Scriptures: Exodus 3 v 2, 13 - 14: "2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
Revelation 1 v 12 - 18: "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus into Heaven, the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus, persecutor in chief of Christians, had an encounter with Him when he was journeying to Damascus. Saul, later known as Paul, was soon transformed into the most powerful Christian ambassador.
Acts 9 v 3 - 6: "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."
As a result, Paul determined that from now onwards we know no man after the flesh but after the spirit. He had seen the glorified Christ in His Heavenly body. He realised that if we all are being changed into His glorified likeness we must not see Him as an Earthly man but as the first of a New Creation. We must conform to this new creation and be clothed with power from on high.
Moses saw God in the burning bush that did not consume the bush. He was given instructions about delivering the Jews from Egypt back to the Promised Land. He needed to know on whose authority and got I AM THAT I AM! Moses, sent from Heaven, knew who that I AM was. That was good enough for him.
John also saw the glorified Christ and described Him in Revelation 1 - if we compare that description with who Ezekiel and Daniel saw the similarities are startling. The appearance of the Son of God before He was born of Mary in Bethlehem, was always profound.
They saw a man in a linen garment with a golden girdle across his chest; his eyes were a flame of fire; his feet like burnished brass and his voice like a trumpet or waterfall. They all fell at his feet like dead men and heard his kindness and love.
Every time that our God was manifested on Earth it was in the form of Jesus Christ. He said My Father and I are One. The Trinity consists of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are one. The Holy Spirit is everywhere and knows everything.
In Colossians 1 v 13 - 20 we learn that Jesus Christ created all things in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible.....all things were created by Him. So in Genesis 1 v 26 God says "Let us make man in our image...." And we know that Jesus was present on Earth at the time of the Creation.
Moses and Isaiah were present in the Heavenly council chamber, as was David, Daniel, Paul, John, Peter and others. David remembered the cry of Jesus as He left Heaven "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He wrote it in Psalm 22. Jesus spoke those words again on the Cross when He became Sin for all mankind.
Moses the pampered Prince of Egypt became the Deliverer of the Jews, the very one Satan had tried to kill through Pharoah murdering every boy child under the age of two. He encountered the Living God in a burning bush on top of Mount Sinai where he received the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God on two tablets of stone. He delivered Israel out of 400 years of slavery in Egypt.
Daniel's three friends Shadrack, Meshech and Abednego were thrown bound into a fiery furnace as a punishment for refusing to bow to an idol of King Nebuchadnezzar. Seven of the men throwing them into the fire died from its terrible heat. The King saw a fourth person in the fire with the other three walking around freely.
The King had them rescued from the fire saying the fourth man was like the Son of God. There was not even a blister or smell of smoke upon these three men! It caused the King to acknowledge the Hebrew God and promote those three friends.
As well as that He is:-
Jehovah Elohim - The Strong Creator
Jehovah Elyon - The Lord Most High
Jehovah Adonis - The Lord my Master
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord my Banner
Jehovah Rapha - The Lord my Healer
Jehovah Elolam - The Everlasting God
Jehovah Elroi - The God Who Sees
Jehovah Sabboth - The Lord of Hosts
Jehovah Rohi - The Lord My Shepherd
Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord our Righteousness
Jehovah Shalom The Lord our Peace
Jehovah Chereb - The Lord our Sword
Jehovah El Qanna - Jealous God
Jehovah Ezer - The Lord my Helper
Jehovah Avinu - The Lord Our Father
Jehovah Hashopet - The Lord our Judge
Jehovah Ori - The Lord my Light
Jehovah Elgibbor - Mighty God
Jehovah Immeka - The Lord is with you
Jehovah Elnose - The God that Forgave
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord my Provider
If we want to know God we must experience Him in every way that He reveals Himself. These are just thumbnails to guide us into wanting to know Him more deeply. Reading books about others who have had a personal encounter with Jesus broadens our relationship with Him. Reading the Bible daily gives us intimate knowledge of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He is the Prince of Peace who instructed Joshua, Saul, David to destroy the tribes living on the land of Canaan when He gave it to Israel forever. The only nation to be given a gift like that. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Is He condemning Israel for wanting to wipe out Hamas and Hezbollah for the atrocities against His Chosen people?
When all the nations of the world march on the plains of Meggido for the Battle of Armageddon Jesus and all the born again saints who were Raptured arrive on Earth for the Second Coming. Jesus destroys those armies by the Sword of His Word. He always protects Israel. He always fights against any nation that opposes her.
We are coming very close to this final battle so the Rapture must be soon. If there are any that don't know Jesus yet this is the time reach out to them. Be different to the world. Show love to the unlovable. Forgive those who have wronged you. Bring peace and calm to troubled situations. Bless your enemies, don't curse them.
God repays kindness and love with abundant blessings. If you are running into difficulties examine your past actions to find the cause. Analyse how you have treated others to see why you are running into a wall. God is waiting for us to change before He changes things around us. Give and it shall be given to you..... Words of Jesus.