This is a very good question for the which many do not know the answer. This is a stunningly interesting topic. As most people believe Jesus was born in Nazareth , and before that Jesus never appeared on earth. Did Jesus appear on earth before his birth in Bethlehem ? Did Jesus only take a body when born in Israel 2000 years ago ? Or did Jesus appear to people before that ? Let us find out is Jesus the Angel of the Lord or was it just an angel?
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Who are angels ?
The problem comes from thinking that an angel is only an angel. In fact the word angel means messenger. All angels are just angels and do not deserve worship . In fact it says in revelation 20 John tries to worship the angel. And he tells him, do not worship me as i an just a servant as you are .
RE 19 10 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
One great reason why we know that this Angel of the Lord cannot be an angel is because He accepts worship . The text above speaks about John trying to worship the angel and the angel explaining to John that the spirit of prophecy that was talked about in revelation 12 17 was a group of people who have the Spirit of prophecy . The angel refused worship . As angels are Gods servants to minister to those who will inherit salvation . Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Very likely but first let us seek more confirmation.
HE 1 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation?
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Abraham
The Angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham . This Angel of the Lord came with two other angels . Who were they ? Abraham was in a tent very likely in a desert. Genesis chapter 19 tells us that it was not far from Sodom and Gomorrah . These two other men who were with the Angel of the Lord are angels.
GE 19 1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
These two angels left being with Abraham and the Angel of the Lord and met Lot. Who was Abraham left with ? The beginning of chapter 18 of Genesis says The Angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham. The end of the chapter says Abraham remained with God . Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Let us study this amazing bible truth .
GE 18 1 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day
Here it says God appeared to Abraham . But how God can appeared to Abraham as a men ?
GE 18 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Verse two confirms that God is the Angel of the Lord . Then the last verse of Genesis 18 says
GE 18 33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Can God talk to a man ? We know the bible says no men has seen God the Father. So the only other option is that the Angel of the Lord is either Jesus or the Holy Spirit . Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes. As there is no other option as
1 Nobody has seen God the Father
2 The Angel of the Lord is worshipped
3 Every time people see the Angel of the Lord they worship Him
In chapter 18 of Genesis it says that The Angel of the Lord appears to Abraham and speaks to him about Sodom and Gomorrah. Cities which are close by . Abraham pleads with God to not destroy those cities. God ends talking to Abraham and Genesis 19 is the 2 other men who met Abraham which the bible says are angels .
Around the end of genesis 19 it says that God who is still with Abraham asks God in the sky to send fire and brimstone. This is quite an incredible verse. Jesus or the Angel of the Lord with Abraham asks God the Father to send fire. Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes
GE 19 24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Ishmael
Abraham servant Hagar flees from Sarah her mistress. Then the Angel of the Lord gives her a prophecy . This proves also that the Angel of the Lord is Jesus as only God knows the future, but also the Angel of the Lord says that He himself will multiply her offspring. Only God can multiply a nation .
GE 16 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Isaac
The Angel of the Lord also appears to Abraham when he is about to slay Isaac his son . Let us examine this verse
GE 22 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, p“Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for qnow I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
Here the verse seems to say that the Angel of the Lord is not God, when it says
For I know that you fear God .
But let us not be surface readers . After that the verse says
For you have not witheld your son from Me . Here is also ample proof that Jesus is the Angel of the Lord and God .
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Jusges 2
In this chapter it is very interesting that Jesus talks to the congregation of Israel as the Angel of the Lord , as God . In the KJV it says An Angel of the Lord. In the ESV it is correctly translated The Angel of the Lord. When we keep reading this verse we find out that it is Jesus who is the Angel of the Lord.
JU 2 2 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to jBochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, I ‘I will never break my covenant with you
Here the Angel of the Lord uses words like I brought you up from Egypt and the land that I swore with your fathers. There is no doubt, Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes As the Father has never appeared on earth .
EX 33 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Gideon
At first we see that Gideon does not know it is Jessus as he refers to God and thinks this person appearing could be an angel only . And the Angel of the Lord we see the loving humble character of Jesus who does not say right away. I am God but is always giving glory to the Father.
JU 6 12 And xthe angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, y“The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are zall his wonderful deeds athat our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Median.”
So far it seems that this Angel of the Lord is not God as he refers to the Father as God in statements such as
The Lord is with you . Does it mean He is not God. No Jesus humility refers to the worship of the Father.
JU 6 16 And the Lord said to him, e“But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midinettes as one man.”
But here in the story we find out that the Angel of the Lord is Jesus as He says I will be with you, capital letter. And only God can give power to someone to overcome a nation
After Gideon makes an offering, the Angel of the Lord reached the staff He had in his hand and fire came out , at the same time the Angel of the Lord disappeared. Gideon was afraid as he thought he saw God the Father .
JU 6 . 22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him,“Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes as Jesus tells him.
JU 6 23 “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
Here we have the absolute proof also that Jesus is God as Gideon worships Him and Jesus accepts the worship .
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Samson
Jesus as the Angel of the Lord appears to Sanson s parents.
JU 13 3 the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
Samson s mother tells her husband that she saw what seemed an angel and she does not know who He was
JU 13 6 Then the woman came and told her husband, c“A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. dI did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, 7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ”
Samson s mother even says a man of God came to me, then she says He had the appearance of the angel of the Lord.
Manoah offers Jesus food and Jesus here we see gives glory to the Father. This to surface reader could mean that this is not Jesus . But this is just Jesus humility in giving glory to the Father only .
JU 13 16 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.)
Yet the end of the verse proves that it was Jesus. Always when we read the bible we need to read and study the context to know the full meaning of the bible truth given . When we keep reading we have the pieces of the puzzle to understand Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes as He accepts worship, the which no angel receives.
Manoah Samson s mother asks Him what is his name. The Angel of the Lord says his name is too wonderful to be known. What an amazing answer.
JU 13 18 'And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”'
While the offering is given again a flame goes up to the sky and again here the Angel of the Lord is worshipped and He accepts the worship
JU 13 20 And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Moses burning bush
Moses was keeping the flock when the Angel of the Lord appears to him. How can we know in this bible truth that it is Jesus ? Let us read
EX 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
If we do not know the topic we can think that it is just an angel. But the next verse says
EX 3 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
As Moses was only with the Angel of the Lord, but verse 4 tells is that God saw that Moses looked the the bush that was burning and not bring consumed. While we could still wonder if this Angel of the Lord is Jesus , the next verse eliminates all objection when the Angel of the Lord says
EX 3 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
The Angel of the Lord says plainly in this example I am the God of your fathers. And Moses was afraid to look at God or the Angel of the Lord.
What a beautiful topic to see that God so love us that even in the old testament Jesus was sent to bless and guide his people . In fact Paul says that the One who lead Israel in the desert was The Rock or Jesus .
1 CO 10 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Jesus was the One who led Israel in the desert and guided his people in the Old testament . This is an amazing bible truth of the love of God . Jesus wanted to be close to his people to bless, prosper and guide them . Every time the Angel of the Lord appeared He is worshipped.
This is amazing , what a loving story of the love of Jesus for you who is ready to come next to you to help you in all your needs. Have you accepted Jesus in your heart before ? Repeat after me Father God forgive my sins, come into my heart. Give me your righteousness, please bless and prosper me in the name of Jesus amen .
