A Christophany is:

A visible appearance of the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ before His birth in Bethlehem.

In other words, before Jesus took on human flesh through the virgin Mary, He sometimes appeared visibly in the Old Testament. These appearances were temporary—they were not His incarnation, but manifestations of the eternal Son of God.

Why do Christians believe this?

John tells us that Jesus has always existed.

John 1:1–3 (NIV)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."

Jesus wasn't created at Bethlehem. Bethlehem was simply when He became flesh.

John 1:14 (NIV)

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

So if the Son existed eternally, it makes sense that He could appear before His incarnation.

Clues that an appearance may be a Christophany

Many Bible scholars look for these clues:

✅ The person is called "the Angel of the LORD."

• ("Angel" here means messenger, not necessarily a created angel.)

✅ He speaks as God.

✅ People worship Him—and He accepts worship.

✅ He forgives sins or makes divine promises.

✅ Those who see Him say they have seen God.

Some of the strongest possible Christophanies

1. The Angel of the LORD and Hagar

Genesis 16:7–13

The Angel of the LORD speaks as God.

Hagar responds:

"You are the God who sees me."

2. Abraham and Isaac

Genesis 22:11–18

The Angel of the LORD says:

"By myself I have sworn..."

Only God swears by Himself.

3. Jacob Wrestles with God

Genesis 32:24–30

Jacob says:

"I saw God face to face."

Later Scripture confirms he wrestled with God.

4. The Burning Bush

Exodus 3:2–6

It begins:

"The Angel of the LORD appeared..."

A few verses later...

"I am the God of your father..."

The Angel speaks as God Himself.

5. Joshua Meets the Commander of the LORD's Army

Joshua 5:13–15

Joshua falls down and worships.

The Commander tells him:

"Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy."

Exactly what God told Moses at the burning bush.

6. Gideon

Judges 6:11–24

The Angel of the LORD speaks as God.

Then the text simply says:

"The LORD turned to him..."

The titles seem interchangeable.

7. Manoah and His Wife

Judges 13

After the Angel ascends in the flame,

Manoah says:

"We are doomed to die! We have seen God!"

Judges 13:22 (NIV)

Daniel's Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:24–25

Nebuchadnezzar says:

"Look! I see four men... and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."

Some translations say:

"...like the Son of God."

Many Christians believe this was another Christophany, although the text does not explicitly identify Him. Others understand Him to be a powerful angel sent by God.

A Christophany vs. the Incarnation

A helpful way to remember it is:

• Christophany = Jesus appears temporarily before Bethlehem.
• Incarnation = Jesus is born as a man and permanently takes on human nature.

The incarnation begins with:

Luke 1–2

and

John 1:14

My favorite evidence

One of the strongest pieces of evidence comes from Jesus Himself.

John 8:56–58 (NIV)

"Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

The Jews ask,

"You are not yet fifty years old... and you have seen Abraham?"

Jesus answers:

"Very truly I tell you... before Abraham was born, I AM!"

By using "I AM," Jesus identifies Himself with the divine name revealed in Exodus 3:14, making a profound claim to eternal existence.

That's why, when we read about mysterious figures in the Old Testament who speak as God, receive worship, and display God's authority, many believers ask, "Could this be Jesus before Bethlehem?" Sometimes Scripture makes a very strong case; in other passages, we hold the conclusion with humility because the text doesn't explicitly say.