Eastern Lightning | In God’s appearing in the flesh, why doesn’t He appear as a great or imposing image?
The Answer from God’s Word:
He is merely working in the flesh, not intentionally asking for man to exalt the greatness and holiness of His flesh. He is simply showing man the wisdom of His work and all the authority He wields. Therefore, even though He has an outstanding humanity, He makes no announcements, and focuses only on the work that He should do. You should know why it is that God became flesh yet does not boast of or testify to His normal humanity, and instead simply carries out the work that He wishes to do. This is why you see only the being of divinity in God become flesh, simply because He never proclaims His being of humanity for man to emulate. … God conquers man through His work alone (that is, work unattainable to man). He does not impress man or make all mankind adore Him, but simply instills in man a feeling of reverence for Him or makes man aware of His inscrutability. There is no need for God to impress man. All He needs is for you to revere Him once you have witnessed His disposition.
from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (2)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
I have been incarnated in order to reveal all those who were born of Me but who have risen to defy Me. If I did not become flesh, there would be no way to reveal them (meaning those who act one way to My face and another behind My back). If I remained as a Spirit, people would worship Me in their conceptions, and would think that I am a formless and unreachable God. I am incarnated today as the opposite of people’s conceptions (talking of My height and appearance), looking like an ordinary person and not being very tall. It is this point that most humiliates Satan and is the most powerful counter to people’s conceptions (Satan’s blasphemy). If My appearance was different from everyone else then that would be troublesome—everyone would come to worship Me and understand Me through their own conceptions, and they would not be able to bear that beautiful witness for Me. So I took upon Myself the image that I have today, and it is not hard to understand at all. Everyone should come forth from their conceptions and not be tricked by Satan’s cunning schemes.
from “The Ninety-first Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Though Christ on earth is able to work on behalf of God Himself, He does not come with the intention of showing all men His image in the flesh. He does not come for all men to see Him; He comes to allow man to be led by His hand, thereby entering into the new age. The function of Christ’s flesh is for the work of God Himself, that is, for the work of God in the flesh, and not to enable man to fully understand the substance of His flesh. No matter how He works, it does not exceed that which is attainable to the flesh. No matter how He works, He does so in the flesh with a normal humanity, and does not fully reveal to man the true countenance of God. Additionally, His work in the flesh is never as supernatural or inestimable as man conceives. … God becomes flesh only to complete the work of the flesh, not simply to allow all men to see Him. Rather, He lets His work affirm His identity, and allows what He reveals to attest to His substance. …
… Though His image is not pleasing to the senses, His discourse not possessed of an extraordinary air, and His work not as earth-shattering or heaven-shaking as man imagines, He is indeed Christ, who fulfills the will of the heavenly Father with a true heart, completely submits to the heavenly Father, and is obedient to the death. This is because His substance is the substance of Christ. This truth is hard for man to believe but does indeed exist.
from “The Substance of Christ Is Obedience to the Will of the Heavenly Father” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
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