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.
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?
ReplyDeleteThere 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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