Late at night if I am driving home from a music performance I frequently tune to the program “Coast to Coast AM” on the radio. The late hour of the show makes the strange subjects of conversation take on a life of their own. I can imagine what the audience must have felt when listening to the broadcast of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds. Coast to Coast AM covers unusual topics, and is full of personal stories related by callers. While program content varies, most nights are focused toward the paranormal, such as the occult, remote viewing (for those who have seen Men Who Stare at Goats), hauntings, shadow people, psychic predictions, metaphysics, conspiracy theories, UFOs, crop circles, cryptozoology, hollow earth theory and science fiction literature. Since the terrorist attacks carried out in the United States on September 11, 2001, the events of that day (as well as conspiracy theories surrounding them) and current U.S. counter-terrorism strategy have also become frequent themes. George Noory, the host, also takes interest in the Mayan 2012 Doomsday prediction, and believes something will happen.

But we need look no farther than our own Bible for a cavalcade of fantastic events highlighted by mysterious appearances and visitations. It is a common theme stretching from the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of the new—someone is trying to contact us. The messianic age had its root far before the birth at Bethlehem. During the season of Christmas we celebrate the arrival of one who was not only predicted long before that, but whose spirit, if not his actual person, was manifest not once but numerous times in a series of events leading to the Nativity. We need only to follow the trail of evidence to gain a full understanding of the messianic impulse in history.

Our first appearance is that of the High Priest Melchizedek to Abram (whose name had not yet been changed to Abraham). It is said that Melchizedek brought bread and wine, and pronounced a blessing on Abram. This is the first indication of the theme of the High Priest, to be later developed to its full understanding in the book of Hebrews. This appearance although brief is nevertheless important because this priest of the Most High existed even before the levitical priesthood was established. Psalm 110:4 represents him as a figure of the Messiah who is both king and priest. Some of the early church Fathers even maintain that Melchizedek was a manifestation of the Son of God in person. (1)

Following close thereafter is the apparition at Mamre, where Yahweh visits Abraham in Genesis 18:1-15:

One of the men goes on to say, “I will visit you again next year without fail, and your wife will then have a son.” Sarah, hearing this, laughs, but of course the prophecy is true. You may have noticed that the text switches between the singular and the plural. Actually, it is both. The singular reference is to Yahweh, who is accompanied by two angels. A more primitive tradition was content to speak of only “three men” and to leave their identity mysterious. However, in later interpretation, since Abraham addressed a single act of homage to them, this may indicate a foreshadowing of the doctrine of the Trinity to be later revealed in the New Testament. (2)

It is in Gen 49:10 that we have a possible vision of the Messiah himself, remarkable in that it occurs so early in the scriptures. It echoes the triumphal entry of Palm Sunday, the Eucharistic meal, as well as the High Priest imagery of the book of Hebrews, as well as connections to other Old Testament references. It reads:

Who is this mysterious person? One commentary says the messianic oracle, which is added in the last half of this verse, possibly refers to David, but not to David alone—rather to David as a type of the Messiah. The scriptures are full of these, Christophanies they are called, where a precursor of the Messiah appears. This is a part of both Jewish and Christian tradition.

As we move along, not only do people see God and talk to God, they have physical contact with him. Jacob is famous for wrestling with God. In Genesis chapter 32, we find Jacob alone, having sent his wives, slave-girls, children and possessions across the stream.

Even the World Wrestling Federation can’t touch this one.

Moses is known as one to whom Yahweh would speak, “as a man speaks with his friend.” He was on a first-name basis with God, for it is written that Yahweh knew him by name. Moses first encounters God on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh Yahweh called to God from inside the cloud. In Exodus 24:17-18 “To the eyes of the sons of Israel the glory of Yahweh seemed like a devouring fire on the mountain top. Moses went right into the cloud. He went up the mountain, and stayed there for forty days and forty nights.” Later, Moses spoke with God as the pillar of the cloud stationed itself at the entrance of his tent, but he yearns to experience God in even more glory, and moves back to the mountain.
Here is what happened: in Exodus 33:18-23 Moses said,

It was obvious from Moses’ appearance that he had experienced something real, for when he returned from the mountain, his face was radiant. It is written that he placed a veil over his face until he returned again to speak with God. The reason is later explained in 2 Corinthians, that he did not want anyone to notice the fading of that brilliance that occurred after each encounter. I can understand. It is sad indeed to have the joy of anything fade, especially an encounter with God.

As we move closer in time to the Incarnation, Daniel sees a vision. This vision is of the “son of man.” The primary meaning, from Hebrew “ben adam” or in Aramaic, “bar asha” has as its primary meaning “man”, “but in Daniel the expression signifies a man who is mysteriously more than human. [This] is attested by early Jewish apocryphal writings [such as] Enoch and
2 Esdras. [Also, in] a collective and equally messianic sense, it is an extension of the individual: the son of man being representative and exemplar of the most high.” (3)

And so, the vision of the Messiah is taking form. It is also clear that this was part of the divine plan from the beginning, pre-existing even chronological time itself. Later Christian writings give it a context, having now witnessed the events of the Lord’s appearance both during and after his mortal life. In Ephesians 1:7-11:

This birth we celebrate is not only that but a cosmic rebirth of the human race. (4) This is the real Good News, the fullness of the divine in all, and it is Christ who fills all creation. The Greek word is Pleroma. The exact meaning is the thing that fills up a gap or hole, like a patch, thought to mean the fullness of divinity that filled Jesus, or the entire cosmos as filled with creative presence of God. (5) The fullness of the total Christ is the fullness of God moving into all creation. And this, to me is vital. It is an expression of grace which, like Christ, is beyond time. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “This grace had already been granted to us, in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time, but it has only been revealed by the Appearing of our savior Christ Jesus.”— something so universal, so powerful, so elemental that it actually goes back before the origin of the universe. And it was this spirit which moved through the prophets. In saying that the prophets were inspired by the pre-existing Christ, the unity of the Old and New Testaments is affirmed: “It was this salvation that the prophets were looking and searching so hard for: their prophecies were about the grace which was to come to you. The Spirit of Christ which was in them foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would come after them….It was revealed to them that the news they brought of all the things which have now been announced to you, by those who preached to you the Good News through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, was for you and not for themselves. Even the angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.” (6)

It must follow that spiritual reality, like that which runs through both Testaments, is something that must have the capacity to break through in this day and age and is not limited to times of old, otherwise it would not be true to its own nature. Our final appearance is not from the Bible, but from the writings of Twentieth Century yogi Paramahansa Yogananda, a true devotee of Christ while yet a teacher in the Hindu tradition. Listen to his account:

And so, to conclude, we live neither by nor for ourselves alone. There is someone who seeks us and, in the birth of our Savior, chooses to break into human existence. Listen to James 4:5: “Surely you don’t think scripture is wrong when it says: the spirit which he sent to live in us wants us for himself alone?” And from 1 John 3:2:

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