man Himself to be a member of the Godhead,9 possibly Jesus (Genesis 18:2-5; Hebrews 13:2).10 Jesus, acting as the Angel of the Lord, seems to have taken on the form of a man to appear to Abraham (Hebrews 13:2).

This is further suggested by the way “the Lord” is suddenly referred to in the story as though He had been one of the three messengers all along (Genesis 18:13).

The one referred to as the Lord continues to speak with Abraham, who attempts to bargain with Him about the fate of Sodom. This messenger amends His message as Abraham pleads with Him.

A mere messenger, even an angel, wouldn’t be able to make a decision on God’s behalf. It’s very likely this messenger was God Himself.

The Angel appears to Jacob (Genesis 32:24-26)

A figure, sometimes spoken of as a man (Genesis 32:24), and sometimes spoken of as an angel or God (Hosea 12:3-4), appears to Jacob as he prays for deliverance from his brother Esau.

The man wrestles him, beating him with one finger, and Jacob realizes that this is no ordinary man.11 He grabs onto Him, refusing to release the figure until He blesses him. The figure agrees to bless Jacob and make him a strong nation, which is something only God can promise.

Notably, Jacob says that in seeing this man, He has seen God (Genesis 32:30). All of this information points scholars to believe this figure is Jesus Christ.12

The Angel appears to Moses (Exodus 3:2-16; 13:21-22; 14:19)

The Angel of the Lord appears to Moses several times.

While other accounts might describe the Angel of the Lord as a man or angel, He appears to Moses as fire.

The first time is when God calls Moses to lead the Israelites. He sends the Angel of the Lord to appear to Moses as a burning bush.

While the Bible says the Angel of the Lord is in the bush, it also suggests that God is in the bush, hinting that the Angel of the Lord and God are one and the same (Exodus 3:2, 4-6).

When Moses asks God what He should be called, God describes His name as, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). The fact that Jesus also describes Himself as the “I AM” when the Pharisees ask who He is further cements that this being is none other than Jesus (John 8:58), as many scholars suggest.13

Later on, the Angel of the Lord returns to help Moses lead the Israelites. He appears as a pillar of fire and cloud to guide them after they leave Egypt. This angel is also believed by scholars to be Jesus.14

The Angel appears to Gideon (Judges 6:1-24)

The Angel of the Lord appears to encourage a young man named Gideon to fight the nations oppressing God’s people.

It is here that Gideon addresses the Angel as “the Lord,” suggesting that the Angel is someone in the Godhead, namely, Jesus.

Gideon also makes a burnt offering, which this Angel accepts by creating fire to consume the sacrifice. Accepting a sacrifice and worship gives us more evidence of His identity as God.15

The Angel appears to Samson’s parents (Judges 13:2-22)

The Angel of the Lord appears to tell a barren woman that she will give birth to a son.
The woman and her husband gladly receive His news and ask for further instruction in raising their son, who would later be known as Samson.

In answer to their prayer, the Angel of the Lord appears to them again and repeats His instruction. He asks for a burnt offering and sends fire to consume it, disappearing from view by ascending into its flames.

This is another instance where an Angel accepts a burnt offering by consuming it with fire. This suggests this Angel is part of the Godhead, possibly Jesus.16

The possibility is further supported by the fact that when the couple sees the Angel accept the offering and disappear, the husband exclaims that he would die for seeing God (Judges 13:22).

The Commander of the Lord’s Army (Joshua 5:13-15)

In addition to the possibility that Jesus appeared as a messenger in the Old Testament, the Bible also seems to indicate that He came as a victor over the enemies of God’s people.

While this might seem like a different picture of the Jesus we’re familiar with, it’s important to point out that while Jesus is peaceful and gentle, Jesus is also a defender and a leader. He’s capable of protecting His people (Revelation 17:14).

Revelation even describes Jesus as a leader of the heavenly armies (19:11-16). So it really isn’t difficult to imagine Jesus’ taking on the role of the Commander of the Lord’s Army in the Old Testament.

This understanding may help explain the mysterious figure that appears to Joshua before the Battle of Jericho.

Joshua is preparing to attack the city when a man appears to him with a sword. He tells Joshua that He is the Commander of the Lord’s Army. In response, Joshua bows down to Him and calls Him Lord, seemingly recognizing Him as one of the Godhead.

The Commander even asks that Joshua take off His shoes because He is standing on holy ground. These clues offer further evidence that this figure is Jesus.17

The Son of God in the Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3:16-25)

A mysterious figure appears to Daniel’s Jewish friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when they’re thrown into a fiery furnace by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar for refusing to worship a golden image.

Nebuchadnezzar is astonished to see that the Jews are unharmed by the flames, and as he looks closer he is even more surprised to find that someone else is standing in the flames with them:

“‘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’” (Daniel 3:25, NKJV).

The fact that Nebuchadnezzar compares this being to “the Son of God” (some versions say “Son of Man”) suggests that the figure standing in the flames is Jesus, who went by the same title.18

Jesus in prophetic visions (Daniel 10:4-6; Zecharaiah 3:1-7)

Aside from the physical appearances of Jesus, the Old Testament mentions instances in which individuals see visions of Him.

In Daniel 10, a heavenly man appears to Daniel in a vision to deliver a prophecy about Persia, Greece, and the fate of Israel. Like Jesus in Revelation 1, this man has priestly clothes, bronze skin, eyes like fire, a face of light, and a mighty voice. These similarities have led Bible scholars to believe this heavenly man is Jesus.19

He appears in yet another vision, where He defends the High Priest Joshua against Satan (Haggai 1:12; Zechariah 3:1-7).

The vision features the Angel of the Lord, presumed by scholars to be Jesus,20 who offers forgiveness and redemption to Joshua. The Angel does this by taking away his filthy clothes (sin) and replacing them with clean clothes (righteousness) (Zechariah 3:2-5; Job 29:14).

And as only Jesus can cover our sins with His righteousness (Galatians 3:27), it makes sense that this Angel would be Jesus.

Why Jesus’ presence in the Old Testament matters

Jesus’ presence in the Old Testament demonstrates Jesus’ involvement in our salvation from the very beginning. The story of Jesus is not limited to the New Testament. The entire Bible speaks of His role and consistent character.

In this way, studying the entire Bible can give us a better understanding of who He is.

Here are some ways to start looking for Jesus in the Old Testament:

1. Pray for God to guide your study.
2. Use a Bible concordance to find passages with names that refer to Jesus (Son of Man, Son of God, the Angel of the Lord).
3. Read those passages to discover the context in which Jesus is mentioned.
4. Write down what the passages teach you about the character of Christ.

The more you study, the more you’ll be reminded that the New Testament simply echoes what the Old Testament already tells us about Him (John 5:46; Luke 24:27).

Jesus genuinely cares and provides for us like Hagar (Matthew 14:13-21). He’s a personal God, open to talking to us as He did with Abraham and Sarah (John 4:7-10; John 3:1-21). He fulfills His promises to free us from sin, just like He promised to free Moses and His people from their captors (Luke 8:26-39).

He’s patient with us and gives us confidence when we’re afraid like Gideon was (Luke 5:8-10). He promises to guide us like He guided Samson’s parents in the raising of their son (John 14:25-27). And He gives Christians victory over sinful pasts just as He gave Joshua victory over Jericho (John 8:10-11).

He’s our creator, commander, protector, counselor, messenger, and intercessor.

Jesus has always had a crucial role in our redemption.

He had a special role in appearing to people in the Old and New Testaments. When He died on the Cross, He fulfilled His role as a sacrifice for our sins so we could have eternal life. And He continues His work of interceding for us today in the heavenly sanctuary.

Want to learn what the Bible says about Jesus’ work there?

Take a look at “What Adventists Believe About Jesus’ Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary.”

Related Articles

Reading the Old Testament gives us glimpses of Jesus before He lived on earth (Luke 24:27, 44-45).

Can We Find Jesus Christ In the Old Testament?

A Bible open to the Old Testament, an important part for Christians

Is the Old Testament Important for Christians Today?

Major Fulfilled Bible Prophecies You Should Know About

  1. Nichol, F. D., Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, 1978, vol. 1, p. 215. [↵]
  2. Exodus 3:2,5-6; Judges 6:11-15; Zechariah 12:8. [↵]
  3. Genesis 16:7,13; Judges 6:22; Judges 13:21-22. [↵]
  4. Strong, James LL.D, S.T.D., The Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Zondervan, 2001, p. 1665. [↵]
  5. Ackland, William, “The Angel of the Lord,” Adventist News Network, June 23, 2021; “Is Michael Another Name for Jesus?” Biblical Research Institute, Feb. 13, 2012. [↵]
  6. “Angel,” Merriam-Webster Dictionary. [↵]
  7. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 318. [↵]
  8. Royo, Daniel, “A God Who Sees and Hears the ‘Other’: Hagar’s Theophany as an Illustration of the Lord’s Benevolence Toward Those Outside the Covenant,” Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, p. 101. [↵]
  9. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 326. [↵]
  10. White, Ellen Gould, Patriarchs and Prophets, Review and Herald Association, 1890, p. 139. [↵]
  11. Ibid., pp.196-197. [↵]
  12. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 406; White, Ellen Gould, The Truth About Angels, Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1996, p. 86. [↵]
  13. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 509. [↵]
  14. Ibid., p. 562. [↵]
  15. White, The Truth About Angels, p. 113. [↵]
  16. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 1976, p. 383; White, The Truth About Angels, p. 115. [↵]
  17. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 195; White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 487. [↵]
  18. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1977, p. 785; White, Ellen Gould, Prophets and Kings, Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1917, p. 508. [↵]
  19. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 858; Mueller, Ekkehardt, “Lessons from Daniel 10,” Biblical Research Institute, p. 2. [↵]
  20. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1092; White, Prophets and Kings, p. 584. [↵]

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