The Angel of Death
John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. These are the first verses in the Gospel of John the third book of the Testament and a biography of Jesus Christ.
But who is this Jesus? Did He suddenly appear in the first century out of the wishful thinking and imaginations of a rag-tag band of malcontents weary with the oppressive rule of the Romans? Is He a product of religious fancy and wishful thinking?
No, I think not, we see him at the very beginning of the Bible, but he is called by a different name. We see numerous references to the "Angel of the Lord" in the Bible but his is not an Angel presa only a reference to a pre-incarnate appearance in the Old Testament of the second person of the Trinity Jesus Christ. This is called a "Theophany". Which simply means an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament before the “Incarnation”
Okay to farther our word study just what does the word “Incarnation” mean? It is taken from the Latin word caro, or “flesh”. This refers to the moment when God and mankind were united in the womb of a virgin and Christ was conceived. The Word (Christ, the second person of the Trinity) was made flesh. We believe that the Word i.e, Christ the second person of the God-head or Trinity, preexisted the God/Man Jesus Christ. This is clearly laid out in Philippians 2:6-8 "Though he was God he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross". Christ set aside his place in the in the God head and became a human. In order to redeem fallen man.
When we see "The Angel of the Lord." mentioned in Scripture we believe we are seeing a record of a Old Testament appearance of Jesus. This can be simply suggested in some places but it is clearly shown in others. We see it first in Genesis 16:
“7 Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 9 Then the angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.” 10 Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” (A regular Angel cannot give life, only God can do that, Deu 32:39)11 The angel of the LORD said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction. 12 “He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.” (He knew she was with pregnant with son, and what he would be like). 13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, (Here it is stated very plainly the entity who spoke to her who was the Lord Himself.) “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.” (Notice that Hagar refers to the Angel as "God" is surprised to still be alive after she had seen Him! Indeed, the word Beer-lahai-roi means, “well of the Living One seeing me.”
We see it again in Genesis 22:
“1 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
12 He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”(Abraham wasn't offering his son to an angel, but to God). 15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (We see Angel of the Lord is also God). In vs. 15 and 16, we quote the Angel of the Lord as saying “by Myself…declares the Lord.” It’s plain that the Angel of the Lord and God are the same.
Next, consider Exodus 3:
“1 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 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. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord (the Lord and not an angel) saw that he turned aside to look, God (Not an angel)called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” (Plainly over and over we see that the Scripture is referring to God). Verse 6 tells us just who He is and Moses clearly understands and just like Hagar in the verse above He is fearful to look at God.
There are many scriptures that refer to the "Angel of the Lord" and we feel like we know who he is. But how can we recognize if the appearance is a Theophany? How dp we figure out who this is?
It is difficult for our poor minds to understand but there is one God Jehovah who exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three yet somehow one. In John 6: 46, Jesus tells us, “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.” From this we can deduce that if no one has seen the Father and some people did see the have seen the "Angel of the Lord" this person is not the Father. We also understand that the Holy Spirit doesn't take human form and very seldom takes any form at all. We did see him as a dove in (Matthew 3:16) and tongues of fire in (Acts 2:3-4) but never as a human. So it is unlikely the "Angel of the Lord" was the Holy Spirit. So through the process of elimination alone we can suppose that the "Angel of The Lord" on the Old Testament is Jesus Christ. Spoken of b Paul in Colossians as the "image of the invisible God" in Colossians:
Col. 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Col. 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Col. 1:17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Col. 1:18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Col. 1:19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
Col. 1:20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
The Angel of the Lord never appears mostly the Old Testament, Regular Angels are mentioned but are not spoken of as “the” Angel of the Lord. There was no longer any need once he took on flesh as a man.
Finally, it's interesting to consider that the word “angel” means messenger. A messenger is one who is sent from someone else to deliver a message, and of course, Jesus fits this perfectly. He says in John 8:18, “I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” Just as He was sent as Jesus, so also was He sent him as the "Angel of the Lord". Based scriptural evidence, we conclude that the "Angel of the Lord" seen in the Old Testament is a pre-incarnate appearance of our Lord Jesus .
The "Angel of the Lord" can bring death.
In 2 Samuel 24:15-16, the destroying angel kills the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In I Chronicles 21:15, the same "Angel of the Lord" is seen by David to stand "between the earth and the heaven, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out against Hebrews's enemies". Later, in II Kings 19:35, the angel kills 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
Isaiah 37. 35 Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.
“The angel of the Lord, when destroying the first-born of the Egyptians, would pass over the houses marked by the blood of the lamb,” according to the Matthew Henry commentary. We see this term “angel of the Lord” frequently in the Old Testament, and in some translations of Exodus 12, it just says “the Lord.” For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. Exodus 12:23
New International Version
At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Exodus 12:29
Revelation 19:13, NIV: "He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God."
Revelation 19:13, ESV: "He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God."
Revelation 19:13, KJV: "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."
Revelation 19:13, NASB: "He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God."
Revelation 19:13, NLT: "He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God."
Jesus has returned, this time as a conquering King and the unquestioned Lord of lords. John observes that Jesus' robe was dipped in blood. This is not a reference to the blood He shed on the cross for our sins. Rather, given the military context of this vision, it is the blood of his enemies. Isaiah 63:2–3 prophesies this event with a question and an answer. Verse 2 asks: "Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress?" Verse 3 provides the answer: "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel."
At His first coming Jesus filled the role of the Lamb of God and shed His blood for our sins. At His second coming He will fill the role of the Lion of the tribe of Judah and devour His enemies because of their sins. As He roars against His foes, another of His names is prominent: "the Word of God." This title clearly identifies the rider on a white horse here as Jesus, who came to earth the first time as God in the flesh but was rejected by the world (John 1:1–2, 10–11, 14).
Context Summary
Revelation 19:11–21 presents one of Scripture's most spectacular moments of victory: the second coming of Jesus Christ. In this event, Christ returns to earth at the close of the tribulation. At His first coming to earth, Jesus appeared as a baby and sacrificial Savior. This time, He arrives as King of kings and Lord of lords. Many prior Scriptures prophesied this epic day of victory (Matthew 25; Zechariah 14:1–4; 2 Thessalonians 2:7–12; Hebrews 9:27–28; Jude 1:14–15). Christ arrives in a blaze of glory, obliterating His enemies single-handedly, at the head of the armies of heaven. The Antichrist and False Prophet become the first two cast into the lake of fire, ushering in the beginning of Christ's millennial reign on earth.
Chapter Summary
Revelation 19 begins with a multitude in heaven singing a doxology to God. He is praised for judging religious Babylon and avenging the martyrs. They are joined by the twenty-four elders (Revelation 4). Voices cry out joyfully that the Lord reigns and the marriage supper of the Lamb is ready. Then, John sees heaven open and observes Jesus—now coming as the glorious and invincible King of kings and Lord of lords—as He descends from heaven to execute judgment. The armies of earth gather to battle the Lord. The battle concludes with the Antichrist and False Prophet being thrown into the lake of fire and the graphic slaughter of their followers.
Exodus 12:23
For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.
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.
Revelation 6:4-And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.
Exodus 12:29-Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle.
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.
Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Angel-Of-Death
Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Angel-Of-Death