The Angel of the Lord is spoken of many times in the Old Testament. Through the Old Testament, we see that the Angel of the Lord is powerful, strong, and seems to have a touch of divinity to Him. However, when we go to the New Testament, we quickly find that the Angel of the Lord no longer makes an appearance. This can cause us to wonder what happened to Him. There is no record of biblical thoughts telling us what happened to the Angel of the Lord.
It seems to be as though He simply disappeared by the time the New Testament came into being. While there are many different views when it comes to the Angel of the Lord, only one view is true. When we look at the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, the identity of the Angel of the Lord becomes more clear. If you are not familiar with the Angel of the Lord or you have not spent much time in the Old Testament, I encourage you to do so.
Many people overlook the Old Testament or see it as “outdated.” This could not be further from the truth as the Old Testament is still relevant to us today. In fact, we would not be able to see the desire for the Messiah apart from the Old Testament. Moreover, we would not know who the Angel of the Lord is or what the Angel of the Lord did without reading the Old Testament. By reading the Old Testament, we gain all of this information, and it helps us in our present walk with God.
The first appearance of the Angel of the Lord is found when He goes to comfort Hagar (Genesis 16:7-15). Through this encounter, we get a glimpse at the Angel of the Lord and how caring He is. Just from this first encounter, we see that He is unlike other angels. Hagar obeys the Angel of the Lord and returns to Sarah just as He commanded her. Hagar’s obedience entails that the Angel of the Lord was no ordinary angel.
Another time we see the Angel of the Lord is in the book of Zechariah. Within this book of the Bible, we glean this vital truth, “On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord going before them” (Zechariah 12:8). Take special note of the words being written within this passage of Scripture.
From Zechariah, we see that the prophet is telling us that the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord. Through this, we see that Zechariah connects God and the Angel of the Lord as being equal or being the same. This is because they are. At the time of the Old Testament, the Trinity had not yet been revealed, yet this was a glimpse into the reality of the Trinity.
As you may have already connected, the Angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Christ. Jesus was not “created” nor came into being later than the Father. Rather, Jesus has been present for all time just as the Father and the Holy Spirit have been present for all time. There are often incorrect thoughts surrounding the fact that Jesus is the Son of God; however, in no way is Jesus less than or younger than the Father.
Many people refer to only the Father as being God, but in truth and from biblical teachings, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God. Three distinct persons yet one God. Since this is true, it is not surprising that Jesus was already present during the Old Testament. Although He was not presented to the Earth just yet, He was still protecting, guiding, and leading His people. This is because Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are all equal, and they each deeply care about us.
The Angel of the Lord ceases to be seen after the Old Testament because Jesus takes on His incarnate form. He is no longer the Angel of the Lord because He is now fully man and fully God. Jesus is the only member of the Trinity to take on human form and be fully divine and fully human. As Paul the Apostle says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9).
Therefore, the Angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Christ. This is why we no longer see Him make an appearance in the New Testament. While there are many people who take differing views on the subject, this view is the only one that aligns with the Bible. The Angel of the Lord and Jesus are the same as they protect, guide, and love the people of Israel. Within the New Testament and Jesus dying to save the sins of the entire world, we see the Gentiles also being included in the promise of redemption and eternal life (John 3:16-17; Galatians 3:28).
Since we know this to be true, we need to continue to live for the Lord and give Him praise. There is absolutely no reason to see Jesus as being inferior or less than the Father. While this is common and even taught through a hierarchical ideology in many churches, this is not right. Just as Jesus was equal to the Father when He was in His pre-incarnate form, He is also equal to the Father now.
Within the Trinity, there is not a hierarchy. All are equal and all are important. This often happens when the Holy Spirit is spoken of also. Many people view the Holy Spirit as being less than the Father and Jesus, yet there is no Scripture proof to back this up. The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and the Son. He helps, convicts, and instructs us in the way we should go.
The Holy Spirit is the promised Comforter Jesus spoke about to His disciples (John 14:26). When we are looking at the Trinity, an individual member of the Trinity, or the pre-incarnate Christ, we do not need to treat one as being inferior to the other. Instead, we need to praise the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit for all that they have done and continue to do. God doesn’t need us, yet He chose us, redeemed us, and has given us new life.
God didn’t owe us anything, yet we owe Him everything. Through the accounts of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in the Bible, we are shown what great lengths they have gone to bring us close to them. Never has the Lord left us, and never will He leave us in the future.
The Angel of the Lord was the pre-incarnate Christ, and we will do well to see Him as such when we read the Bible. Oftentimes, the Angel of the Lord can be overlooked or just seen as another angel. This should not be the case because the Angel of the Lord is Jesus (before He took on human form). Moreover, we need to understand that all members of the Trinity are equal and deserve our praise, thanks, and worship. We would not be where we are today without the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
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