Related to the Son of God and God-Man concepts is the concept of the visible manifestation of God’s glory. In the Bible, we encounter such expressions as:
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders of Israel ascended; and they saw the God of Israel: under His feet there was the likeness of a pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity.[1]
Now the Presence of the LORD appeared in the sight of the Israelites as a consuming fire on the top of the mountain.[2]
In the year that King Uzziah died, I beheld my LORD seated on a high and lofty throne; and the skirts of His robe filled the Temple. Seraphs stood in attendance on Him. Each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his legs, and with two he would fly. And one would call to the other, “Holy, holy, holy! The LORD of Hosts! His presence fills all the earth!”[3]
In these examples God visibly reveals Himself to mankind. As mentioned earlier, Bleich’s book is discussing thirteen principles that are foundational to Jewish beliefs. The third principle is incorporeality. Incorporeality means the state or quality of being bodiless or immaterial. As Rabbi Albo discusses this topic, we read these comments:
The revelation of God’s glory takes place by means of a body that is visible to the senses, like a fire or a pillar of cloud… devouring fire… cloud… the angel of the LORD… flame of fire… the glory of the LORD which appeared to the prophets emanated from God’s own essence…[4]
In other words, God can appear to mankind. He does so by utilizing a body of His own choice. The amazing thing about the comments above lies in the fact that they sound exactly like the Brit Chadashah.
In John 1:14, John says that the Word of God literally “Shekinahed” (dwelt) among us. John is claiming, in that verse, that Yeshua is a form of the Shekinah Glory of God. He claims that the Shekinah is manifested in this manner in order to “explain” God the Father to us. To use Rabbi Albo’s wording:
The revelation of God’s glory takes place by means of a body that is visible to the senses,… the glory of the LORD which appeared to the prophets emanated from God’s own essence…[5]
This is exactly what the Brit Chadashah teaches in John, chapter 1 and in the account of the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-6; Mk. 9:1-8). The evidence for complex, indivisible unity is still present. God can reveal Himself to man in any way He sees fit, be it a fire, a cloud, or a human body.