Friday, November 30, 2012

IN 1000 WORDS: Who Is The Angel Of The Lord?


Just who (or what) is the Angel of the Lord? Was he a ghost or a demon? Was he a legend, a great military leader that was overly hyped up over time? Was he, perhaps, a mysterious wisp of fog that was mistaken as being something more? Were those who claimed to have seen him simply hallucinating on wild mushrooms? Of course, some of these claims are rather outlandish, and all of them are false. However, each of them have been posited by different people over time. This is why it is important to develop a clear understanding of who and what the angel of the Lord is so that we are not led astray by hollow and deceptive philosophy (Colossians 2:8), or by false teachers (2 Peter 2:1; 1 Timothy 6:3-4a), and so we can know the truth of His word for ourselves (John 8:32; 17:17). The first step to identifying the angel of the Lord is to understand what an angel is, and what an angel is not.
            Contrary to twenty-first century notions, angels do not exist to make us happy, healthy, and successful. They do not offer us spirituality without God or Jesus. They are not nonjudgmental. They do not make us feel unconditionally loved. They do not empower us to accomplish otherwise impossible missions. They do not recognize that we are divine (because we are not divine). They do not provide a spiritual balance to Western society’s secularism and materialism. They do not give assurance to all people about life after death. They are not merely a good luck charm. And, lastly, they are not there to protect us from all physical harm, even if we aren't believers. So what, then, is an angel?
            According to Hebrews 1:14, angels are “ministering spirits sent forth to do service for the sake of those who inherit salvation.” According to Herbert Lockyer, they are “supernatural beings whose abode is heaven and who function as the unseen agents in the execution of the will of God”.[1] Scripture seems to allude to the idea that angels are organized into rank, and that the kingdom of heaven is, in fact, a hierarchy. There is only one angel whose name and rank are both given in Scripture, and that is the archangel Michael. Jude 1:9 alludes to the idea that he is of a very high rank, as well as to the possibility that Satan was of equal or lesser rank before he rebelled against God and fell from heaven. There is one other angel whose rank is given in Scripture, and that is the captain of the host of the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15). However, what about the angel of the Lord?
            There are three possible identities as to who the angel of the Lord could be that are all supported by scripture. The first possibility is that he is either a special angel who intercedes for man to God (Zechariah 1:9-14), who comes with full divine authority and can therefore speak for God (even in the first person). The second possibility is that he is God Himself (a theophany) (Genesis 12:17, 19; Exodus 3:2, 4; 13:21-22; 14:19). The third possibility is that he is the pre-incarnate form of the second person of the trinity, the messiah, Christ.
            Is the angel of the Lord a special angel who intercedes for man to God? Zechariah 1:9-14 offers the clearest depiction of the angel of the Lord that we have in scripture. In this passage, the angel of the Lord is seen as mediating between God and man. Zechariah asks the angel a question, then two others speak to the angel. Next, the angel speaks to God, and God speaks comforting words to the angel. Finally, the angel returns to Zechariah and speaks to him what God said. There is no mistaking that this passage depicts the angel of the Lord as an intercessor between God and man.
            Is the angel of the Lord actually God? The phrases “God”, “angel of God”, “angel of the Lord” and “the LORD” are used interchangeably at various points throughout the Old Testament. It first occurs in Exodus 3:2-4 when Moses saw the burning bush, in Exodus 13:21-22 when “the LORD” traveled in the form of a pillar of fire or a cloud, leading the Israelites out of Egypt, and then in 14:19 when “the angel of God” was described as that pillar of fire. These passages do not make it undoubtedly clear that the angel of the Lord is actually God Himself, but many have drawn it as an inference.
            The third possibility is that the angel of the Lord is what one might call a christophany; that is, the angel of the Lord is visible manifestation of the pre-incarnate Christ. Exodus 23:20-22 states “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you... Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion…” Many have taken this verse to imply that the angel of the Lord is capable of forgiving sins. Others have said that Malachi 3:1 refers to the angel of the Lord messenger of the covenant. The problem with this is that the verse does not refer to the angel of the Lord, nor does it say who the messenger of the covenant is. The primary argument behind this claim is the lack of any New Testament appearances of the Angel of the Lord. However, there are no scriptural references to directly verify the angel of the Lord as being the pre-incarnate Christ.
            So, who is the angel of the Lord? Is he a special angel who intercedes for man to God? Is he actually God? Or, is the angel of the Lord actually the visible manifestation of the pre-incarnate second person of the trinity (Christ)? Of all the choices that have been posited by scholars and theologians over time, the one that can be seen the clearest from scripture is that the angel of the Lord was a special angel, sent with a special commission, who interceded between God and man.



[1] Lockyer, Herbert. Everything Jesus Taught. New York, NY: Harpercollins, 1984.

2 comments:

  1. Please forgive me of my ignorance on this, but are there archangels and Archangels? As in, is there a group called "archangels" that are higher than other angels, but there's also a handful of "Archangels" who are the highest?

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  2. There is no scriptural support for it. Various religious sects have stated all sorts of strange claims about angels and demons, but the only specific reference to ranks of angels given in scripture (that I am aware of) are Joshua 5:13-15 and Jude 1:9. Where did you hear this?

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