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Angel of the Lord
The Title
Dr. David Reagan
Several years ago I received
a letter from a fellow in Champaign, Illinois in which he asked me a number of
very thought provoking questions about Jesus before He became incarnate in the
flesh.
Since that time, a number of
other people have contacted me with a variety of questions concerning the same
subject.
I’ve collected my answers and
will continue to post them in this four part “Angel of the Lord” series.
Question: Does the title, “the Angel of the Lord,” mean that Jesus is
a mighty angel like Gabriel or Michael?
Answer: Not
at all. In fact, we are told point blank that Jesus is “much better than the angels” (Hebrews 1:4)
because He is the one and only Son of the Father (Hebrews 1:1-5).
Therefore, the angels worship
Him (Hebrews
1:6-7).
Also, the angels were created
at a point in time (Psalm
148:1-6) whereas Jesus has existed eternally (John 1:1-14).
In fact, the Bible asserts
that Jesus Himself was the one who created the angels (Colossians 1:16).
Question: If Jesus is not an angel, then why was He given the title
of “the Angel of the Lord” in His
pre-incarnate appearances?
Answer: The
title is both a term of endearment and a description of Jesus’ primary role in
these appearances.
Just as my wife is my
“angel,” so also is the Son the Father’s “angel.”
Jacob used this type of
terminology when he blessed his sons on his death bed.
In blessing Joseph, he
referred to God as “the
angel who has redeemed me from all evil” (Genesis 48:15-16).
Again, the term, angel, means
“messenger.” And that is the role that Jesus most often played in His
pre-incarnate appearances.
Therefore, the title was most
appropriate.
The imagery is carried over
to the New Testament in a vision that John records in Revelation 10.
John is given a flash-forward
to the end of the Tribulation.
He sees a “strong angel” coming
down out of Heaven.
The angel has the title deed
of the earth in his hand. He puts one foot on land and the other in the sea and
lifts the title deed in the air as a symbol of his claiming all of creation for
himself.
I don’t think there is any
doubt that this “angel” is Jesus.
He is clothed in a cloud,
crowned with a rainbow, and has a “face
like the sun” — all of which are symbols of deity (see Revelation 1:13-17).
His feet are like “pillars of fire,” indicating
He has come in judgment — and all judgment has been given to Jesus (John 5:22).
Most important, He holds open
in His hand the title deed of the earth (Revelation 10:2), a
deed which we are told in Revelation 5:5-7 that
only Jesus is worthy to open.
Some object to the
identification of this angel as Jesus because He makes an oath by the name of
God (Revelation
10:6).
They ask, “How can God swear by God?”
But in Hebrews 6:13 we
are told that when God made His promises to Abraham that “He swore by Himself” because “He could swear by no one greater.”
We see the same thing
in Jeremiah
22:5 where God says, “I
swear by Myself.”
It is only appropriate that
the imagery of “the Angel of the Lord”
should be used in the book of Revelation because it is a book steeped in the
Hebrew Scriptures.
Revelation contains over 300
quotes or references to Old Testament passages, more than any other New
Testament book.
Could the Old Testament name
of Jesus been “Israel” actually?
And, what were some of the
roles the Angel of the Lord fulfilled?
Find out in the last
part of this “Angel of the Lord” series!
Dr. David Reagan
Dr. David Reagan serves as the
Founder and Director of Lamb &
Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher
whose sermons have been distributed worldwide and has led 45 pilgrimages to
Israel. Dr. Reagan is the host of the television program Christ in Prophecy.
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