Answer:

John 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” This Word (Logos) that was with God at the beginning, was the theophany person of Jesus Christ before He was manifested in a physical body at His natural birth in Bethlehem. God is only one Person, therefore, in Genesis 1:26, before man was created, God was speaking to the manifested theophany Being of Jesus Christ, even as He later did speak to Christ after He became flesh. John 1:3, “All things were made be Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” Colossians 1:16-17, “For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” Jesus Christ, in His thophany form before His natural birth, is the One that created the Angels first, then the universe and all things, and man last. Rev. William Branham speaks of this, “let us make man,” in the following Messages: “Then He begin to create. And He made the fishes of the sea, the vegetable life. Put the cattles on the hill. It all looked good to Him. Then He said, "LET US MAKE MAN in Our own image, after Our likeness." Is that right? All right. So He made a man. God was Spirit; he had to be a spirit man made in His image. He put him here on the earth to lead the animal life and so forth, like the Holy Spirit should be leading the Church today. That was man.” [Who Is God? Cleveland OH, 50-0815]

“So He couldn't just leave it in that state; He had to leave something with it. So He said, "LET US (plural) make man (plural) in our own image. LET US MAKE MAN in our own image." So then when God made His first man, He was a spirit man. He was something on the order of God, or the Son of God, the Logos. That was the first man. Then He gave the man jurisdiction over the--to lead all the animal life, just like the Holy Spirit leads the believer today: "Go here. Do this." Now, if we were perfect in submission to the Holy Spirit, God would lead us by the Holy Spirit, just like Adam led the animals of that day.” [The Cruelty Of Sin, Jeffersonville IN, 53-0403]

“And when He made everything that looked nice and good to Him, now He said, "LET US (plural) make man (plural) in our own image." What was He? There is a supernatural Being. There's the One that could not be seen. God the Father never was seen, never will be seen. He's all nature. And there He is. And now, here's the Son, which is the Logos that went out of Him, made in His image, a supernatural Being that went out in the beginning. “‘LET US MAKE MAN in our own image.’ After He made a man in His own image, He made a supernatural being. Yes, indeed. Genesis 1:28, read and see if that isn't right. And then when He made man in His own image, he had rule over the beasts. He led the beasts around then like the Holy Spirit's supposed to lead the Church today. [Show Us The Father, Connersville IN, 53-0610]

“Now, in this Genesis 1:26, God made man in His Own image. And if you'd notice, we'll get it so you can read it, and 26... If you'd like to read along with us, we'd be glad for you--for you to do it, check me up. And God said, LET US MAKE MAN in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,... over the fowls of the air,... over the cattle of the earth,... and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” [Questions And Answers On Genesis, Jeffersonville IN 53-0729]

“Well now, if you'll notice close now, in Genesis 1:26, let's get the first part first. God said, "LET US..." Now, "LET US," us is a... "LET US MAKE MAN in our own image." Our, 'course, we realize He's talking to someone; He was speaking to another being. "LET US MAKE MAN in our own image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the cattles of the field." “If you notice in creation, the first thing that was created, of course, was light. You come on down through the creation; the last thing was created was what? A man. And woman was made after man. All right, the first... Last thing that was created of God's creation is mankind. “But when God made His first man, if you noticed, He made him in the likeness of Himself; He was made in the image of God. And what is God? Now, if we can find out what God is we can find what kind of a man He made.” [Questions And Answers On Genesis, Jeffersonville IN 53-0729]

“He got all those things together, and made...?... made all the other things, all the animal life, the birds, the bees, the monkeys, and whatever it was, put them all here on earth. And then He asked this question now. "LET US (Who? Father and Son) make man in Our own image." “Now, if a man was made something like that little sacred Light yonder, or something like that, It could not be seen (which is a spiritual Being). He manifested or unfolded Himself a little more to make a trinity of Himself by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And here was God, unfolded Himself now, down into "LET US MAKE MAN (which was His son, an offspring from Him) man in Our own image (He was a supernatural being.), and let him have dominion over the cattles of the field, and so forth." “Now, the man led the man--led the--the cattle and everything, just like the Holy Spirit leads a real true believer today. The Voice of God out there... The voice of man, rather, would speak and say... call the cattle this way, call the sheep over to this pasture, call the fishes to this water. See, he had dominion; everything obeyed him.” [Questions And Answers On Genesis, Jeffersonville IN 53-0729]

“And then God taken from his side a piece of him, a rib, and made a woman. Now, where did He get the spirit, woman? See? When He... Genesis 1:26, He said, "LET US MAKE MAN in our own image, after our own--own likeness, created He them man, male and female." He made the burly spirit for the man; He made the tender, little, delicate, feminish spirit for the woman.” [Questions And Answers On Genesis, Jeffersonville IN 53-0729]

“Setting way back in eternity, that was God. And then going out of God, or God unfolding Himself, come the Logos, which was the Son of God or the Word of God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us," the Logos. “Now watch, we're seeing God unfold Himself. Then He said in Genesis: "LET US MAKE MAN in our own image." What kind of man was he? He had to be a spirit man. And then He put him in five senses to contact his earthly home. He might've given him a foot like a bear and a hand like a monkey. I don't know what He did.” [Preparation, Owensboro KY 53-1111]

“You don't remember it, neither do I, but we was before the foundation of the world. When God made man said, "LET US MAKE MAN in our own image, LET US give them (plural), LET US get... make man in our Own image (spirit man) and give them dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the cattle's and so forth." Genesis 1, God saying that, "LET US MAKE MAN." [The Believer's Position In Christ, Chicago IL 55-0116a]

“The Logos that went out of God, which was the--the Logos, all this begin to form into a--a body shape. And this body shape was called, in the scholar's teaching, Logos, the Logos that went out of God. In other words, a--a better word for it, was what we call a theophany. (Theophany is a human body that's glorified.) Not exactly with flesh and blood like it will be in its glorified stage, but it is of a form of a human body that doesn't eat, neither does it drink, but it's--it's a body, a body that's waiting for us as soon as we leave this one. Now, in there, we enter into that body. And that's the kind of body that God was, for He said, "LET US MAKE MAN in our own image and in our likeness." [Hebrews, Jeffersonville IN 57-0828]

“Was God a man? Certainly. "LET US MAKE MAN in our own image." What was God? A theophany, a body. And there man was made like that and put over the garden. But there was no man to till the soil, in the senses. Then He created man out of the dust of earth, in the animal life, and that man tilled the soil. And the man fell, by transgression. Correctly. And God, the theophany, come down and was made flesh and dwelt among us, to redeem the man.” [Hebrews, Jeffersonville, IN 57-0901e]

“Well, my dear sainted brother, my dear sainted sister, before the foundation of the world, when God created you in His image, or created the--the man in His image, and created the woman in the image of the man for the glory of the man, He made you a theophany just like Hisself, when He said, "LET US" to the creatures that He had made, "LET US MAKE MAN in our own image, in our likeness..." a theophany. God had never become flesh yet; He was in a theophany.
“And Moses saw Him. Moses cried, "Lord, let me see You." “He said, "Go yonder and hide in the rock, in the cleft. And Moses got back in that cleft; and when God passed by, the lightning and thunders... And as God passed by, He had His back turned like this. And Moses said It was the back of a Man. Hallelujah. “Who was It? The Melchisedec that come down, the King of Salem, with no father and mother, no beginning of days or ending of life. That's Him. And He come down; that's the One that talked to Abraham; that gathered Him up a little body of flesh like that, and breathed into it, stepped into it, and come down and eat a calf, drank milk from a cow, and eat some butter and corn bread.” [Questions And Answers On Hebrews, Jeffersonville IN 57-1006]

“Some of you want to know about my Genesis story; God said, "LET US MAKE MAN." The first thing He created was angels to worship Him, then He become God. Then when He said, "LET US MAKE MAN after our own image," what kind of a man did He make? Spirit man; then when He made that man, He give him control. Then He made man out of the dust of the earth; then he fell. Then He become a Saviour: a God, then a Saviour. Sin brought on sickness; then He become a Healer. Hallelujah. There ain't nothing going wrong. He knowed all about it before the world was ever formed. He knew we'd have this meeting tonight. He knowed every gnat would ever be on the earth, and how much tallow he'd make, and how many times he'd bat his eyes. He's the infinite God, knows all things. Amen. Aren't you glad tonight that your name is on the Book?” [Five Definite Identifications, Jeffersonville IN 60-0911e]

Bible References: John 1:1-3; Genesis 1:26; Colossians 1:16-17

[Answers provided by Bro. Ken Andes, Minister/Editor, Lynden, Washington]