is jesus the angel of the lord
As such, saying that he was accepted as "angel of God" does not inherently mean he is an angel as we would now understand that term, simply that he is acting as a messenger from God. These mysteries are brought about by our lack of understanding and not a lack of revelation. Was the mysterious visitor featured in the Old Testament Jesus in disguise? Both words correspond to "messenger." Others are guardians of children. Rather than let my thoughts run away with worry, I let Gods word assure me our possessions were under His watchful eye. When God Happens: Angels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Then the angel of theLordreached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. . "Things which I had seen". The same word is used when Bowing to a human king. Finally, in v. 13, the text says the name of the LORD who spoke to her," clearly indicating that Hagar was speaking to God. Andthe angel of theLordappeared to him and said to him,TheLordis with you, O mighty man of valor.And Gideon said to him, Please, my lord, if theLordis with us, why then has all this happened to us? The adjective "an" before "angel of the Lord" means a created angel. 412-13). Despite the respect I have for the eminence of Bart Ehrman, in this case, I beg to differ - the examples he quotes defeats his own argument. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him. Did Paul refer to James as a literal brother of Jesus? He is unique because men who meet him usually fall to the ground to worship and call him Lord. Genesis 22 is not the first time the angel of the LORD has appeared ( Gen 16 ), but this is the earliest indication that he was not an ordinary angel. In short, He is God-in-flesh. Through the years, Ricks family has been deeply engaged in discipling efforts globally in India, Romania, Brazil, Ecuador and most recently in Puerto Rico. We first meet Him in Genesis 16, when Sarah treats Hagar so badly the slave runs away. Third, in v. 11, the angel says the LORD has given heed to your affliction when it was the Angel of the Lord who had given heed. Hearing "the voice of the Lord". Not only does this claim fail to take into account the context of the Galatians welcome for Paul, the claim fails to take into account the eighty-one times in the Gospels in which Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man. And what did Jacob say to his children? Others are known by their workplace location the angel of the abyss (Rev. Heb., an angel of Jehovah. The grammatical argument implies that Jesus is called as an angel of God. The Bible records several conversations between the angel of the Lord and the Lord Godthey are two separate persons. The angel of the LORD first shows up in Scripture in Genesis 16 where Hagar, Sarai's servant, has fled in response to Sarai's harshness and cruelty. Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise by the Angel of the Lord (9th-Century Print). Do not do anything to him. Finally, Paul says that Jesus has always been the "image of the invisible God" in Colossians: Consequently, the Angel of the Lord is the image of the invisible God in the days before Jesus took on flesh, whichis why we say He is the pre-incarnate Christ. 1. That he is manifested in human form, now, does not negate the fact that he is God. There are even some Jewish sources that link Malachi 3:1 to Exodus 23:20-23: BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL. This is why references to the angel of the Lord are found only in the Old Testament. In his appearances on earth, the angel of the Lord spoke with the authority of God and acted as God. Compare with Word. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. The angel of the LORD is obviously no ordinary angel if there is such a thing. The presence of the angel of the LORD seems to represent a glimpse at the restored heaven and earth when all things are made new and man once again stands in Gods presence. Lehrman, Midrash Rabbah: Volume III: Exodus [London: The Soncino Press, 1983], pp. How can the Holy Spirit abide in our sinful bodies? But when the one speaking from the bush is identified, we find that it is God calling to him (Exodus 3:4). In summary, the angel of the LORD who bears the qualities of the LORD is the LORD. The fact that Malachi had no problem applying this title to the Angel demonstrates that Malachi believed that this Angel was God. At other times, his identity becomes mixed with the LORD and speaks with the voice of God. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. In view of the clear statements in John 1:18, 5:37, 6:46, 1 John 4:12 that no one has seen God the Father, and the numerous cases listed above of people seeing the LORD and the Angel of the LORD, etc, it appears that these epiphanies were of the pre-incarnate Jesus. In Isa 63:9, the Angel of His [LORDs] presence saved them, and is almost certainly a reference to the same being. Since the Pauline corpus differentiates between the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the angels, giving to the first a greater, in fact divine honour, in comparison to the first (Hebrews 1:5), and even asserting that the angelic hosts were created by Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:16), then it is more plausible that Paul in this passage of Galatians uses a rhetorical skill called climax, that is to say, ascent, to create a stronger impression. In both of these passages, its clear that the Angel of the Lord is also God. The appearance of the angel of the LORD signaled that God would one day come in all of his glory and make all things new. may proclaim good news to you different from what we did proclaim to If you havent yet done so, consider calling on Jesus today. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.Then he said, I am the God of your fatherthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.At this, Moses hidhis face, because he was afraid to look at God. Who is the angel of the LORD? Jesus existence didn't begin in Bethlehem. -1. A closely related phrase, Angel of God who is clearly God as in Gen 6:13, 8:15, 9:8, 17, 15:13, 17:3, 4, 21:12, 16-21, 35:1, 10, Ex 4:3-8, 6:2, 23:20, 21, Deut 1:6, 1 Kings 12:22, etc. Below are the relevant study concerning God's or the Messiah's functioning as angel of God to interact with his people. A messenger is one who is sent from someone else to deliver a message, and of course, Jesus fits this perfectly. [closed], Galatians 3:19-20, the Law was given through angels, http://www.biblestudying.net/history-of-judaism5.html, Stack Overflow at WeAreDevelopers World Congress in Berlin. There is no authority greater than his, and Paul came in that authority. We are not to heed even an angelic messenger from heaven if that one preaches a different gospel, which is no gospel at all! Gen 16:7-13, 22:11-17, 32:24-30, 48:16, Ex 3:2-6, 32:34, Num 22:22-35, Josh 5:13-15, Judg 2:1-4, 6:11-23, 13:3-23, Isa 63:9, Dan 3:25, 28, Hos 12:4, 5, Zech 3:1-7, Mal 3:1, Rev 8:3-5, 10:1-10, 18:1, 20:1-4. 2:17, which also has this grammatical feature. According to the Jews for Jesus (https://jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/issues-v14-n06/who-is-the-messenger/) the angel of the LORD is given the name Metatron in the Talmud, which indicates a special relationship with God. The Jews for Jesus state: One meaning ofmetaandthronos, two Greek words, gives the sense of one who serves behind the throne of God. This is off-topic. How do you know this is to be so? This was great SJ, thanks for collecting all those Scriptures together. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son. (NLT, italics added). We first meet Him in Genesis 16, when Sarah treats Hagar so badly the slave runs away. It is impossible to read this account of the fiery presence of the LORD and not call to mind the echoes of the angel of the LORD passages. The British equivalent of "X objects in a trenchcoat". 1 Cor 3:1 - And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual. Jesus is clearly "the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets!" In Luke 12:8-9, angels are called "angels of God"; in Matthew 13:41, angels are called "[Jesus'] angels." Jesus and God are synonymous. Then the angel said to me, Shout this message for all to hear: This is what the Lord of Heavens Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong (NLT). Who Is the Angel of the Lord in the Bible? The question is why should Paul call Jesus "Angel of the Lord", if we assume that he believed in him as God? She lives in Florida with her husband, two mastiffs, and an assortment of wildlife. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Once again, in the person of Jesus Christ, the window is cracked open and the light of heaven breaks in as the two dimensions are rejoined, if only for a moment. Though they are familiar with passages that indicate that no one who has seen the Father can live (c.f., Exodus 33:20), they may not realize that many have witnessed the Son who is the Lords earthly manifestation. 2 Cor 2:17 - For we are not like the many, peddling the word of God. Why Is it Important to Remember That Jesus Was Jewish? Welcome to the site, Tristan, and your hermeneutical points about the Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic words for what is now translated as 'angel' are relevant. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. The Lord is with you.". (Exodus 3:2-8, 10-16, 18) The Angel of the Lord Some trinitarians claim that whenever the Scriptures mention malach 'Adon-ai (Y-H-V-H), "an angel of the Lord," the angel is Jesus. Malachi 3:1 states that the temple belongs to the Angel of the covenant, i.e. This particular account concludes with Hagars response to the angel of the LORD, where we are told she called on the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You are a God of seeing, for she said, Truly here I have seen him who looks after me (Genesis 16:13). - Kris Sep 15, 2021 at 14:59 You might be interested in this answer I wrote to a different question Hermes: hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/a/68725/43095 mostly unrelated question but some of what you say makes me think ya might - Al Brown Sep 15, 2021 at 18:25 3 iii, 2), and immediately after, it says, G-d called unto him (ibid., 4). Justin Martyr, circa 155 A.D., writes: Now assuredly, Trypho, I shall show that, in the vision of Moses, this same One alone who is called an Angel, and who is God, appeared to and communed with Moses. https://www.learnreligions.com/angel-of-the-lord-4085891 (accessed July 30, 2023). Though we are told that it is the angel of the LORD who sees and speaks to Hagar by the water, when she speaks and identifies the angel, she calls him the LORD, thereby acknowledging that the angel is, in fact, the LORD himself. It's easy to become confused about his true identity because the writers of those Bible books switched between calling the speaker the angel of the Lord and God. Yes, they had! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); How Can We Know that Jesus is Our Objective Moral Standard? This is my nameforever, To this day it still stands atOphrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites. He forgives sins by his own authority (see Is. What are archangels? The angel of theLordfound Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. says the Lord of hosts.. As the story continues, we discover that when Moses turned aside to investigate the burning bush, the LORD saw him and called out to Moses. If you could now deal with the point about whether Paul is saying Jesus is an angel, or not, that would complete your answer, as the question deals with that, and not Paul being a messenger. Im voting to close this question because the question is about a scholar's theological argument. The Hebrew phrase here occurs only two other times: Numbers 22:23 and 1 Chronicles 21:16. He even referenced His earlier words as the great I AM in statements such as the following (John 8:58): Very truly I tell you, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, I am!. You can sense the holiness of God as you read those verses. Rick holds a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degree from Erskine Theological Seminary. In many places, you teach that the Angel of the Lord is always the Second Person of the Godhead, that is the pre-incarnate Christ. We do not listen to any false gospel no matter who declares it to us. The angel of the Lord takes away the sin of the high priest Joshua. And arent they beautiful? Only God is omniscient to know the future (e.g., Hebrews 4:3), though ordinary angels can be told the future by God. Sci fi story where a woman demonstrating a knife with a safety feature cuts herself when the safety is turned off, Legal and Usage Questions about an Extension of Whisper Model on GitHub. There is a word which we often use to describe the exalted nature of God, and it is the word, transcendence. Rabbi David Kimchi, The Lord is both the Divine Majesty, and the Angel of the Covenant, for the sentence is doubled. For the Scripture says thus: 'The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the bush; and he sees that the bush burns with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
is jesus the angel of the lord