The Angel Of God

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:1-4

To our Lord Jesus be all the honor and glory because he is God and His mercy endures forever!

The Bible gives various titles to Jesus. It’s important to first acknowledge that Jesus is God and these titles do not diminish his divinity, instead they help describe his work.

In the previous study we noticed that Jesus is "Michael your prince," "Michael the great prince" and "Michael the archangel" (Read: Michael Our Prince).

In this study we note the title, "the Angel of the Lord." I stress once again that Jesus is not a created being for He and the Father are one. Jesus is our God.

We will start with a well-known story:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. Exodus 3:1-6

It was Jesus who appeared to Moses in the midst of the bush burning with fire. We note that he refers to Jesus as "the Angel of the Lord" because He is the messenger of God the Father, while also being God. No doubt, "the Angel of the Lord" refers not to a created being but to God Himself.

This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us. Acts 7:37, 38

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: Malachi 3:1, 2

Some versions use angel the King James version uses “messenger of the covenant" but they both mean the same. Such characteristics only Jesus possesses. He is the messenger of the covenant, is our hope. Only his chosen can withstand His coming because He is a purifying fire and an eraser of our sins.

Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.... Exodus 23:20-23

As we saw in the previous study, the apostle John declares only Jesus bears the name of the Father. Only Jesus can pardon our transgressions.

And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.” Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I will wait until you come back.” So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the LORD. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face.” Then the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die. Judges 6:12-23

Interestingly, the Angel of the Lord, God the son, was the messenger of the Lord during this time. This is why Gideon offered a sacrifice in worship and gratitude to the Angel of God who would deliver them. It is also the reason why Gideon, and as discussed in the following verses, Manoa were afraid for they had seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.

And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.” And the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the LORD.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the LORD.) Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?” And the Angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?” So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the LORD. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on— it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!” Judges 13:3, 15-20, 22

Recall that Isaiah gives the name of Wonderful to Jesus (Isaiah 9:6).

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” Zechariah 3:1, 2, 4

It is Jehovah (the Angel of the Lord) that says "the Lord rebuke you." That is Jehovah's son tells Satan, "the Lord rebuke you." These are the same words Jesus or Michael pronounces to Satan when discussing the body of Moses (Jude 1:9).

Further still, it is the Angel (Jehovah the son) who tells Joshua, "I have removed your iniquity…and I will clothe you with rich robes”, something only God can do.

The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” And the Angel of the LORD said to her: “Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son...Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” Genesis 16:9-13

We see the exchange is made time after time between the Angel of the Lord and the Lord. Both are the same, God the Son.

Another classic story, that reveals Jesus as God and the messenger of the Father, is of Abraham and Isaac.

But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. Genesis 22:11-17

The Angel of the Lord is the one who made the promise to Abraham, by His own name He swore to Abraham. That is an authority only God can assume.

Lets not forget that the word “angel” means “messenger”. That is why the three angels message is a message that WE will give as God's messengers to the world.

The purpose of all this is to conclude that there is no greater or better messenger of God than the Lord Jesus.

Through Him we know the Father, through Him we are reconciled with the Father through Him we are saved! Through Jesus, those who sleep in the Lord shall be raised incorruptible, through Him we will be changed, through Him we reach heaven! And all is done just for love!

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:3

JESUS IS COMING, AMEN, YES, COME LORD JESUS!