Angel of the Lord Flashcards
A look into Jesus' pre-human existence in the Old Testament
What is the meaning of ‘The Angel’? How is Angel defined?
Do Angels have wings?
The Messenger.
No, angels do not have wings. Despite popular depictions of angels in western culture, not one angel in Hebrew scriptures are described as having wings. There are angelic creatures in the Hebrew bible called cherubim and seraphim but they are distinct from angels. They don’t have a message to send. Their primary goal is to guard sacred spaces.
What does this particular angel say that makes his identity questionable and why?
Who is he later identified as?
Genesis 16:7-13
[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.
[8]And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
[9]And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
[10]And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
[11]And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
[12]And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
[13]And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
What this particular angel said that makes his identity questionable is in verse 10 when he says, “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly…” Angels or agents of God do not have within their own authority to do such things. Additionally, he knew she was pregnant and the gender of the baby and the baby’s future.
Later in verse 13 the author identifies the angel as the LORD.
Genesis 28:10-22
[10]And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
[11]And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
[12]And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
[13]And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
[14]And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
[15]And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
[16]And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
[17]And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
[18]And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
[19]And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
[20]And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
[21]So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
[22]And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Who does Jacob see on top of the ladder and who promised to preserve him?
What did Jacob call the place where he had a dream of the ladder with angels ascending and descending from it?
What did Jacob call the pillar that he poured oil upon the top of?
It was the LORD whom Jacob saw on top the Ladder and who promised to preserve him.
Jacob named the place where he had the dream Bethel.
Jacob called the pillar that he poured oil on top of to commemorate the dream he had ‘God’s house’.
Side note: The ladder that Jacob saw is called a ziggurat. It can be found today in Iraq.
Genesis 31:10-13
[10]And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.
[11]And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.
[12]And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.
[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.
Who spoke to Jacob in his dream?
Who did the angel claim to be?
The person who spoke to Jacob was the angel of God. He claimed himself to be the God of Bethel.
What is unusual and uncommon about these two verses? What would be the conclusion without any contradictions?
Genesis 48:15-16
[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,
[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.
First God is spoken of then the Angel who is invoked a prayer of blessings. This is unusual because angels or any other agent of God aren’t prayed to and they don’t have authority to give blessings. The conclusion is that the Angel who is being asked for blessings in the God spoken of in the previous verse.
How can you prove that this Messenger/ Angel of Lord who is identified as God in Exodus was Jesus Christ?
Exodus 3:1-6,13-14
[1]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.
[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.
[3]And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[13]And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
[14]And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Acts 7:30,35
[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.
[35]This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
1) The angel accepted worship (Numbers 22:31)
2) The man who appeared in Joshua also accepted worship and tells Joshua to remove his shoe from off his feet because the place that he stood was holy, similar to what the angel who was identified as Lord said to Moses. He was called captain of the Lord’s host as had a sword drawn as if ready for war.
3) The person seen in Revelation by his righteousness judges and makes war, he leads an army out if heaven (captain), out of his mouth is a sharp sword, and one of his name is “The Word of God” (John 1:1,14)
Exodus 3:2,5
[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.
[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.
Numbers 22:31-32
[31]Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
[32]And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
Joshua 5:13-15
[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?
[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?
[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.
Revelation 19:11-16
[11]And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
[12]His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
[13]And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
[14]And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
[15]And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
[16]And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
According to these verses, what are the purpose of angels?
What is it that they do not accept?
Hebrews 1:7,14
[7]And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
[14]Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Revelation 22:8-9
[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 shewed me these things.
[9]Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
The purpose of angels is to minister to God and to those who are heirs of salvation. They do not accept worship as God yet see themselves as servants like us.
1) What did the Angel of LORD say him name was after Manoah asked him?
2) Who did Manoah conclude whom he had seen?
Judges 13:17-22
[17]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?
[18]And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
[19]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.
[20]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 of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
[21]But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.
[22]And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
1) The Angel of the Lord never told Manoah what his name was. He said it was secret. This is significant because even the highest of angels such as Gabriel reveal their names.
2) Manoah concluded as he was speaking with his wife that they had seen God.
Exodus 23:20-23
[20]Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
[21]Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
[22]But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
[23]For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
Aside from Moses, how many other persons are involved?
What did the Lord mean when he said, “ my name is in him”?
Who will not pardon transgressions if provoked?
What kind of attributes must this angel have to preserve all the people of Israel?
Aside from Moses there are two other persons involved, the Lord and the Angel.
The meaning of “my name is in him” essentially means what the Lord is the Angel is also. He is the embodiment of the Lord. This angel carries the same essence, attributes, and authority as the Lord. Ex: “…the Word was with God and the Word was God”.
It was stated that the Angel would not pardon transgressions if provoked.
This angel must have the attributes of omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent to be able to preserve all of the children in Israel.
Why would this angel of the LORD say that he was the one who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to a land that he promised to their fathers and say that his covenant he wouldn’t break? Do servants of God speak in ‘first-person’ as this angel did? What is the conclusion?
Judges 2:1-4
[1]And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
[2]And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
[3]Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
[4]And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
No, angels nor any other servants of God speaks in a manner similar how that angel did. The only conclusion is that particular angel was the Lord.
What actions does this angel do that is not typical of normal angels?
Zechariah 3:3-4
[3]Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
[4]And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
He orders other angels to remove the garments then he said, “I have caused thine iniquity to pass..”. This particular angel forgives sins. No one is allowed to forgive sins other than God.
What is this angel doing or being on the behalf of Joshua?
Who is the angel?
Zechariah 3:1-2
[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.
[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?
The angel is the intercessor. He is intervening on the behalf of Joshua who Satan is trying to accuse. He is also identified as the LORD.
How many similarities can you find between the Angel in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament?
–Old Testament–
Zechariah 3:1-4
[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.
[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?
[3]Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
[4]And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
Exodus 23:21
[21]Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
Exodus 24:15
[15]And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
–New Testament–
Romans 8:34
[34]Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Hebrews 7:25-26
[25]Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
[26]For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Mark 9:4,7
[4]And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
[7]And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
Mark 2:5-7,10
[5]When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
[6]But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
[7]Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
[10]But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
John 5:43
[43]I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
Matthew 28:19
[19]Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
God’s name is in them.
We are told to listen to their voices.
They forgive sins.
They make intercession.
Moses goes up to a mount where there was a cloud and saw the Angel.
Jesus goes up to a mount where there was a cloud and saw Moses.
Where does the Angel as he appeared and spoke in the old testament found in the new testament?
He is not found in the New Testament. The closest person who spoke and acted as that angel did was Jesus Christ.
Psalms 34:6-7
[6]This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
[7]The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
What kind of attributes must this angel have to be able to encampeth all that fear him and also have the ability to deliver them?
Why should we fear such an angel?
Omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. We should fear such an angel because he has the attributes that only God has.
