BETWEEN THE LAW AND THE LORD
I.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH9RJQnQPuQ
This time the title is wrong, but it reflects the way we tend to think. The Law was given: it went on to give men the rules for living. Humanity failed to obey and the One who fulfilled it came to bring Salvation.
But something else was going on here as before.
Recall the Angel of the Lord? We pointed out that authorities see him as the pre-incarnate Christ though, if we can see from some of the extrapolations of science related to quantum mechanics, it was quite possible for Christ to be incarnate then, EVEN INCARNATE FOR ALL ETERNITY and be incarnated at His birth. No matter how we see that, the Angel was apparently a manifestation of Christ in physical form before his birth. We saw He walked in the Garden, that He was there with the early ancestors, that He appeared to Moses in the burning bush, that He was THERE making the Spirit of God evident in flesh. The eternal Lord here in the material temporal world to coach, to guide, to tweak. But that didn't stop just because the Law was given.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ndhVoNOg8M
The references to the Angel of the Lord or to his manifestation in other forms continue in Scripture AFTER the Law is given:
44 Bible Verses about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFOFymebHsk
.
https://twitter.com/persecutionind
I.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH9RJQnQPuQ
This time the title is wrong, but it reflects the way we tend to think. The Law was given: it went on to give men the rules for living. Humanity failed to obey and the One who fulfilled it came to bring Salvation.
But something else was going on here as before.
Recall the Angel of the Lord? We pointed out that authorities see him as the pre-incarnate Christ though, if we can see from some of the extrapolations of science related to quantum mechanics, it was quite possible for Christ to be incarnate then, EVEN INCARNATE FOR ALL ETERNITY and be incarnated at His birth. No matter how we see that, the Angel was apparently a manifestation of Christ in physical form before his birth. We saw He walked in the Garden, that He was there with the early ancestors, that He appeared to Moses in the burning bush, that He was THERE making the Spirit of God evident in flesh. The eternal Lord here in the material temporal world to coach, to guide, to tweak. But that didn't stop just because the Law was given.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ndhVoNOg8M
The references to the Angel of the Lord or to his manifestation in other forms continue in Scripture AFTER the Law is given:
Question: Did Jesus make appearances before His incarnation?
Answer: Definitely. A good example is found in Isaiah 6. King Uzziah, who had reigned for 52 years in Judah, had just died, and Isaiah, who was probably only a teenager at the time, went to the Temple to mourn the king’s death.
Isaiah was surprised by a vision in which he saw the Lord — the King of kings — “sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted” (Isaiah 6:1). In John 12:41 we are told that what Isaiah saw was Jesus in “His glory” — the glory He had before He became incarnate (Philippians 2:5-8).
Question: I have heard that “the Angel of the Lord” who is often referred to in the Old Testament was really Jesus making preincarnate appearances. Is this true?
Answer: “The Angel of the Lord” is referred to 56 times in 51 verses in the Hebrew Scriptures. The first reference is found in Genesis 16:7-12 where it says that “the Angel of the Lord” appeared to Hagar as she was fleeing in the wilderness from the rage of Abraham’s wife. The Angel told her to go back home, and then He revealed to her that she was pregnant with a son whose name would be called Ishmael.
A study of the subsequent appearances of the Angel of the Lord makes it very clear that they were pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus.
A good example is found in Exodus 3. There we are told that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush (verse 2). Then we are later told that the Angel spoke to Moses and said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (verse 6).
In Exodus 23 we are told that God the Father spoke to Moses and said He would send an angel to guide and protect the Children of Israel in the Wilderness. He refers to this angel as “My angel” and states that “My name is in Him” (Exodus 23:20-23). This is obviously no ordinary angel.
In Judges 13 we are told that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah and his wife to inform them that they would have a child named Samson. When Manoah asked the Angel for His name, He replied, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” (Judges 13:18). Manoah got the point of this statement immediately, for he turned to his wife and said, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God” (Judges 13:22).
(Again this was AFTER the Law and BEFORE the Incarnation.)
The Angel’s deity is also attested to by the fact that on two occasions He accepted worship. When He appeared to both Moses (Exodus 3:1-5) and Joshua (Joshua 5:14-15), they were told to remove their sandals for they were “standing on holy ground.”
Question: But couldn’t these appearances of God in the form of “the Angel of the Lord” have been God the Father Himself instead of Jesus?
Answer: No, because there are many reports of people seeing the Angel of the Lord, and John 1:18 says, “No one has seen God at any time.” The verse then continues to make a very important point: “The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him [God].” Thus, according to John, the people in the Old Testament times who saw God really saw Jesus in a pre-incarnate form “declaring” God.
This conclusion is confirmed by a statement which God the Father made to Moses at Mt. Sinai: “You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20). Likewise, Paul states in 1 Timothy 6:16 that God the Father “dwells in inapproachable light whom no man has seen or can see.”
In Genesis 32 we are told that Jacob wrestled with a “Man” (verse 24) who identified Himself as God (verse 28). In fact, Jacob says, “I have seen God face to face…” (verse 30). Since we know from John 1:18 that no one has seen God the Father, Jacob must be talking about Jesus in a pre-incarnate appearance. This is made clear in Hosea 12:3-4 where we are told that the God-Man Jacob wrestled with was “the Angel.” In verse 5 Hosea identifies the Angel as “the Lord, the God of hosts.”
In Malachi 3:1, in a prophecy about the First Coming of the Messiah, God the Father is quoted as promising to send His Son: “Behold, I am going to send my messenger…” The word translated “messenger” is the Hebrew word, malakh, which literally means “angel.”
Further evidence that the Angel of the Lord was the preincarnate Jesus is the fact that the Angel ceased to appear after Jesus became incarnate in the flesh. At that point in time, the Angel Gabriel took over the responsibility of serving as God’s chief messenger.
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)
(This is essential to know since at least one cult says Jesus is an Angel and another says He and Satan are brothers. W,)
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
Question: "Who is the angel of the Lord?"
Answer: The precise identity of the “angel of the Lord” is not given in the Bible. However, there are many important “clues” to his identity. There are Old and New Testament references to “angels of the Lord,” “an angel of the Lord,” and “the angel of the Lord.” It seems when the definite article “the” is used, it is specifying a unique being, separate from the other angels. The angel of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself with God, and exercises the responsibilities of God (Genesis 16:7-12; 21:17-18; 22:11-18; Exodus 3:2; Judges 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-24; 13:3-22; 2 Samuel 24:16; Zechariah 1:12; 3:1; 12:8). In several of these appearances, those who saw the angel of the Lord feared for their lives because they had “seen the Lord.” Therefore, it is clear that in at least some instances, the angel of the Lord is a theophany, an appearance of God in physical form.
Answer: The precise identity of the “angel of the Lord” is not given in the Bible. However, there are many important “clues” to his identity. There are Old and New Testament references to “angels of the Lord,” “an angel of the Lord,” and “the angel of the Lord.” It seems when the definite article “the” is used, it is specifying a unique being, separate from the other angels. The angel of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself with God, and exercises the responsibilities of God (Genesis 16:7-12; 21:17-18; 22:11-18; Exodus 3:2; Judges 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-24; 13:3-22; 2 Samuel 24:16; Zechariah 1:12; 3:1; 12:8). In several of these appearances, those who saw the angel of the Lord feared for their lives because they had “seen the Lord.” Therefore, it is clear that in at least some instances, the angel of the Lord is a theophany, an appearance of God in physical form.
(NOTE:all those occur AFTER the law is given.)
Angel of the Lord
Most Relevant Verses
Exodus 3:2-6
The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, "I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." read more.
Judges 2:1-2
Now the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim And he said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done?
Zechariah 3:1-2
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"
Zechariah 1:12-13
Then the angel of the LORD said, "O LORD of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?" The LORD answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words.
Judges 6:11-12
Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior."
Numbers 22:22-24
But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.
Zechariah 1:8
I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him.
Judges 13:3
Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son.
Numbers 22:35
But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you." So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.
1 Kings 19:5-7
He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, "Arise, eat." Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, "Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you."
Isaiah 63:9
In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
Judges 2:1-4
Now the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim And he said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? "Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.'" read more.
2 Samuel 24:15-16
So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough! Now relax your hand!" And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
1 Chronicles 21:14-15
So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel; 70,000 men of Israel fell. And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough; now relax your hand." And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 Kings 19:35
Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead.
Isaiah 37:36
Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead.
Psalm 35:4-6
Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on. Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
Clearly the Angel of the Lord was with Israel the whole time they wandered in the wilderness and then stayed after they found and built their home. God in the person of Christ lingered around all the events of humanity, making himself known as God's plan revealed itself.
You may ask why I'm stuck on this. I want us to see that Jesus was ALWAYS there in one form of Flesh or other since we can't REALLY claim he was in human flesh when he was the Messenger of God. We know he appeared that way. We know he clearly could have been in First or Final Flesh then, but we need to recall the only thing that we can say for sure is that he was there in some form of flesh. At the Garden, with the early civilization, at the Ark, with the Forefathers,
With the People in the wilderness. But it was even more than that for them. God was leading in the pillar of Fire and in the Cloud, hidden from their view, but there leading. Jesus was there as his angel, coaching, leading, and the Holy Spirit was on Moses and then in the chosen elders. The Trinity. the Godhead. ALL THREE were there.
And the Law. God even told them how to live, how to go, how to handle situations and they STILL BLEW IT.
Despite all the coaching, all the Law, all the presence of God, even in the leaders, Fallen Flesh, the infection of sin, still led to complaint and error and fatal mistakes. Literally killing themselves to suit their own egos. Going against God when He wanted them to move then acting when He said, "No." Still blinded by sin. Which would never be gone, no matter what they did.
Because only one person could do anything about sin and its effects.
You may ask why I'm stuck on this. I want us to see that Jesus was ALWAYS there in one form of Flesh or other since we can't REALLY claim he was in human flesh when he was the Messenger of God. We know he appeared that way. We know he clearly could have been in First or Final Flesh then, but we need to recall the only thing that we can say for sure is that he was there in some form of flesh. At the Garden, with the early civilization, at the Ark, with the Forefathers,
With the People in the wilderness. But it was even more than that for them. God was leading in the pillar of Fire and in the Cloud, hidden from their view, but there leading. Jesus was there as his angel, coaching, leading, and the Holy Spirit was on Moses and then in the chosen elders. The Trinity. the Godhead. ALL THREE were there.
And the Law. God even told them how to live, how to go, how to handle situations and they STILL BLEW IT.
Despite all the coaching, all the Law, all the presence of God, even in the leaders, Fallen Flesh, the infection of sin, still led to complaint and error and fatal mistakes. Literally killing themselves to suit their own egos. Going against God when He wanted them to move then acting when He said, "No." Still blinded by sin. Which would never be gone, no matter what they did.
Because only one person could do anything about sin and its effects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFOFymebHsk
.
https://twitter.com/persecutionind
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