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JESUS AS THE ANGEL OF GOD
He is God . . .
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
‘The angel of God said to me in the dream, “Jacob.” I answered, “Here I am.” And he said, “. . . I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me.” ’ (Gen. 31.11-
JESUS:
Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, for ever praised! Amen.
(Rom. 9.5)
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, ‘Enough! Withdraw your hand.’ The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing-
JESUS:
‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.’ (Heb. 1.8-
He stands in God’s presence . . .
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
(Is. 63.9)
JESUS:
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. (Heb. 9.24)
. . . yet his presence is the presence of God
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
‘Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you.’ (Exod. 32.34) [COMPARE: The LORD replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ (Exod. 33.14)]
JESUS:
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge . . . (2 Tim 4.1)
He shares God’s name
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush . . . When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, . . . ‘Say to the Israelites, “The LORD . . . has sent me to you.” ’
‘This is my name for ever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.’
(Exod. 3.2,4,15)
‘See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.’ (Exod. 23.20–21)
JESUS:
‘Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.’ (John 17.11)
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name . . .
(Phil. 2.9)
He shares God’s Spirit
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
I asked the angel who was speaking to me, ‘What are these, my lord?’
The angel answered me, ‘These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world . . . Then he called to me, ‘Look, those going towards the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north.’ (Zech 6.4-
He is the ‘I am’
JESUS:
When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. (Acts 16.7)
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. (Phil 1.18-
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush . . . When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses! . . . ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.”’ (Exod. 3.2,4,14)
JESUS:
‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ (John 8.58)
He is addressed as ‘Lord’
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush . . . When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses! . . .. I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt . . . So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians . . . I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.’ . . . But Moses said, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.’ (Exod. 3.24,12; 4.13)
JESUS:
‘Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say? (Luke 6.46)
His name is used interchangeably with that of God
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;
as a man he struggled with God.
He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favour.
(Hos. 12.3-
JESUS:
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over the town how much Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8.38–39).
He receives intercession . . .
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby . . . Then Abraham approached him and said: ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you!
(Gen. 18.1-
JESUS:
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7.59-
. . . and yet intercedes for us
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?’ (Zech. 1.12)
JESUS:
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Heb. 7.25)
He is worshipped
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: as the flame blazed up from the altar towards heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. (Judg. 13.19-
JESUS:
Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. (Matt. 28.9)
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (Rev. 1.17)
He has authority to forgive sins
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him . . . Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’
Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.’ (Zech 3.1,3-
JESUS:
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ (Mark 2.5-
He has authority to bless and curse
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’ But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me’ . . . Then he blessed him there. (Gen. 32.24-
‘“Curse Meroz,” said the angel of the LORD.
“Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the LORD,
to help the LORD against the mighty.” ’
(Judg. 5.23)
JESUS:
When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. (Luke 24.50)
In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig-
He is our advocate
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
Even now my witness is in heaven;
my advocate is on high.
My intercessor is my friend
as my eyes pour out tears to God;
on behalf of a man he pleads with God
as one pleads for a friend.
(Job 16.19-
JESUS:
But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. (1 John 2.1)
He is a mediator
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
Yet if there is an angel at their side,
a messenger, one out of a thousand,
sent to tell them how to be upright,
and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
“Spare them from going down to the pit;
I have found a ransom for them . . .”–
then that person can pray to God and find favour with him,
they will see God’s face and shout for joy;
he will restore them to full well-
(Job 33.23-
JESUS:
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus . . . (1 Tim. 2.5)
He is sent down to us
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
‘See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.’ (Ex. 23.20)
JESUS:
This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4.9)
He comes down from heaven to rescue us
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush . . . When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses! . . . I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt . . . So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land . . . ’ (Exod. 3.2,4,7-
JESUS:
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man . . . For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3.13-
He brings salvation to his people
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.
(Isa. 63.9)
He reveals his name
JESUS:
‘She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ (Matt. 1.21)
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
‘The angel of God said to me in the dream, “Jacob.” I answered, “Here I am.” And he said, “. . . I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me.” ’ (Gen. 31.11-
JESUS:
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’
‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked.
‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. (Acts 9.3-
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak . . . Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.’ . . . Then he blessed im there. (Gen. 32.24,28-
JESUS:
Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matt. 16.17-
He is recognised as he disappears
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, ‘Allow us to detain you, and prepare a kid for you’ . . . (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.) . . . So Manoah took the kid with the grain-
He is seen with two angels
JESUS:
As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognising him . . . they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight. (Luke 24.15-
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby . . . The men turned away and went towards Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD . . . The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening . . . (Gen. 18.1-
He can walk through walls
JESUS:
While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. (Luke 24.4)
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot . . . At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus. (John 20.11-
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.. . . At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’
Daniel answered, ‘May the king live for ever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. (Dan. 6.17,19-
JESUS:
He delivers in the wilderness
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, ‘I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, “I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.” Yet you have disobeyed me.’ (Judges 2.1-
JESUS:
Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe.’ (Jude 5 ESV)
His love surrounds us
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
(Ps. 34.7)
JESUS:
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18.20 RSV)
He commissions and sends
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush . . . When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses! . . .. I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt . . . So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians . . . So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.’ (Exod. 3.2,4,7,10,12)
JESUS:
‘. . . I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.. . . I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, “Saul, Saul . . . Now get up and stand on your feet . . . I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them . . .” ’ (Acts 26.13-
A trinitarian blessing?
ANGEL OF YAHWEH:
May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life to this day,
the Angel who has delivered me from all harm
– may he bless these boys.
(Gen. 48.15–16)
JESUS:
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (1 Cor. 13.14)