The Angel of The Lord
Published 20170623 -:- Revised 20250828
NB: I am dyslexic so please
bear with me. Bible references are from KJV unless noted otherwise.
References
e-Sword =
Bible references are from ‘e-Sword’. (The FREE Bible on line. http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html)
LXXE =
The Septuagint with Apocrypha by Sir Lancelot C.L. Brenton (2016 Edition). Also
via e-Sword.
CN =
Commentary Notes from e-Sword. By “NAME” on Bible Ref “BOOK CH: Vrs” e.g. [ref
CN Clark on Dan 7:7].
Introduction
How often do you read in scripture about an Angel or the
Angel of the Lord, then you wonder who was that angel or was it the Lord
himself? Well stick with me and I can give you a simple ‘check list’ to work
out who it was. A friend gave me a list of passages referring to the ‘angel of
the Lord’. His argument is that ‘the angel of the Lord’ in the Old Testament
was the angel Michael, who later became Jesus. Now I addressed this in another
talk entitled, “Who Is Jesus Is He Michael The Archangel”, (http://deaconpreachin.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/who-is-jesus-is-he-michael-archangel.html).
Basically it is clear from John chapter 1, The Word and God are “Each - one
and the Same” and he/they are eternal. Everything; including
the angels, was created by God. Jesus was NOT an angel become flesh but God
become flesh.
So this talk is a continuation of the answer to my friend.
My view is ‘the angel of the Lord’ MIGHT be the Lord manifesting as an angel,
but it is not always the case? The phrase ‘angel of the Lord’ can be use to
refer to one of God’s many angels.
Aim
I hope to
show you a simple TEST you can apply to the scriptures to determine whether the
Angelic being is the Lord himself or an angel!
Misunderstandings
In The Bible
Lets get this very clear, I am
NOT saying that the Bible is inaccurate! But some statements in the Bible are
quite simply an honest misunderstanding or are misinterpreted. But the
statements have been accurately quoted even if what was said was incorrect.
The most obvious misunderstanding
is the 400 years in slavery. Stephen in Acts 7:6, speaking under the Holy
Spirit states exactly what God said to Abram in Genesis 15:13 “..and they shall
afflict them four hundred years”. Then refer Acts 7:6 “..and entreat
them evil four hundred years”. But Moses says in Exodus 12:40 “Now the
sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred
and thirty years.” Already there is a discrepancy of 30 years? Then Paul,
‘a well educated scholar’, says this in Galatians 3:17 (MKJV) “..A covenant
having been ratified by God in Christ, the Law (coming into being four
hundred and thirty years after) does not annul the promise, so as to
abolish it.” Paul in this passage is talking about the covenant of promise
given to Abraham. Then he says that The Law, which was given to Moses 430
years later, cannot nullify the promise to Abraham.
STOP right there and think this
out! Abraham received the promise at about the same time Isaac was born. If
Stephen and Paul are correct, and the captivity WAS 400 years, then when Isaac
was born he went into Egypt? Then when he was 30 years of age he went into
bondage in Egypt? So that 400 years later, Moses led Israel out of the 400
years bondage? Then Moses received ‘The LAW’ only days later on Mount Sinai. So
if Paul’s ‘maths’ is correct, then “from Abraham receiving the promise”
to “Moses receiving The LAW” equals 430 years, with 400 of those years
in slavery. That doesn’t make any sense with the chronology of scripture. We
know that Isaac was old and going blind when he blessed Jacob. And by the time
Jacob/Israel got to Egypt he was VERY old! Genesis 47:9 “And Jacob said to
Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty
years.” So either the 400 years is misinterpreted! Or Paul’s maths on the 430
years is incorrect!
It’s called “Chinese
Whispers”; and a simple misunderstanding can confuse things as we go along?
The point I am trying to make
is simply this, we need to analyse various passages as we go along. For
example if someone says “the Angel of the Lord appeared to me”! Then we need to
examine the rest of the passage to see if it was the Lord or an angel?”
Confusion With The Word “Angel”
Hebrew- In the Old Testament the word angel is word
number H4397. “except in Dan it is a Chaldeean word, number H4398, cross
reference to H4397”. Refer to Strongs via e-Sword; ‘angel’ in the Hebrew;
[H4397, מלאך, mal'âk,
mal-awk' --From an unused root meaning to despatch as a deputy; a messenger;
specifically of God, that is, an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher):
- ambassador, angel, king, messenger.]
Greek- In the New Testament they are all the Greek
word number G32. [G32 á̓́ããåëïò, aggelos, ang'-el-os, From á̓ããǻëëù aggellō
(probably derived from G71; compare G34; to bring tidings); a messenger;
especially an “angel”; by implication a pastor: - angel, messenger.]
So by those definitions above an angel is simply a
messenger. Could be human, could be angelic, could be The LORD himself
manifesting as an angel. Or it could be Demonic! Refer 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” The word Angel
here is also word number G32 as above. What are some other characteristics of
these ‘Supernatural Beings’? They don’t walk in leaving footprints; they fly or
they just appear! So if you were back in biblical times and someone just
‘materialized’ in front of you; you would of cause think he is an angel. (These
days you would think he had just ‘Beemed Down’ from a Star Trek movie). But
consider this story in Acts 8:26-40 Philip baptizes the Ethiopian then
vanished! If you were the Ethiopian, what would you think Philip was? You would
think he was an angel?
The appearance of any ‘Supernatural Being’ is often referred
to as an angel or ‘the Angel of The LORD’. It’s not logical to be hard and fast
with words used to describe a Supernatural Being. For example if we follow the
events from Genesis chapter 18:1 to chapter 19:21 you will see what I mean. To
start off in verse 1, “the Lord” appears to Abraham; then in v2 they are
called “three men”, then in v20-21 “the Lord” says “I will go
down to Sodom”. Two head off to Sodom but in v22 “Abraham is left standing
before the Lord”. Then chapter 19:1, Lot greets two angels, (I
thought the Lord was going down to Sodom to see it for himself?). Then v5 the
wicked of Sodom call the angels “men”; but in v15 they’re called angels
again; then in v16 they’re “men” again. What exactly are they? You will
find that when a supernatural being appears, there should be enough information
in the surrounding scriptures to check out their credentials and determine who
they are!
Can We TEST The Spiritual?
Can we TEST spirits? Can we TEST angels? Well have you ever
come across this verse? 1Jn 4:1 “My dear friends, do not believe all who claim
to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have
comes from God.” So according to John we can test the spirits! It’s not a
‘flick n tick’ exam!! It’s an oral quiz question and John goes on to explain it
in the next 5 verses. Then John continues through to verse 21 to explain that
if we have the Spirit of God in us, then the ‘fruit’ is in our love to one
another, and our spiritually fearless nature.
So can we test angels? Yes we can! And in a way the
scriptures associated with the appearance of a supernatural being most often
gives us all the material we need to workout if they are the Lord, or in the broader
sense, are they ‘an angel’, as described in Strongs, “a messenger’ angelic or
human. What then is the ‘Test’? Well there is an example of part of it in
Revelation 17.
Revelation 17
What happens if we try to worship
Gods angels? Refer Revelation 17:1, and John knew this was an angel of God
speaking to him.
Rev 17:7 “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou
marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman…” John is with that same
angel all the way through to chapter 19, then John does this! Rev 19:10 “And I fell
at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not:
I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus:
worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Then John is with a different angel from chapter 21 through
to chapter 22, and John does the same thing again. Rev 21:10 “And he carried me
away in the spirit to a great and high mountain,” … Rev 22:8 “And I John saw
these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to
worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. v:9 Then
saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of
thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this
book: worship God.”
Four interesting points!
First, John was told in layman’s terms
“DON’T WORSHIP ME, I am an angel, and a servant of God just like you!” So we
don’t worship angels, and an angel of God would not allow us to worship him! If
the scriptures show that he does allow himself to be worshiped then it is ‘most
likely’ the Lord manifesting as an angel.
Secondly, “for the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” And “of them which keep the sayings
of this book”. Consider this, would Jesus say anything contrary to
scripture? NO! Would God’s angels say anything contrary to scripture? NO! So as
these two passages indicate, a statement by an angel of God would have to be
supported by scripture. (Example 1 Kings 13 the false prophet). This is very
helpful if you are in a prophetic ministry, or studying a written prophecy. If
it cannot be supported by scripture, “IT IS NOT” from the Holy Spirit!
Thirdly, Dose the supernatural being
bestow a blessing? Only God has the authority to bless! Angels cannot bless
anyone; they can only convey the message that God has commanded them to speak.
Forthly, Are they on Holy ground? If so
then it is the Lord himself. Exo 3:5
“And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for
the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” The presence of God is that
which causes the ground to be holy.
Four useful keys we can apply to scripture to determine
whether it’s an angel or the Lord appearing on stage, so let’s summarize;
The ‘Angel Test’
- God’s angels will not allow themselves to be worshiped.
- Scripture must back up a statement given by a ‘messenger’ from God.
- Dose he bestow a blessing?
- Are they on holy ground?
Examples of a Supernatural Man
Joshua 5. This is a very short appearance but if we apply our ‘Angel Test’, we
find it is not a mere mortal man speaking to Joshua.
Joshua 5:13 “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by
Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a
man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went
unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? v:14 And
he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him,
What saith my lord unto his servant? v:15 And the captain of the LORD'S host
said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou
standest is holy. And Joshua did so.”
This “man” must have been
the LORD. If he was an angel he would have told Joshua to “DON’T WORSHIP ME!”
Therefore from this scripture we now know another one of the Lords titles, He
is “the captain of the LORD'S host”.
Gen 32:24 “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled
a man with him until the breaking of the day. v:25 And
when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his
thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with
him. v:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said,
I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. v:27 And he said
unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. v:28 And he said, Thy
name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power
with God and with men, and hast prevailed. v:29 And
Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said,
Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him
there.” Again this “man” must have been the LORD, because he
blessed Jacob.
Angelic Titles Add To The Confusion
Scripture shows us that some angels and demons have titles.
This is important to clarify! You may hear the argument that if the angel has
the title of say ‘prince’ he must therefore be the Son of God? Suffice to say
some angels do have titles, but they are not part of the God Head.
Examples of Angels and Demons With Titles
Daniel has been praying for 21 days, and then with a flash
of light and an earthquake suddenly Gabriel appears. Dan 10:12 “Then said he
unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine
heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were
heard, and I am come for thy words. v:13 But the prince of the
kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael,
one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there
with the kings of Persia.”
Here the angel Michael is referred to as “one of
the chief princes”; so there must be more than one chief prince amongst
Gods angels! And this passage makes NO sense if a mere human “prince of Persia”
can waylay Gabriel for 21 days. It would have to be a ‘demonic being’,
controlling the nation of Persia. Hence the title “prince of the kingdom of
Persia” Then Gabriel says “I remained there with the kings of Persia”
So there was more than just one demonic Prince; there were demonic kings
trying to stop Gabriel from bringing the message to Daniel.
Satan Referred To As king of Tyrus
This passage is about Lucifer or Satan, or in this case he
is referred to as the “king of Tyrus”. Here the King of Tyrus CAN NOT be
a mortal human, verse 13 says he was in Eden and in v14 “Thou art the
anointed cherub that covereth” etc. this was one of the titles of Satan. So
if he was a cherub then he must be a created being and now a
demonic being. But in this passage he is referred to as a king!
Eze 28:11 “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me,
saying, v:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus,
and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of
wisdom, and perfect in beauty. v:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of
God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the
diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and
the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was
prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. v:14 Thou
art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon
the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the
stones of fire. v:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou
wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Yet at the start he is
referred to as the king of Tyrus!
Lucifer Referred To As king Of Babylon
Isaiah 14:4 “That thou shalt take up this proverb
against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the
golden city ceased! v:5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the
sceptre of the rulers.” Continue reading on to verse 12 and we see that it was
Lucifer who was the demonic spiritual king of Babylon. Isaiah 14:10 “All they
shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become
like unto us? v:11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of
thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. v:12
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art
thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”
Other References To Satan As A Prince
Mat. 12:24 “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This
fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the
devils.”
Joh. 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall
the prince of this world be cast out.”
Joh. 14:30 “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for
the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”
Joh. 16:11 “Of judgment,
because the prince of this world is judged.”
Eph. 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”
Ranking Of Demonic Creatures, Principalities, And Powers
Rom 8:35 “Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? v:36 As it is
written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter. v:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us. v:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, v:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.”
Here in vs 35-36 he has just listed all life’s problems in
the natural. But in vs 37-39 he is talking about the entire spirit realm. It
has to be the spirit realm he is taking about because he says, “nor any
other creature”. How could any mere animal, “separate us from the
love of Christ?” So this creature must be a demonic spirit
being. He goes on to say in verse 38 “nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers”; these are demonic angels, principalities and powers!
Thus indicating there must be some form of a ranking structure amongst the
demons.
Demonic Kingdoms Of The World
This next passage in Luke is another example that indicates
there is a spiritual hierarchy of demonic kingdoms and rulers. Luke 4:5 “And
the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the
kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. v:6 And the devil said unto him,
All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered
unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.” Satan offered Jesus the position
his ‘2IC’, second in command to Satan and rule over all the demonic kingdoms!
All Jesus had to do was bow down and worshipped Satan? Could you imagine what
would happen if Jesus had bowed to worship Satan? Would Satan have given Jesus
all that power? No way! Satan would have said “Got You sucker, you might be the
Son of God but you’re a sinner like all the rest now!”
Some Examples To Work Through
Is it an angel or the Lord? Some of these passages show that
the Lord is speaking face-to-face with a person. Refer Exo 33:11 “And Jehovah
would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” But only
nine verses later, Exo 33:20 “for there shall no man see me, and live.” (Mafia
hit men are like that too!). The two verses are a contradiction? Try this idea;
imagine that the appearance of God as an angel is more like an apparition,
something like what we would call these days an interactive ‘Hologram’. Remote
‘Outback’ schools in Australia use that technology. Remember when Jesus
appeared to his disciples, Luke 24:39 he said “handle me, and see; for a
spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” In other words a spirit
does not have flesh and bone. Yet in the O.T. in Gen 32:24, to Jacob he
appeared as a man who could wrestled with him! Basically
God can commune with us any way he chooses, so lets work through some examples
and apply our ‘Angel Test’. I have highlighted the words angel or Lord
to indication who ‘I think’ is speaking. You can make your own decision.
Hagar
Gen 16:7 “And ‘the angel of the LORD’ found her by a
fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. v:8
And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go?
…. v:10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed
exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.” It must be
the Lord because he blessed her ‘seed exceedingly’. Hagar
understood him to be God, refer verse 13 “And she called the name of the LORD
that spake unto her, Thou God seest me:…”
Abraham
Gen 22:11 “And ‘the angel of the LORD’ called unto
him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. v:12 And
he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him:
for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son from me.” This would have to be God speaking, it is
confirmed with many blessings in verse 17 “That in blessing I will
bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed
as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy
seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;” This is also confirmed to
be God in Acts 3:25 “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the
covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And
in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.”
Jacob
Gen 31:11 “And ‘the angel of God’ spake unto me in a
dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. v:12 And he said, ...for I have
seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. v:13 I am the God of Bethel,
where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now
arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.”
Clear enough he said, ‘I am God’.
These next three passages have Interchangeably Terms: -
Jacob
Gen 32:24 “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a
man with him until the breaking of the day….v:26 And he said, Let me
go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou
bless me. v:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. v:28
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel:
for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” We
covered this before, he is referred to as a man, but he is obviously the
Lord. But compare the next verse.
Gen 48:15 “And he blessed Joseph, and said, God,
before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me
all my life long unto this day, v:16 The Angel which redeemed
me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them,
and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a
multitude in the midst of the earth.” This was Jacob/Israel
blessing Ephraim and Manasseh who later became know as Israel, “let my
name be named on them”. But an angel cannot redeem us! Jacob is obviously
using the terms angel or God interchangeably.
Moses
Exo 3:2 “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him
in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the
bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed…v:4 And when the LORD
saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of
the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. v:5 And he said, Draw
not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon
thou standest is holy ground. v:6 Moreover he said, I am
the God of thy 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.”
Again interchangeably terms, angel, Lord or God.
Then the same account is given in Act 7:30 “And when forty
years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel
of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. v:31 When Moses saw it, he
wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord
came unto him, v:32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God
of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled,
and durst not behold.” God tells Moses in clear who is speaking to him.
Again interchangeably terms.
The Pillar Of A Cloud
Exo 13:21 “And the LORD went before them by
day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:” then compare the
next passage”
Exo 14:19 “And the angel of God, which went
before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of
the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:” So the
“pillar of cloud” is the same entity in each case. So ‘angel of God’ is ‘the
Lord
Balaam
Num 22:35 “And the angel of the LORD said unto
Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto
thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of
Balak.” If you continue reading Num 23: v8-10 & v19-24 and continuing on in chapter 24 Balaam repeatedly blesses
Israel as instructed by this ‘angel of the Lord’ (Rule 3 ‘bestows a
blessing’), the angel has to be the Lord.
Gideon
Jdg 6:11 (LXX) “And
an angel of the Lord came, and sat down under the fir tree, which was in
Ephratha…and Gideon his son was threshing wheat in a wine-press in order to
escape from the face of Madiam…v6:14 “And the angel of the Lord turned
to him, and said, Go in this thy strength, and thou shalt save Israel out of
the hand of Madiam: behold, I have sent thee.” This is obviously
not an angel, if it was an angel he would have said, ‘the Lord has sent thee’,
so it must be the Lord.
Manoah
Judges 13 (LXX). This is an
interesting passage to try to apply the ‘Angel Test’. At first glance it is
very similar to Mary’s encounter with Gabriel. Mary is not informed that it was
Gabriel speaking to her. And each woman is told she will have a son, (Rule 3
‘bestow a blessing’). The ‘Angel’ in this case will not personally accept the
burnt offering, verse 16. This could indicate that he is simply an angel
messenger! (Rule 1 ‘will not accept worship). Yet he says his name is “Wonderful”,
refer Isaiah 28:29 and Isaiah 9:6 “and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” So
why would an angel call himself ‘Wonderful’? That would be tantamount to
blasphemy! Therefore it must be the Lord. I’ll leave it to you to read through
and see what you think.
Judges 13:3 “And an angel of the Lord appeared
to the woman, and said to her, Behold, thou art barren and hast not born; yet
thou shalt conceive a son…skip to v:6 “And the woman went in, and spoke to her
husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and his appearance was
as of an angel of God, very dreadful; and I did not ask him whence he was, and
he did not tell me his name…skip to v:9 “And the Lord heard the voice of Manoe,
and the angel of God came yet again to the woman; and she sat in
the field, and Manoe her husband was not with her. …skip to v:13 “And the angel
of the Lord said to Manoe, Of all things concerning which I spoke to the
woman, she shall beware. …skip to v:15 “And Manoe said to the angel of the Lord,
Let us detain thee here, and prepare before thee a kid of the goats. v:16 “And
the angel of the Lord said to Manoe, If thou shouldest detain me, I
will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wouldest offer a
whole-burnt-offering, to the Lord thou shalt offer it: for Manoe
knew not that he was an angel of the Lord. v:17 “And Manoe said to the
angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy word shall come to
pass, we may glorify thee? v:18 “And the angel of the Lord
said to him, Why dost thou thus ask after my name; whereas it is wonderful?…skip
to v:20 “And it came to pass when the flame went up above the altar toward
heaven, that the angel of the Lord went up in the flame; and Manoe and
his wife were looking, and they fell upon their face to the earth. v:21 “And
the angel appeared no more to Manoe and to his wife: then Manoe knew that this
was an angel of the Lord.”
Rebuking the Accuser
My friend raised these two cases regarding, ‘Rebuking the
Accuser’, namely Satan. Lets discuss each case in turn.
Zec 3:1 “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest
standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to
resist him. v3:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee,
O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is
not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” In Zechariah’s vision, Joshua
and the angel of the Lord appear to be face to face. Satan is presumably at the
right hand of Joshua. I see a few oppositions here: - The angel of the Lord
could be ‘an angel’, Michael, Gabriel or another? But because it is a scene
regarding the priestly role, a kin to ‘coming before the Lord in the Holy of
Holies’, the angel is most probably Jehovah acting in the role of Melchisedek.
Next point is WHO said, “The LORD rebuke thee”? It may not have been the angel
of the Lord speaking. Or it could have been the voice of the Lord speaking over
the whole scene.
Now let us consider the phrase ‘The LORD rebuke thee’. Here
is an interesting commentary I obtained via e-Sword.
[ref CN by Keil & Delitzsch on Zec3:2]
“But Jehovah, i.e., the angel of Jehovah, repels the accuser
with the words, “Jehovah rebuke thee;... Jehovah who chooseth Jerusalem.”
(Note: The application made in the Epistle of Jude (Jud 1:9)
of the formula “Jehovah rebuke thee,” namely, that Michael the archangel did
not venture to execute upon Satan the κρίσις βλασφημίας, does not warrant the
conclusion that the angel of the Lord places himself below Jehovah by these
words. The words “Jehovah rebuke thee” are a standing formula for the utterance
of the threat of a divine judgment, from which no conclusion can be drawn as to
the relation in which the person using it stood to God. Moreover, Jude had not
our vision in his mind, but another event, which has not been preserved in the
canonical Scriptures.)” [Also you can ref CN by Gill, and CN by Guzik]
It is similar to the authority of the closing statement by a
Judge at the conclusion of a court case. “It is the verdict of this court!”
Thus having the weight of the whole court system behind the judgment. Or a
spiritual parallel is when we speak, “in the name of Jesus”, we are his
deputies rightly proclaiming His authority. With those thoughts in mind lets
consider the next passage. Jud 1:9 “Yet Michael the archangel, when
contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring
against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”
Michael the archangel is not Jehovah! He is expressing the authority of
Jehovah. When we are in intercessory prayer we have the same authority to speak
the same rebuke! John 16:23 “..Whatsoever
ye shall ask the Father in my
name, he will give it you.”
Omnipresent
God is omnipresent, meaning he is present everywhere,
globally, at the same time. Refer Pro 15:3 “The eyes of the LORD are in
every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Also refer Job 34:21-22. But
Christ was born into this world! John 1:14 “And the Word was
made flesh.” Gal 4:4 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent
forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,” Php
2:7 “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
v:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death
of the cross.” Now compare this passage, John 17:5 “And now, O Father,
glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before
the world was.”
This is only my opinion. For Christ to become ‘flesh and
under the law’, wouldn’t he have to surrender his omnipresent nature? This we
can deduce from various passages. Matt 5 & Luke 8; The woman with the issue
of blood, “Who touched me?” Or Mar 9:21 Jesus asked the boys father “How long
has he been like this?” So Jesus cant be in two places at the same time! So who
is this angel in these following passages?
Mat 2:13 “the angel of the Lord appeareth
to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother,”
Mat 2:19 “But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of
the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,”
Or the shepherds in Luk 2:9 “..the angel of the
Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:”
Each one could be a different angel. But I don’t think he
can be the Lord! Because in each of those passages the Lord was currently
incarnate in the baby Jesus; with all the limitations as mentioned in
Philippians 2:7 above.
David
Here God or the Lord is obviously directing ‘the angel of
the Lord’ as to what to do. So I don’t think the angel of the Lord would
be the Lord! (BUT if we go to Gen 1:26 “And God said, Let us
make man in our image,..” there was two of them in that incidence?) What do you
think?
1Ch 21:15 “And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to
destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him
of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now
thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of
Ornan the Jebusite.” NB: there are two different characters at
this point, the Lord speaking to an angel! v:16 And David lifted up his
eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the
heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then
David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their
faces.”…skip to v:18 “And the angel of the Lord told Gad to tell
David, that he should go up to erect an altar to the Lord, in the
threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite.”
Other References
Now I did a search in KJV for the phrase, “angel of”. It
gave me all the verses for ‘angel of the Lord’ and ‘angel of God’ etc. I found
92 references all up. I have removed those already covered. The rest I have
shown them below. Some are David or Paul called an angel, ie messenger. Some
are duplicates as in Samuel, Kings & Chronicles; and Matthew, Mark, Luke
& John. They might have different wording and give a different slant. If you
can’t do a digital word search on your bible then here they are, go ‘knock
yourself out’ and have fun.
Gen 21:17; Jdg 2:1-4; Jdg 5:23; (1Sa 29:9; 2Sa 14:17-20; 2Sa
19:27; Zec 12:8; Gal 4:14 refer to David or Paul as angel). 2Sa 24:16; 1Ki
19:7; 2Ki 1:3-15; 2Ki 19:35; Psa 34:7; Psa 35:5-6; Isa 37:36; Isa 63:9; Zec
1:11-12; Zec 12:8; Mat 1:20-24; Mat 28:2; Luk 1:11; Act 5:19; Act 8:26; Act
10:3; Act 12:7; Act 12:23; Act 27:23. (Rev 2:1 to Rev 3:14 Letters to the
churches); (Rev 9:11 ‘the angel of the bottomless pit’); (Rev 16:5 ‘the
angel of the waters’). In total I found 297 references when searching for the
words, “angel, angels or angel’s”, the like of, “an angel, the angel or angel
of” etc.
Conclusion
I hope you have found the ‘Angel Test’ of interest. In most
cases when we read about the appearance of the angel of the Lord or the angel
of God etc. we have found it to be the Lord himself manifesting as an angel!
This is very comforting to see that Jehovah has been personally interested in
fine-tuning the activities of his chosen individual people, his families and
his servant nation Israel. Going right back to the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve
were familiar with the Lord communing and walked with them in the garden Gen
3:8. And he has not changed in his willingness to personally help and direct
each of us.
Remember this passage, Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful
to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” So
be hospitable to strangers, show some Christian love to all those you meet. You
never know how the Lord might choose to use someone, or you for that matter, to
bring about some fine-tuning in world affaires.
Thankyou for your time
God Bless Ya! (GBY)
Yours Adrian
Some other talks I have published: -