Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

[Redemptionsong]

You were doing so well until you started down the well trodden trinitarian deceitful act of setting a trap.

That ‘trap’ was to declare God as the only saviour and then to say that Jesus is the only saviour therefore Jesus must be God… tuh!!!

What this signifies is exactly that trinity is false since it only exists by the deceitfulness as you have just done!

GOD SENT A SAVIOUR…

God sent a saviour…

Jesus is the saviour God sent…

God EMPOWERED Jesus to act in HIS power as saviour…

This empowerment was by means of the spirit of God which God placed on him at the river Jordan: aka: The anointing of Jesus with the Spirit of God. By this event Jesus BECAME ‘Christ’, which you know means, ‘[the] Anointed [one]’. Obviously there were other anointing of kings and priests in past times but this anointing was not with earthly (though sacred) oils, but with the holiest of oils, the ‘oil of gladness’ which is spiritual oil.

When scriptures states that ‘God sent Jesus’, it was after this anointing - and the subsequent temptation in the wilderness (which Jesus passed) that God sent Jesus ‘into the world’.

Again, the meaning of ‘in[to] the world’ is “To face adversity, sinfulness, evil, defiance against God’s commands and guidance”

Until Jesus was ‘sent’, Jesus faced a relatively unremarkable life. Even his mother started becoming anxious that her son had not gone out ‘performing’ what the Angel told her would happen.

God raised up a horn from the house of David. ‘GOD’ raised up the horn … the saviour of Israel - His people: Jesus…

A ship owner heard of a party of people who were in danger of dying due to misappropriation of the use of one of his vessels he put them in and was out at sea.

This man first waited to see if the captain could rescue the ship - but over time it was clear that he could not.

The ship owner therefore decide to rescue the ship with people. He contacted the ship and searched for a competent operator on board and passed over vital information about the operation of the ship and how to correct the errors that the captain had caused. This operator was therefore empowered in greater powerfulness than the captain.

When this empowered operator announced that he had been put in charge, many looked on him with incredulous ness that such a simple operator could have such power and authority but nevertheless many cheered and praised him saying, ‘The Ship owner is with us… Hosanna - Hosanna! A saviour has been sent to us!!’

Despite this, when there wasn’t an immediate salvation because the empowered operator ask for faith in him, many people on board did not take to listening, did not have the faith or plain believed in him and started jumping overboard or in lifeboats into the rough waves of the dark sea. However, these found they were rudderless, had no guidance, and the lifeboats were not sound… but they still thought it was better than staying on the ship!

Back on the ship - after following every instruction in every was directed by the ship owner, the empowered operator saved the ship and brought it to a safe port and thereby saving the people who were on board and had not jumped overboard in to the dark depths of the sea and drowned due to lack of faith and belief in the empowered operator …

This operator so pleased the ship owner that he gave the operator a fleet of his own ships to own and manage!

The captain from that rescued ship was dismissed in disgrace!

————————————

Who saved the ship?

Your analogy does not clarify, it only adds confusion.

The scriptures can be read plainly and give ample evidence that Christ is the Saviour sent by God. No man can reject the Saviour, Jesus Christ, and claim to accept the Saviour, God the Father. But this appears to be exactly what you are doing.

Trinitarians are not setting traps to catch you off guard. They are demonstrating, from the scriptures, that your theology cannot be upheld with consistency.

If God is to be your Saviour, what do you think you need to do to satisfy the conditions of salvation?

 

[Soapy]

The truth of what it means to have God 'amongst' and 'within' goes all the way back to Adam.

When God communed with Adam and Eve, He did so because the Holy Spirit united them 'as one'. The Spirit in Adam was one with the Spirit of God, and it remained this way until the 'fall'.

At the fall, the Holy Spirit deserted Adam, and he lived by his own spirit until his death 'in the day'. In other words, his physical death came within a day of a thousand years.

The significance of these events helps to explain the meaning of salvation and redemption.

Since man cannot save himself, by giving himself eternal life, he must seek God's salvation from sin and death. The seal by which salvation is known in man is the Holy Spirit. And to bring justice for Adam's sin, it was necessary to pay a 'once for all time' payment for sin.

You say that 'God was with..' the Israelites and others, but we know that all these people died and went to the grave. Their hope of resurrection lies in Christ, and no one else. This is because God has sent Jesus Christ as His salvation, and there is no other name under heaven by which a man can be saved.

As you well know, there is only one Saviour, and that is God. So, if Christ is not the Saviour, then God was not in Christ. Yet, this is not what scripture tells us:
2 Corinthians 5:19. 'To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation'.

So, if God was not in Christ ('God with us'), then Jesus Christ was not the Saviour from sin.

Do you deny that Jesus is Saviour?

Luke 1:68,69. 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;'

Your analogy does not clarify, it only adds confusion.

The scriptures can be read plainly and give ample evidence that Christ is the Saviour sent by God. No man can reject the Saviour, Jesus Christ, and claim to accept the Saviour, God the Father. But this appears to be exactly what you are doing.

Trinitarians are not setting traps to catch you off guard. They are demonstrating, from the scriptures, that your theology cannot be upheld with consistency.

If God is to be your Saviour, what do you think you need to do to satisfy the conditions of salvation?

The analogy shows that BOTH persons were saviours: one empowered the other to do so.

It is the same in many salvation events: a king saves his troops, surrounded and trapped in enemy territory, by dispatching a great warrior.

The king gave the warrior orders as to where it was best to fight, what weapons would work best against the enemy, which opponent were choice for taking down to secure surrender.

The warrior did exactly as the king commanded him and the war and troops were saved.

Who was the saviour?

What did you learn from the analogy I gave you?

 

[Redemptionsong]

What did you learn from the analogy I gave you?

That you cannot accept that the Father was in Jesus Christ reconciling the world to Himself! To you the Father is not in the Son.

 

[Soapy]

That you cannot accept that the Father was in Jesus Christ reconciling the world to Himself! To you the Father is not in the Son.

No no no!

I never said that the Father was not in Jesus Christ reconciling the world to Himself!

In fact, I exactly am saying that God, YHWH, was in Christ Jesus …. etc. Scriptures says so and the narrative follows that: ‘Jesus was anointed with the power of God’: Acts 10:37-38.

The Father is in the sin by His spirit.

I know what you are doing and again, it shows that trinity is false since you try to make claims against me that are absolutely untrue.

Yes, the more you do what you are doing the deeper the hole you are digging for yourself and the trinity ideology you take as your belief!

God, the Father, is in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.

God is the Great Saviour who dispatched the empowered saviour to save His people.

Both are saviours - the Father empowering the Son by His power, knowledge, strength, love, righteousness, and holiness:

• ‘God loves the son and shows him all that He does’ (John 5:20)
• “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)

A son who is exactly like his Father is said to have his Father in him… it’s a common saying. But no so of Adam has all of his Father in him for sun has deteriorated the Sonship. That is what Jesus was not born of Adam but as a direct creation of God, the Father.

So now that you know, and I have shown you, that I do say that God, the Father, was in Christ Jesus, reconciling the world to himself… what are you going to claim I said or didn’t say that is untrue to the truth of scriptures?

 

[Muffled]

I believe God does not have a face but one may see the face of Jesus and/or the face of believers.

 

[Muffled]

answer, John 6:46 "Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father."

Hosea 12:10 "I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets."
did not Abraham see God in a similitude on his way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? did not the 70 elders see God? Exodus 24:9 "Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:" Exodus 24:10 "And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." Exodus 24:11 "And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink."

yes, in a similitude, just as John 6:46a said, "Not that any man hath seen the Father". but in the resurrection, we will see him FACE to FACE, without a similitude, Revelation 22:4 "And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads."

notice also, his, his, his, FACE, and not THEIR Faces.

101G.

I believe God can represent himself in a vision. That is what I saw when I saw Him in Heaven.

 

[Muffled]

If the man 'which is of God' hath seen the Father, would you say that you have seen the Father?

I do not believe I have the awareness of oneness that Jesus had but then Paul did say we see through a glass darkly.

1Cor 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

 

[Redemptionsong]

No no no!

I never said that the Father was not in Jesus Christ reconciling the world to Himself!

In fact, I exactly am saying that God, YHWH, was in Christ Jesus …. etc. Scriptures says so and the narrative follows that: ‘Jesus was anointed with the power of God’: Acts 10:37-38.

The Father is in the sin by His spirit.

I know what you are doing and again, it shows that trinity is false since you try to make claims against me that are absolutely untrue.

Yes, the more you do what you are doing the deeper the hole you are digging for yourself and the trinity ideology you take as your belief!

God, the Father, is in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.

God is the Great Saviour who dispatched the empowered saviour to save His people.

Both are saviours - the Father empowering the Son by His power, knowledge, strength, love, righteousness, and holiness:

• ‘God loves the son and shows him all that He does’ (John 5:20)
• “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)

A son who is exactly like his Father is said to have his Father in him… it’s a common saying. But no so of Adam has all of his Father in him for sun has deteriorated the Sonship. That is what Jesus was not born of Adam but as a direct creation of God, the Father.

So now that you know, and I have shown you, that I do say that God, the Father, was in Christ Jesus, reconciling the world to himself… what are you going to claim I said or didn’t say that is untrue to the truth of scriptures?

Okay, so let's take it one step at a time and see where our differences lie.

You agree that the Father was in Jesus Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.

John 17:1-5. 'These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
As thou [the Father] hast given him [the Son] power over all flesh, that he [the Son] should give eternal life to as many as thou [the Father] hast given him [the Son].
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
I have glorified thee on the earth: l have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
And now, O Father, glorify thou me [the Son] with thine own self with the glory which l [the Son] had with thee before the world was'.

This passage makes it quite clear that eternal life is not provided by the Father alone. Eternal life comes from knowing BOTH the Father and the Son. And the way in which one comes to know the Father and the Son is through the Holy Spirit.

Do you agree?

 

[dybmh]

How do you explain these things, given that the central figure of the three angels is described as the LORD?

It's a mysterious story. I think the easiest way to address this is go through the story and comment on each part. To summarize, it's unclear what Abraham actually saw. This entire episode could have been the voice of the LORD who was already present before the 3 'men' arrived.

I'll put my line-by-line commentary in a spoiler to save people the effort of scrolling through it.

Spoiler: line-by-line comments

1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

The LORD appeared ( past tense ), where? At the tent door where Abraham sat.
​

2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Notice, he left the entrance to the tent. Also notice, the 3 men stood. They had stopped, they weren't traveling anymore, they were waiting. And, Abraham does not bow to them, he bows to the ground.
​

3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

This prayer is not directed to the men. He probably said it in an undertone. Abraham had interrupted his communion in order to be hospitable to the 3 travelers in the heat of the day. Why would he ask them not to pass by, if they had already stopped? Instead it makes more sense that he is praying to the LORD whom was already there before the men had arrived. Abraham is asking the LORD to remain present eventhough he is interrupted with guests.

Also, does it makes sense for him to ask 3 strangers if they have seen him in favor? He doesn't even know these people. The word for "in thy sight" is singular.
​

4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

Now Abraham is talking to the men. How do we know? Notice, he says "comfort ye hearts". Hearts is plural. Feet is plural. Previously "in thy sight" is singular. The subject has changed.

"They said" in return "do as thou has said". If these were 2 angels + the LORD, why didn't the LORD answer? It doesn't make sense for the vassals to speak and the monarch to remain silent if they're traveling in a group. If Abraham had been addressing the 3 traveling together, first the leader ( "My Lord if I have found favor..." ), and there was no answer, does it make sense for the vassals to answer "yes please wash our feet and refresh our hearts"?

No. It makes more sense that Abraham's prayer was to the LORD who was not a member of the group.
​

6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

No mystery here. Abraham rushes to perform hospitality for his guests.
​

9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

If the LORD is among the 3, why do they need to ask any questions? It doesn't make sense. The 3 were a distinct group, and the LORD is different. And the same problem as before, why are the vassals asking any questions at all?

For comparisson, consider the story of the burning bush. An angel appeared in the fire, but it didn't speak. Only God spoke to Moses. The vassals deferred to the monarch.
​

10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

One of the 3 men makes a prediction. Sarah heard it.
​

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

OK....
​

12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

This is very important. Important note: she laughs and is not afraid. Also, she says these things to herself not outloud.
​

13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Last chapter, Abraham circumcises himself and God promises that Sarah will have a child. But apparently, Abraham didn't tell Sarah. That's an important detail. So what does God do? Sarah receives prophecy. This is not a new idea, Sarah is mentioned in Talmud and Midrash as a great prophetess.

So, these words from the LORD directed to Abraham are also heard by Sarah.
​

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Why was Sarah afraid? Because she had just heard the voice of the LORD for the first time. If this was the voice of the men outside the tent, she would not have been afraid. Again, the LORD is distinct from the 'men' who arrived.
​

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

No mystery here.
​

17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

This is also very important. What is the purpose of this monologue? This distinguishes between the men who arrived and the LORD. Remember, the men asked "where is Sarah?" That group isn't omniscient. Here, it's important to let the reader know that God has already decided, God already knows, God doesn't need to find anything out. This again distinguishes between the men who arrived and the LORD who was present before they came.

If the LORD were part of that group, then these verses would be extraneous. It would make perfect sense for the LORD to go and see about Soddom, in the same way that the men asked about Sarah. But since they are two distinct groups, the men ask and say things, and the LORD does it differently.

In case it's unclear, who is the LORD speaking to here? I think, it's to us, to the reader.
​

20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

Now the LORD is speaking to Abraham.
​

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

It doesn't say how many men... It doesn't say they heard. They were headed to Soddom already. It might as well have been the group of 3. And the LORD is seperate from them.
​

And then the story continues, with the dialogue between the LORD and Abraham. As stated, the LORD knew that Abraham would advocate for the inhabitants. The LORD already knew what was happening there. It wasn't really a negotiation.

If you pay close attention, in the entire story Abraham uses an ambiguous name for the LORD. Compare to Genesis 15:2 and Genesis 15:8 where a specific name is used. So, when God appears in a vision in Gen 15 Abraham seems more confident about who he is speaking with. Here, an ambiguous name is used.

The wording in this last narrative is a little peculiar.

23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Why doesn't Abraham prostrate himself like he did at the beginning of the story or even in Genesis 17:1-3? This also suggests that what's happening in this story is an indirect revelation.
​

33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

"went his way" is not necessarily a literal physical leaving. "Communing" here is literally "speaking" if one looks at the original Hebrew. So, this could have been an audible encounter.
​

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

In John 1:18, it says, 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him'.

If John is correct, as I believe he is, then we need to understand more about the 'face' of God. For the 'face' and 'countenance' of the LORD appears numerous times in scripture. Here's a taster:

Genesis 32:30. 'And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face [Heb. panim], and my life is preserved'.

Exodus 33:11. 'And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face [Heb. panim] , as a man speaketh unto his friend'.

Exodus 33:20. 'And he said, Thou [Moses] canst not see my face [Heb. panim]: for there shall no man see me, and live'.

Numbers 6:25. 'The LORD make his face [Heb. panim] shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:'

Psalm 17:15. 'As for me, I will behold thy face [Heb. panim] in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness'.

Psalm 105:4. 'Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face [Heb. panim] evermore'.

Ezekiel 39:29. 'Neither will I hide my face [Heb. panim] any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD'.

1 Corinthians 13:12. 'For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face [Gk. prosopon]: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known'.

Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

It didn’t seem to be impossible to everyone who saw Him before the rule was invented.

 

[2ndpillar]

In John 1:18, it says, 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him'.

If John is correct, as I believe he is, then we need to understand more about the 'face' of God. For the 'face' and 'countenance' of the LORD appears numerous times in scripture. Here's a taster:

Genesis 32:30. 'And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face [Heb. panim], and my life is preserved'.

Exodus 33:11. 'And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face [Heb. panim] , as a man speaketh unto his friend'.

Exodus 33:20. 'And he said, Thou [Moses] canst not see my face [Heb. panim]: for there shall no man see me, and live'.

Numbers 6:25. 'The LORD make his face [Heb. panim] shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:'

Psalm 17:15. 'As for me, I will behold thy face [Heb. panim] in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness'.

Psalm 105:4. 'Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face [Heb. panim] evermore'.

Ezekiel 39:29. 'Neither will I hide my face [Heb. panim] any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD'.

1 Corinthians 13:12. 'For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face [Gk. prosopon]: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known'.

Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

Apparently, according to Ezekiel 39:20 after the LORD takes the combined house of Judah and Ephraim out of the nations (Ezekiel 36:24-29) and has settled them into "their own land", "I will not hide my face from them any longer" (Ezekiel 39:29). This all happens after the "day of the LORD" Joel 2:31-32, after they have all been through the "fire" (Malachi 3:3). (Zechariah 13:8) "Third part through the fire", survive.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

It didn’t seem to be impossible to everyone who saw Him before the rule was invented.

No one saw God's face. "Seeing God's face" is a figurative expression, called anthropomorphism.

 

[101G]

No one saw God's face. "Seeing God's face" is a figurative expression, called anthropomorphism.

No anthropomorphism here, John 14:7 "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." John 14:8 "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." John 14:9 "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?"

is not the Lord Jesus God in Flesh? and after his resurrection... being glorified in the Spirit, (per John 17:5), was not the Spirit, (the Ordinal First, the Father), Amalgamated in that resurrected flesh? ... and did appear to many after his resurrection?

for was it not him, "GOD", that RAISED up his own body, (per John 2:18-22), KJV.

101G

 

[rational experiences]

Men said when mass energy is held in Infinites space womb its mother conceived its cooling.

It hence owns no face.

When God cooled it became rock. Seen Rock is gods face.

Exact teaching.

 

[rational experiences]

A long time ago technology of man theoried space zero womb then heated it.

Doing nuclear earth science. Abominated life he confessed.

It crossed the star sun mass and burnt him too as he was already in machines body burning gods mass.

He blamed women.

No women were even involved. Man the theist of mechanical science.

He virtually became man of Satan.

Women higher in a holier mind state remembered healing of herbalism. Brewed concocted healing potents.

Never gave up on their family.

Satanists said women were evil witches for brewing.

He...brew. notice how man is always inferred.

Strange women had been brain chemical effected...medical.

Burnt them to death by his choice as they had gods mass themselves in minds that said women deserved it.

Many women would not renounce their healing advice.

The church under satanic rule said no medical treatment but blood leeching allowed. Notice blood leeching holy...a previous hurt man's biology stigmata.

Is proof man lost his mind.

Women fought for equal rights died fighting for equal rights. Would not renounce common sense.

The summation who is a satanic science liar! Men are.

 

[101G]

Men said when mass energy is held in Infinites space womb its mother conceived its cooling.

It hence owns no face.

When God cooled it became rock. Seen Rock is gods face.

Exact teaching.

God is not a rock, (material), nor was he, in any womb, his body of flesh was.

101G.

 

[rational experiences]

God is not a rock, (material), nor was he, in any womb, his body of flesh was.

101G.

God is named by human men.

They stand on one St one planet...body of entombed flesh. De....the ceased spirit. Rock.

A total review of aTheism isn't just and God is flesh.

Man said the Ain or zero ST ain ts. Meaning I knew I changed the earth's not Ain.

An explanation.

As science wasn't ever a man's secret.

As family was forced to build it for him.

His secret was knowing he lied about what he knew. And how he could contrive cunningly...as the
Sophist to fool everyone.

He achieved it by using one word multi times not of the same meaning.

The secret never allow family to know science was just mechanical themes he inferred to space when no mechanics existed.

As his laws were to build a machine to perform a function that natural laws had not owned.

Still to this day you do the same behaviour. You claim the machines law is natural law. Yet you build the machine to apply it.

 

[Redemptionsong]

It's a mysterious story. I think the easiest way to address this is go through the story and comment on each part. To summarize, it's unclear what Abraham actually saw. This entire episode could have been the voice of the LORD who was already present before the 3 'men' arrived.

I'll put my line-by-line commentary in a spoiler to save people the effort of scrolling through it.

Spoiler: line-by-line comments

1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

The LORD appeared ( past tense ), where? At the tent door where Abraham sat.
​

2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Notice, he left the entrance to the tent. Also notice, the 3 men stood. They had stopped, they weren't traveling anymore, they were waiting. And, Abraham does not bow to them, he bows to the ground.
​

3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

This prayer is not directed to the men. He probably said it in an undertone. Abraham had interrupted his communion in order to be hospitable to the 3 travelers in the heat of the day. Why would he ask them not to pass by, if they had already stopped? Instead it makes more sense that he is praying to the LORD whom was already there before the men had arrived. Abraham is asking the LORD to remain present eventhough he is interrupted with guests.

Also, does it makes sense for him to ask 3 strangers if they have seen him in favor? He doesn't even know these people. The word for "in thy sight" is singular.
​

4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

Now Abraham is talking to the men. How do we know? Notice, he says "comfort ye hearts". Hearts is plural. Feet is plural. Previously "in thy sight" is singular. The subject has changed.

"They said" in return "do as thou has said". If these were 2 angels + the LORD, why didn't the LORD answer? It doesn't make sense for the vassals to speak and the monarch to remain silent if they're traveling in a group. If Abraham had been addressing the 3 traveling together, first the leader ( "My Lord if I have found favor..." ), and there was no answer, does it make sense for the vassals to answer "yes please wash our feet and refresh our hearts"?

No. It makes more sense that Abraham's prayer was to the LORD who was not a member of the group.
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6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

No mystery here. Abraham rushes to perform hospitality for his guests.
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9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

If the LORD is among the 3, why do they need to ask any questions? It doesn't make sense. The 3 were a distinct group, and the LORD is different. And the same problem as before, why are the vassals asking any questions at all?

For comparisson, consider the story of the burning bush. An angel appeared in the fire, but it didn't speak. Only God spoke to Moses. The vassals deferred to the monarch.
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10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

One of the 3 men makes a prediction. Sarah heard it.
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11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

OK....
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12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

This is very important. Important note: she laughs and is not afraid. Also, she says these things to herself not outloud.
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13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Last chapter, Abraham circumcises himself and God promises that Sarah will have a child. But apparently, Abraham didn't tell Sarah. That's an important detail. So what does God do? Sarah receives prophecy. This is not a new idea, Sarah is mentioned in Talmud and Midrash as a great prophetess.

So, these words from the LORD directed to Abraham are also heard by Sarah.
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15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Why was Sarah afraid? Because she had just heard the voice of the LORD for the first time. If this was the voice of the men outside the tent, she would not have been afraid. Again, the LORD is distinct from the 'men' who arrived.
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16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

No mystery here.
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17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

This is also very important. What is the purpose of this monologue? This distinguishes between the men who arrived and the LORD. Remember, the men asked "where is Sarah?" That group isn't omniscient. Here, it's important to let the reader know that God has already decided, God already knows, God doesn't need to find anything out. This again distinguishes between the men who arrived and the LORD who was present before they came.

If the LORD were part of that group, then these verses would be extraneous. It would make perfect sense for the LORD to go and see about Soddom, in the same way that the men asked about Sarah. But since they are two distinct groups, the men ask and say things, and the LORD does it differently.

In case it's unclear, who is the LORD speaking to here? I think, it's to us, to the reader.
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20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

Now the LORD is speaking to Abraham.
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22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

It doesn't say how many men... It doesn't say they heard. They were headed to Soddom already. It might as well have been the group of 3. And the LORD is seperate from them.
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And then the story continues, with the dialogue between the LORD and Abraham. As stated, the LORD knew that Abraham would advocate for the inhabitants. The LORD already knew what was happening there. It wasn't really a negotiation.

If you pay close attention, in the entire story Abraham uses an ambiguous name for the LORD. Compare to Genesis 15:2 and Genesis 15:8 where a specific name is used. So, when God appears in a vision in Gen 15 Abraham seems more confident about who he is speaking with. Here, an ambiguous name is used.

The wording in this last narrative is a little peculiar.

23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Why doesn't Abraham prostrate himself like he did at the beginning of the story or even in Genesis 17:1-3? This also suggests that what's happening in this story is an indirect revelation.
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33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

"went his way" is not necessarily a literal physical leaving. "Communing" here is literally "speaking" if one looks at the original Hebrew. So, this could have been an audible encounter.
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You say that it could have been three angels that went to Sodom. It clearly was not, because in the following chapter only two turn up in Sodom. Where is the third? It is quite reasonable to assume that the third was the LORD, who stayed behind to commune with Abraham. The narrative is unbroken, and three men does not suddenly become two without explanation.

Genesis 18 begins with the words, 'And the LORD appeared unto him'. Are we to follow the idea that all 'appearances' of the LORD are unseen by the human eye? A quick survey of the use of the word 'appear' and it becomes evident that to take such a view is problematic.

Did Moses and the 70 elders not see the God of lsrael? Was the writing of God not really visible to the human eye? Did Moses not see God's 'back parts'?

 

[Redemptionsong]

It didn’t seem to be impossible to everyone who saw Him before the rule was invented.

And when do you think the rule was invented?

 

[Soapy]

Okay, so let's take it one step at a time and see where our differences lie.

You agree that the Father was in Jesus Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.

John 17:1-5. 'These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
As thou [the Father] hast given him [the Son] power over all flesh, that he [the Son] should give eternal life to as many as thou [the Father] hast given him [the Son].
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
I have glorified thee on the earth: l have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
And now, O Father, glorify thou me [the Son] with thine own self with the glory which l [the Son] had with thee before the world was'.

This passage makes it quite clear that eternal life is not provided by the Father alone. Eternal life comes from knowing BOTH the Father and the Son. And the way in which one comes to know the Father and the Son is through the Holy Spirit.

Do you agree?

I agree that eternal life DEPENDS ON KNOWING the ONLY TRUE GOD… and on knowing Jesus Christ.

Scripture says that he who believes in the Father must also believe in the Son. That is absolutely correct since the Father gave the son His (The Father) testimonial for the sin to give to mankind.

And he did exactly that… which is why Jesus says: ‘Father, I have given them THE WORD you gave me and they have received it… now they know that you sent me!’

Great, we have established that the Father is the giver of great things including the revelation about Himself, to the son, and it is by this means - the delivering of that testimonial, and the expedition of the power in the world (as seen by Jews at that time) - that Jesus achieves the glory from the Father that awaited him.

Also, Jesus claims that one of those great powers granted to him by the Father is that of raising the dead: ‘Just as the Father has life in him so he has GRANTED the son to have life in him, also’ (John 5:26)

I just realised there is a double meaning in that verse:

1. That Jesus will live because the Father will raise him from the dead
2. That Jesus will also grant eternal life to those whom he deems worthy of such

Taken together we have: Jesus is given life by the Father, and in turn will give life to to those whom Jesus will judge as worthy for his kingdom.

God is “Father” (‘He that gives life’) of Jesus Christ… but Jesus died (was killed) and afterwards was RAISED TO ETERNAL LIFE by the Father (‘He that gives life’)

All mankind that are God’s will first die before they are raised up again to eternal life … By Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus will be “Father” (He that gives life”) to them… but not just ‘Life’ but “ETERNAL LIFE”… hence Jesus WILL BE CALLED ‘Eternal Father’ at the. Judgement seat.

There’s more but I hope this is enough to give you a flavour of the truth.