SHEMOT 33

20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Yahweh on the Mount

This was not the personal Creator, both Jesus and Paul expressly affirming that no man hath seen God at any time.—(John 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:6.)

It was his manifestation by Spirit in the angels of his power.—(See Acts 7:38, 53; Heb. 2:2.) The impossibility of man looking in the face of the Being who appeared to Moses, is not inconsistent with this, since such may be true in relation to the higher order of angelic manifestation on the principle that made it impossible for Israel to behold even the face of Moses when he came down from the Mount.

As to Phanerosis, p. 51, the statements must be read subject to the propositions appearing on p. 38. Proposition 2: "That the one self-existent Eternal Ail hath never been seen by any mortal man." Proposition 9: "That they (the Scriptures) teach that in seeing God, men saw embodiments of the Spirit of the eternal Increate, not the Eternal himself."

The Eternal, who is omnipresent by His Spirit, manifested Himself to Moses, in the person of the chief of the Elohim, on Sinai, who bore Yahweh's name. We have submitted the query to the author of Phanerosis, who says there was no need for the light-inhabiting Eternal Father to leave his dwelling-place to manifest Himself to Moses, since he is everywhere present, and can, at any time or place, manifest himself as he chooses.

The Christadelphian, April 1870

The Ezekiel temple is a "house of prayer for all nations," in which the "Yahweh Elohim Almighty" will officiate as the sacerdotal intermediation between him who dwells in light, whom no man can see and live, and all the enlightened, justified and regenerated nations of the Millennial Age (Exod. 33:20, 1 Tim. 6:16).

Eureka 8.1. 'And there were voices'.

The Angelic God-Manifestation on Sinai

It is not an opinion but a matter of testimony that it was an angel that spake to Moses on Mount Sinai.—(See Acts 7:38, 53; Heb. 2:2.) The simple question to consider, therefore, is, how that angel could say, "Thou canst not see my face and live," seeing other angels were often seen.

There is no difficulty in this, when we remember that the angels seen by men face to face, in a familiar way, had their glory veiled or drawn in, and appeared like ordinary men, while the angel on Mount Sinai shone with the unrestrained lustre of the Spirit nature.

A man might look on an angel in the former state, as the disciples looked on the Lord before his ascension; but no man might look on the latter as exemplified in the brightness of the Lord's glory afterwards ("above the brightness of the sun"), striking Saul to the ground and blinding him when on his way to Damascus.

Moses was not permitted to look on the face of the angelic-God-manifestation on Sinai. He was permitted to be near his person, and the skin of his face contracted a brilliancy which made the children of Israel afraid to look on him when he returned to them.—(Ex. 34:29–30.)

The Christadelphian, Aug 1875

22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

The cleft rock: A place of shelter and safety specially prepared by Yahweh

In searching for the meaning of the cleft rock, we are led to consider certain facts to which the scene of this record evidently points. The Rock stands related to two systems, or "order of things," outlined by the two Covenants. The One, given from Sinai—the Mosaic:—the other, confirmed and brought into force by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ—the Abrahamic.

At the first giving of the law from Sinai, the ten commandments were spoken in audible voice to the people: andthe terrors of the law were shadowed forth in the thunderingsand lightnings and voice of a trumpet, the fire and the smoke. And the "two tables of testimony,—tables of stone, written with the finger of God,"—were given to Moses, that he might teach the law and commandments to the children of Israel. This covenant, dedicated with blood,—which Moses sprinkled upon all the people,—they did not keep.

They quickly turned aside from the holy commandments and corrupted themselves; and were many of them visited with the fire of Yahweh's jealousy—in swift destruction from among His people. A primary, antitypical fulfilment of the things representatively enacted then, we find at the close of the Mosaic Aion.

Then, there was a national falling away of the children of Israel from the holy covenant delivered unto them by Moses;and only a very small remnant of faithful ones remained. When that covenant had waxed old, and was ready to vanish away (Heb. 8:13), the "heavens" thereof are described by Peter as about to "pass away with a great noise, and the elements to melt with fervent heat" (2 Pet. 3:10).

This national removal, and the cause of it, Moses had foretold: and said, "Jeshurun" had

"forsaken God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation"

(Deut. 32:15).

Sis Lasius - Yahweh Elohim

Moses, being within the Rock—was covered by the hand of Yahweh. This covering hand, is the subject of the prophet's testimony. The Spirit, through the prophet, addressing the anointed One, saith:

"I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand: that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth; and say unto Zion, Thou art my people" (Isa.51:16).

The right hand of Yahweh, is spoken of as being instrumental in the work of salvation. The Psalmist saith:

"1 know that the Lord saveth his anointed, he will hear him from his holy heaven, with the saving strength of his right hand" (Ps. 20:6). His right hand, it is said, is "full of righteousness." As saith the Psalmist; "According to thy name, Ο God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth:thy right hand is full of righteousness" (Ps. 48:10). "Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand: upon the Son of man, whom thou madest strong for thyself" (Ps. 80:17).

It is through the saving power of his right hand, "the righteousness of ages" has been brought in. The righteousness belonging to the name of Yahweh is manifested through the name of Jesus. Therefore the Spirit of Christ through the prophet, saith,—"I will greatly rejoice in the

Lord: my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath coveredme with the robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10).

This righteousness is a part of that "goodness" of which the Lord spake to Moses, when He said, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee." This goodness and righteousness form

part of that glory which was veiled within the shadow of the covering hand: as said the messenger, "I will cover thee with my hand while I pass by."

The glory was with the angelic representative, within the covering cloud. Christ, coming to be invested with the covering robe of Yahweh's righteousness, the Scriptures teach that all who

have put on Christ are covered with it also. Moses, together with all the faithful ones of every age, must find a covering there. "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord;and their righteousness is of me, saith Yahweh" (Isa. 54:17).

Sis Lasius - Yahweh Elohim