The LORD’S Angel

Preamble

If you have spent your time wisely reading the Holy Bible, you will know of the Angels’ Gabriel and Michael. Raphael and Uriel you may have heard of, but the LORD’S Angel is without equal. Each has a particular quality: Gabriel announced the Power of the Most High to Mary; Michael is the defender of our Faith; (Rev 12:7) Raphael brings healing (Tobit) and Uriel, Judgement (2 Ezra). The Bible Readers Encyclopedia, W. M. Clow defines the Angel of the LORD as: ‘a special form of manifestation of Himself by God to man.’ So, who is this Angel and what is his purpose?

Apart from the full wording of the Great Command in Mark’s Gospel, the following is likely one of the most unnoticed passages in Scripture. ‘And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.’ (John 5:37) Even though there are many mentions of God conversing with the Patriarchs and Prophets, Jesus has told us directly that no one has heard God nor seen Him. This appears to be at odds with what we might think or understand in our reading of the Bible. Therefore, we need to search the Scriptures and ask some questions.

Moses

Who spoke to Moses out of the burning bush? Who saved Isaac from imminent sacrifice at the hand of Abraham, and who spoke to Balaam, Manoah, Elijah and Joshua? How was Joseph comforted, Jacob blessed, and Peter freed from prison? And who watched over Israel when they journeyed in the wilderness? To begin, we will visit Moses in Midian.

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 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.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 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 I am. And he said, draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on thou stand is holy ground. (Exodus 3:1-5)

In these verses we have mention of the Angel of the LORD, the LORD, and God. As Jesus has told us no one has seen or heard God (God is a Spirit, Jn 4:24) we can remove the name, God from this verse. The next is the LORD. LORD is the English rendition of the Hebrew Ieue: the transliterated form of the Tetragrammaton: YHWH, the LORD’S hidden name. It is the very same Name He gave to Moses, I AM THAT I AM. Therefore, as we have neither heard His voice…, we can remove this as well. So, who spoke to Moses?

Abraham and Isaac

This defining moment of faith shaped how we live today under the Covenant of the Promise and where we again find the LORD’S Angel.

And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the Angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said here am I. And he said, lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (Gen 22:10-12)

This time, it is only the Angel of the LORD who speaks; the conversation is between the Angel and Abraham. The reference to God is passive. But we do see the Angel spoke to Abraham out of heaven. This shows us that the LORD’S Angel resides with I AM THAT I AM; or the Existing One. Now, in the Book of Judges we find some really good clues to the Angel’s identity.

And Manoah said unto the Angel of the LORD, what is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? And the Angel of the LORD said unto him, why askest thou after my name, seeing it is wonderful? So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on; for it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar that the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame off the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. (Jdg 13: 17-20)

Like Moses, Manoah and his wife also see the Angel in a flame of fire. This meeting with the LORD’S Angel was in response to their appeal to God for a son: when he was born they named him, Samson. The Angel also spoke with Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar and announced she was to have a son and to call him, Ishmael. The Angel also appeared to Joseph in a dream. However, the Angel caused some misfortune for Balaam!

In Judges we see Angel having strong words with Israel for not following His instructions. He also fortified Elijah to take a message to King Ahaziah that he would pay with his life for calling on strange gods. The Angel appeared to David, who became afraid of the Angels power.

In the Old Testament we see the Angel of the LORD not only as a guiding hand and conveyor of Covenants, but an instrument of the LORD’S purpose and power. An example is found at the time Israel left Egypt when ‘the LORD’ spoke to Moses: Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Take ye heed of him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not: for he will not pardon your transgression … for my name is in him… (Exo 23:20-21)

In the New Testament, we find the Angel of the LORD in Matthew, Luke and the Book of Acts. In Acts we see the Angel announcing the birth of the Messiah to the shepherds; releasing Peter out of prison, and sending Philip to Gaza to baptise the eunuch from Ethiopia. The Angel also dispatched Herod to oblivion for not giving the LORD due glory after his speech to the people of Caesarea. But the two significant occasions in the New Testament are Peter’s second release from prison; and the Angel’s visitation to Joseph in a dream:

The same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the Angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the Angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee and follow me. (Acts 12:6-8)

Notice we again see light accompanying the Angel, like the flame and fire seen by Moses and Manoah. This same light was seen by Paul when he first met Jesus on the road ‘…and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven.’ (Acts 9:3)

But, there is neither light, nor fire nor flame when the Angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph. But there was something else truly remarkable.

But when he thought on these things, behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. (Matt 1:20-21)

And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS. (Matt 1:24-25)

Revealing the Angel

In his conversation with Abraham, the Angel of the LORD declared: ‘I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son… from me.’ So, how does this reveal the Angel’s identity? It pertains to the Covenant between God and Abraham.

And it happened after these things that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Gen 22:1-2)

According to this verse, the instruction to sacrifice Isaac was given to Abraham, not by the Angel; but by God. Now, after the ram was provided, this exchange took place.

And the Angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven … the second time … and said … By myself have I sworn saith the LORD … for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 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; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed … my voice. (Gen 22:15-18)

The first time the Angel called Abraham he said …lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son … from me. The key phrase is ‘…by myself have I sworn.’ Because He could sware by none greater He swore an oath on His own Name. So, who holds the authority; the Angel, or the LORD?

The New Testament Scripture, which binds and reveals the Angel’s identity, we find in John’s Gospel. ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.’ (John 8:56) Now you know it was, Jesus who spoke to Abraham and why Abraham was glad to see His day; Isaac certainly was!

The Angel of the LORD again states who he is by giving Manoah one of his names …Wonderful. In Isaiah we find this is the first Name given with the titles of the Christ to come ‘…and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God; The everlasting Father; The Prince of Peace.’ (Isaiah 9:6)

At the time of their wandering, Israel was protected by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The LORD watched over Israel as they journeyed to Canaan; Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way … Take ye heed of him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not: for he will not pardon your transgression for … my name … is in him. (Exo 23:20-21)

Paul shows us who the Angel is ‘…for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ’. (1Cor 10:4)

When Jerusalem came under attack by the Assyrians, the LORD ended the siege with a demonstration of His great power. The Angel of the LORD ‘…went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. (Isaiah 37:36) While we may gain a new understanding from this Scripture, it is also a patent reminder to fear and respect the LORD.

Now, there exists in the minds of some the misguided notion of gentle Jesus meek and mild. Some of us were taught as children, and many still teach it today, it being customary at Christmas. Expunge this garbage from your mind! 185,000 Assyrians know that Jesus is not meek, nor mild. The temple merchants experienced His wrath and the Pharisees, His anger. King David experienced great fear at His presence: But David could not go before it to inquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the Angel of the LORD. (1Chron 21:30)

The designation … the Angel of the Lord appears 44 times in the Old Testament and 9 times in the New. When the Angel rescued Peter out of prison, He said … follow me. That phrase appears 18 times in the Gospels, each time uttered by Jesus. In His dispensation as the LORD’S Angel, Jesus has intervened at key times during the history of Israel and after His ascension. He met the women at the tomb, conversed with the Apostles on the road, appeared to Paul, and twice rescued Peter. The Angel also helped the House of Ephraim escape their Assyrian captors. (2 Ezra) Yet, we are taken to an entirely new (migraine) level, when we read of the Angel appearing to Joseph in a dream.

I hope you are now beginning to get a sense to the true wonder of Jesus. By unlocking the identity of the LORD’S Angel, Scripture begins to fall further into place. The LORD is an ever-present, multi-dimensional being. His true nature is beyond our frail imagining especially when we see Jesus as His own Angel, giving Joseph His Name: JESUS. Nebuchadnezzar II, who smote Jerusalem, and took captive Judah and Benjamin, removing them to Babylon, understood the power of the God of Israel as we read in the Book of Daniel.

Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. (Dan 3:29) Note that: no other God!

Let’s finish with the closing chapter of the Book of Revelation. By showing us He is the beginning and the end – the first and the last, Jesus informs us that He is every dispensation, or season, of the Ever-Living God: Father, Son and Spirit. He is every dimension time, and space.

Jesus is the Existing One.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they that wash their robes that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter in by the gates into the city. Without are the dogs; and the sorcerer’s; and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie. I, Jesus have sent … my angel … to testify unto you these things… (The Revelation of Jesus Christ: 22:13-16)