THE ANGEL OF THE LORD
OT:4397 Ea*l=m^ mal'ak (mal-awk'); from an unused root meaning to dispatch as a deputy; a messenger; specifically, of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher):KJV - ambassador, angel, king, messenger.
In the Old Testament you may have noticed depending on which bible you use, that sometimes angel of the Lord is spelled with a capitol A - Angel of the Lord.
When this occurs it is because there is a differentiation to illuminate that Who is being spoken about is Jesus in His pre-incarnate state. I found the Amplified bible is more accurate than my NKJV in delineating which is Angel of the Lord vs angel.
When it is Angel the Word is as above Mal'ak Yahweh, but when it is angel it is uwmalak or et malak Yahweh it seems.
This is the first in a series I felt led to do concerning angels as there is a dangerous practice of worshipping angels that is shown wrong in the book of Hebrews because they are ministering spirits to help us,& created beings. The Creator is alone worthy of all worship & praise.
Heb 1:4-8 AMP [Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, You are My Son, today I have begotten You [established You in an official Son-ship relation, with kingly dignity]? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son? [2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7.] 6 Moreover, when He brings the firstborn Son again into the habitable world, He says, Let all the angels of God worship Him. 7 Referring to the angels He says, [God] Who makes His angels winds and His ministering servants flames of fire; [Ps 104:4.] 8 But as to the Son, He says to Him, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever (to the ages of the ages), and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of absolute righteousness (of justice and straightforwardness).
Heb 1:13-14 AMP
13 Besides, to which of the angels has He ever said, Sit at My right hand [associated with Me in My royal dignity] till I make your enemies a stool for your feet? [Ps 110:1.] 14 Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?
It seems that some had given themselves over to getting too focused on angels in that time, and just as then, there is much of that now. I do believe that we are seeing more in the spirit in this hour - orbs, demonic angels as well as heavenly angels, and signs because the battle of all time is at hand, and heaven is invading earth before the great and terrible Day of the LORD. So I know there is an escalation of angelic activity in the earth, just as at the time of Jesus' birth right now. And we need to know what is right and wrong in assessing experiences that people are having. Even saying this sounds foolish, because certainly, not all is contained in the bible about heavenly things, and there is much we don't understand. But one thing we must avoid is IDOLATRY in any form to angels or any other "beings". God did not say He sends BEINGS to help us, but angels.
So lets look at the Angel of the Lord experiences in the bible FIRST to see what we can learn. Recently I heard a teacher say that we don't or shouldn't even talk to angels, but that isn't right because as I reread passages of scripture, many talked to angels back and forth. And if we are to test their loyalty [test the spirits] then we must talk to them, to get an answer for if they believe Jesus came in the flesh at the very least.
We also know that the scriptures say that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. This was seen by a young friend of mine when we were praying for someone who was supposedly an ex Satanist, and while praying she was looking up at something, and I thought maybe it was the Lord, & it looked like Jesus Tim [ a young man helping] said, except then he noticed hooves under the garment. We cannot ASSUME every vision, dream or encounter is from the GOD of all gods. The greatest deception of all is to think we cannot be deceived as Jack Deere once said.
The first encounter in the Bible is in Genesis 16, the story of Hagar's encounter
With the Angel of the Lord while fleeing Sarai.
Gen 16:5-14 NKJV
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me." 6 So Abram said to Sarai, "Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please." And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence. 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 And He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai."
9 The Angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand." 10 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude." 11 And the Angel of the Lord said to her: "Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has heard your affliction. 12 He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." 13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"
Now Ishmael means God Who hears, and the Angel gives her a promise that I WILL multiply your descendents exceedingly, to a multitude of people, and he also tells her
He will be a wild man, his hand against every man. Well that certainly happened didn't it ? But we see Him saying I WILL MULTIPLY your descendents. And She refers to Him thereafter as the El Roi - the God Who sees. I'm sure that despite this it was difficult for Hagar to return to a mistress who was set against her. But then she had been proud, and despised Sarai after agreeing to have the child for her. Yet God is merciful to her in this situation. He saw her problem, even one she is likely to have caused with her attitude. How loving God is even to us when we are not walking in truth ! [ Note it says NOTHING about how he looked, where he stood, or anything that could identify Him.]
Then again in Genesis is the encounter Abraham had, when he obeyed God and was going to slay Isaac, on the altar…
Gen 22:10-18 AMP
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took hold of the knife to slay his son. [Heb 11:17-19.] 11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! He answered, Here I am. 12 And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear and revere God, since you have not held back from Me or begrudged giving Me your son, your only son.
13 Then Abraham looked up and glanced around, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering and an ascending sacrifice instead of his son! 14 So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide. And it is said to this day, On the mount of the Lord it will be provided. 15 The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time
16 And said, I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that since you have done this and have not withheld [from Me] or begrudged [giving Me] your son, your only son,
17 In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies, [Heb 6:13,14; 11:12.] 18 And in your Seed [Christ] shall all the nations of the earth be blessed and [by Him] bless themselves, because you have heard and obeyed My voice. [Gen 12:2-3; 13:16; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Acts 3:25,26; Gal 3:16.]
Now this time the Angel SPEAKS FROM HEAVEN !!! So again we have no description and it is only by the Words He speaks that we know Who it must be. Because He says, because he obeyed HIM and didn't withhold his son. Angels don't demand sacrifices to themselves unless they are demons.
The next encounter is when Jacob wrestled :
Gen 32:24-32 AMP
24 And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak.
25 And when [the Man] saw that He did not prevail against [Jacob], He touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him.
26 Then He said, Let Me go, for day is breaking. But [Jacob] said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me. 27 [The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]! 28 And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed. [Hos 12:3-4.] 29 Then Jacob asked Him, Tell me, I pray You, what [in contrast] is Your name? But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And [the Angel of God declared] a blessing on [Jacob] there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God], saying, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is spared and not snatched away. 31 And as he passed Penuel [Peniel], the sun rose upon him, and he was limping because of his thigh.
Here the Angel of the Lord appears as a MAN. So He had form, though he is not really described. He TOUCHED his thigh it says. It doesn't say he STRUCK his thigh.
And Jacob limped from then on. That's why Jews would not eat the muscle of the hip of the lamb, to remember Jacob's struggle.
Also when Jacob asks His name, HE says, WHY do you ask My name. In other passages about angels, they sometimes reveal their names. But here, HE TOUCHED his hip and it shrunk the muscle so he limped forever after that. Then we see that
After that, Jacob calls that place Peniel which means FACE OF GOD. And he is relieved realizing what he did that he was not killed !
Any ANGEL or Yeshua could have easily won that battle. So there is much more to the story than meets the eye. But right now we're focusing on Angel appearances.
This just actually repeats, confirms what is spoken in Genesis about Jacob.
Hos 12:3-4 AMP
3 He took his brother by the heel in [their mother's] womb, and in the strength [of his manhood] he contended and had power with God. [Gen 25:26; 27:36.] 4 Yes, he had power over the Angel [of the Lord] and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor. He met Him in Bethel, and there [God] spoke with [him and through him with] us - [Gen 28:12-19; 32:28; 35:1-15.]
Ex 14:15-22 GENEVA Version
15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore cryest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 16 And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the Sea and divide it, and let the children of Israel go on dry ground through the midst of the Sea. 17 And I, behold, I will harden the heart of the Egyptians, that they may follow them, and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 19 (And the Angel of God, which went before the host of Israel, removed, and went behind them: also the pillar of the cloud went from before them, and stood behind them, 20 And came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel: it was both a cloud and darkness, yet gave it light by night, so that all the night long the one came not at the other.)
21 And Moses stretched forth his hand upon the Sea, and the Lord caused the Sea to run back by a strong East wind all the night, and made the Sea dry land: for the waters were divided. 22 Then the children of Israel went through the midst of the Sea upon the dry ground, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left hand.
When we see this scripture it should make us very aware of the Lord's presence with us when we go through hardships and trials. Here the LORD HIMSELF was with them. But again there is no description save that He was Himself in the form perhaps of the pillar of fire, and the cloud by day ?
This one is so obviously the LORD so I won't comment. HE is the ALL CONSUMING FIRE.
Ex 3:1-4 KJV
3 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
NOW we come to Numbers:
Num 22:21-35 NIV
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" 29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." 30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. 32 The angel of the Lord asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her." 34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back." 35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
In the NKJV the above Angel of the LORD is capitalized. The LORD HIMSELF was appearing to Balaam, and look how merciful the Lord was to him ! He has a sword with which He was going to kill him, but HE relented after the donkey maneuvered away from HIM. Balak was very blessed to keep his life, and the Lord admonishes him to ONLY SPEAK WHAT HE TELLS HIM.
Now there is an encounter for Joshua…
Josh 5:13-15 KJV
13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
Now here we get a bit more. The Lord again has a sword, but declares Himself as CAPTAIN of the HOST of heaven. There is ONE Who holds that role. Yeshua. And Joshua's response tells us much. He fell on his face to WORSHIP. The Lord tells him what He said to Moses from the burning bush - to take off his shoes…he was on HOLY GROUND. For the LORD IS HOLY. And where HE is, the ground is HOLY.
Judg 2:1-6 NKJV Israel's Disobedience
2 Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: "I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you. 2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.'" 4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 Then they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the Lord. 6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.
Bochim means "weepers". Here again we see Yeshua in His precarnate state coming to Israel to convict them of not carrying out His instructions. Again no description, just dialogue.
Forward a few more chapters and again the Angel of the Lord appears to Gideon:
Judg 6:11-24 NKJV
Gideon
11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
13 Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" 15 So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." 16 And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man."
17 Gideon said to Him, If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You Who talks with me. 18 Do not leave here, I pray You, until I return to You and bring my offering and set it before You. And He said, I will wait until you return. 19 Then Gideon went in and prepared a kid and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them to Him under the oak and presented them. 20 And the Angel of God said to him, Take the meat and unleavened cakes and lay them on this rock and pour the broth over them. And he did so. 21 Then the Angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes, and there flared up fire from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 22 And when Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face! 23 The Lord said to him, Peace be to you, do not fear; you shall not die.
24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord is Peace. To this day it still stands in Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
When the Lord appears to Gideon, Gideon does not see him but as an ordinary man in appearance, it would seem…though it had to be supernatural for Him to just show up where he was hiding. So He must have appeared as a man. But when HE touched the unleavened cakes and meat with his staff and FIRE consumed them and HE disappeared, then Gideon gets the picture so to speak. He built an altar and called it Jehovah SHALOM. So in this you don't see fear, except when he realizes he's been talking to God. Then he was afraid of dying. And God tells him PEACE TO YOU, you shall not die ! Hallelujah. I'm sure that was such a relief to Gideon.
In this story of Samson, we see Him again…
Judges 13:1-24 NKJV
The Birth of Samson
1 Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. 2 Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. 5 For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."
6 So the woman came and told her husband, saying, "A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name. 7 And He said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'"
Well in this one, we get that HE looked like a man, but his countenance was not like an ordinary man, but she describes him as VERY AWESOME..like an ANGEL of GOD.
8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, and said, "O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born." 9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, "Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!" 11 So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, "Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?" And He said, "I am."
12 Manoah said, "Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy's rule of life, and his work?" 13 So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. 14 She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe." 15 Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, "Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You." 16 And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord." (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.)
17 Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, "What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?" 18 And the Angel of the Lord said to him,"Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?" 19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on - 20 it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar - the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. 21 When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord. 22 And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God!" 23 But his wife said to him, "If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time." 24 So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.
So surrounding the birth of Samson are these visits from the Lord Himself to Samson's mother & father. And we see that He was awesome in countenance, and like Gideon, He did the disappearing in the FIRE sign as they offered sacrifice. This seems to be one major sign that it's not just an angel, but THE ANGEL of the LORD.
Now He again appears in relationship to ELIJAH…
1 Kings 19:1-13 AMP
1 AHAB TOLD Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow. 3 Then he was afraid and arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba of Judah [over eighty miles, and out of Jezebel's realm] and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a lone broom or juniper tree and asked that he might die. He said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers.
5 As he lay asleep under the broom or juniper tree, behold, an angel touched him and said to him, Arise and eat. 6 He looked, and behold, there was a cake baked on the coals, and a bottle of water at his head. And he ate and drank and lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came the second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you. 8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
WHEN YOU CAN GO 40 DAYS AND NIGHTS ON THE STRENGTH OF ONE MEAL,
YOU KNOW THAT IS SUPERNATURAL ! The Word of God says that the Lord God of Israel gives STRENGTH & POWER to His people. Personally, I need that king of TOUCH ! [ Psalm 68:35 ]
9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? 10 He replied, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 11 And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice. 13 When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?
OK, This time it says Malak Yahweh, but none of the versions say it is Jesus, yet it has the same Hebrew notation as when Jesus appeared to others. So I'm not sure it was Jesus in His preincarnate state. But we see the LORD's provision and strengthening and intervention in Elijah's life that is such a famous verse of scripture
To us all, and we can see the tenderness of the LORD in all of this to His prophets.
2 Kings 1:12-17a AMP
12 And Elijah answered, If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 13 Ahaziah sent again a captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and fell on his knees before Elijah and besought him and said to him, O man of God, I pray you, let my life and the lives of these fifty, your servants, be precious in your sight. 14 Behold, fire came down from heaven and burned up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties. Therefore let my life now be precious in your sight.
15 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, Go down with him; do not be afraid of him. So he arose and went with him to the king. 16 Elijah said to [King] Ahaziah, Thus says the Lord: Since you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel of Whom to inquire His word? Therefore you shall not leave the bed on which you lie, but shall surely die. 17 So Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken.
In the Geneva Bible Version angel of the Lord is capitalized signifying it is Jesus in His preincarnate state speaking to Elijah. And He has given him power to bring down fire from heaven and to curse Ahaziah, a satan worshipper. This is no small thing. And again we see Elijah visited by the Lord Himself to strengthen him. Facing the enemy had become a way of life for Elijah and for us it is the same. We need the confidence that the Lord will FIGHT FOR US in such situations. He told me once after watching a movie, where there was fighting with evil, that HE would fight side by side with His bride in this last war of the ages.
Now to a sobering text of scripture where David encounters the Lord of Hosts:
1 Chron 21:16-20 GENEVA
16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the Angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand and stretched out toward Jerusalem. Then David and the Elders of Israel which were clothed in sack, fell upon their faces.
17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded to number the people? It is even I that have sinned and have committed evil, but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord my God, I beseech thee, let thine hand be on me and on my father's house, and not on thy people for their destruction.
18 Then the Angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 So David went up according to the saying of Gad, which he had spoken in the Name of the Lord. 20 And Ornan turned about and saw the Angel, and his four sons that were with him, hid themselves, and Ornan threshed wheat…
28 At that time when David saw that the Lord had heard him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. 29 (But the Tabernacle of the Lord which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that season in the high place at Gibeon. 30 And David could not go before it to ask counsel at God: for he was afraid of the sword of the Angel of the Lord.)
Here we see that the Angel of the Lord appearing to David and Ornan and his sons is so fearsome that his sons hid, and DAVID who would go inside the Holy of Holies, would not even go to ask counsel of God because he was AFRAID of the sword of the ANGEL of the Lord. So indeed he was very fearsome to behold. This was not Him appearing as a man, but in glory perhaps.
THIS IS A POWERFUL SCRIPTURE FOR US:
Ps 34:7 The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers. [Ps 18:1; 145:20.] AMP
THIS SCRIPTURE MAKES IT OBVIOUS THAT THE LORD HIMSELF IS ALSO INVOLVED IN JUDGEMENTS.
Ps 35:5-7 AMP
5 Let them be as chaff before the wind, with the Angel of the Lord driving them on!
6 Let their way be through dark and slippery places, with the Angel of the Lord pursuing and afflicting them. 7 For without cause they hid for me their net; a pit of destruction without cause they dug for my life.
AGAIN, THIS SCRIPTURE SHOWS YESHUA INVOLVED IN JUDGMENT. SO THOSE WHO SAY GOD DOESN'T JUDGE ARE IN GREAT ERROR.
Isa 37:35-36 AMP
35 For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David. 36 And the Angel of the Lord went forth, and slew 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when [the living] arose early in the morning, behold, all these were dead bodies. [2 Kings 19:35.]
AND JUST AS HE BRINGS JUDGMENT, HE ALSO IS THE AUTHOR OF SALVATION AND DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL.
Isa 63:9-10 AMP
9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. [Ex 23:20-23; 33:14-15; Deut 1:31; 32:10-12.] 10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to become their enemy and Himself fought against them.
Same scripture in Geneva Bible
Isa 63:9-10 GENEVA
9 In all their troubles he was troubled, and the Angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his mercy he redeemed them, and he bare them and carried them always continually. 10 But they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore was he turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.
JESUS HIMSELF WILL FIGHT AGAINST US IF WE TURN FROM HIM !
NOW WE LOOK AT THE LAST BOOK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Zech 1:8-15 AMP
8 I saw in the night [vision] and behold, a Man riding upon a red horse, and He stood among the myrtle trees that were in a low valley or bottom, and behind Him there were horses, red, bay or flame-colored, and white. 9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel who talked with me said, I will show you what these are.
10 And the Man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro through the earth and patrol it. 11 And the men on the horses answered the Angel of the Lord Who stood among the myrtle trees and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth [patrolling it] and behold, all the earth sits at rest [in peaceful security].
12 Then the Angel of the Lord said, O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy and lovingkindness for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which You have had indignation these seventy years [of the Babylonian captivity]? 13 And the Lord answered the angel who talked with me with gracious and comforting words. 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. 15 And I am very angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was but a little displeased, they helped forward the affliction and disaster.
HERE WE HAVE ANGELS AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD - YESHUA. NOTE IT CAPITALIZES Man IN THE TREES WHICH IS HE. AND THE OTHER ANGELS ARE WITH HIM TO BATTLE. The scriptures themselves say the MAN in the myrtle trees is the ANGEL of the LORD. This must have been quite an experience for Zechariah !
But HE speaks to Zechariah with comforting words, as is His nature, but also to CRY OUT, and guides him in what to pray !
NOW IN ZECHARIAH 3 WE SEE SOMETHING AMAZING:
Zech 3:1-9 AMP
1 THEN [the guiding angel] showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at Joshua's right hand to be his adversary and to accuse him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! Even the Lord, Who [now and habitually] chooses Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this [returned captive Joshua] a brand plucked out of the fire? [Jude.] 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before the Angel [of the Lord]. 4 And He spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And He said to [Joshua], Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich apparel.
5 And I [Zechariah] said, Let them put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with [rich] garments. And the Angel of the Lord stood by. 6 And the Angel of the Lord [solemnly and earnestly] protested and affirmed to Joshua, saying, 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in My ways and keep My charge, then also you shall rule My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you access [to My presence] and places to walk among these who stand here.
8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues who [usually] sit before you - for they are men who are a sign or omen [types of what is to come] - for behold, I will bring forth My servant the Branch. [Isa 4:2; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 6:12.] 9 For behold, upon the stone which I have set before Joshua, upon that one stone are seven eyes or facets [the all-embracing providence of God and the sevenfold radiations of the Spirit of God]. Behold, I will carve upon it its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity and guilt of this land in a single day. [2 Chron 16:9; Jer 50:20; Zech 4:10.]
WOW, WOW, WOW ! SO THIS IS VERY SYMBOLIC, AND RELATES TO THE TIMES WE ARE IN. THE HIGH PRIEST [ WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE PRIESTS OF THE LORD - A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD AS IT SAYS IN PETER ] AND THE ENEMY, SATAN IS STANDING AGAINST HIM ACCUSING. BUT THE LORD SAYS TO PUT CLEAN GARMENTS ON HIM. HE SEES HIS CLOTHES ARE FILTHY - THIS IS THE CHURCH TODAY. BUT THE LORD COMMANDS ANGELS TO CLOTHE HIM IN FINE LINEN. THEN TELLS HIM:
"If you will walk in My ways and keep My charge, then also you shall rule My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you access [to My presence] and places to walk among these who stand here."
THEN HE SAYS HE'LL BRING MY SERVANT THE BRANCH WHO IS YESHUA HIMSELF, AND THEN UPON THE ROCK HE'S SET BEFORE JOSHUA…ALSO A TYPE OF CHRIST WHO IS OUR ROCK OF SALVATION WILL HE POUR OUT THE 7 FOLD SPIRIT OF GOD
[the sevenfold radiations of the Spirit of God]
AND THEN HE SAYS, I WILL REMOVE YOUR INIQUITY IN A DAY SPEAKING TO ISRAEL !!! NOW THAT IS AWAKENING IN THE HEARTS OF MAN.
NOW IN THIS LAST PASSAGE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT WE SEE THE PROMISE OF THE ANGEL OF THE LORD BEING IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. IT IS A PROMISE TO ISRAEL & JERUSALEM THAT THE ANGEL OF THE LORD WILL NOT ONLY APPEAR TO THEM, BUT FIGHT FOR THEM.
AND HE PROMISES GREAT GRACE & COMPASSION TO BE POURED OUT.
THAT THEY WILL SEE HIM & MOURN.
Zech 12:8-10 GENEVA
8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he that is feeble among them, in that day shall be as David: and the house of David shall be as God's house, and as the Angel of the Lord before them. 9 And in that day will I seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of compassion, and they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they shall lament for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and be sorry for him as one is sorry for his firstborn.
WE CAN SEE THAT IN THE OUTPOURING NOW, GREAT GRACE AND COMPASSION OF THE LORD HEALING PEOPLE WITH RODS IN THEIR BACK OR OTHERS WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH TERRIBLE SUFFERING AND AFFLICTION.
DO NOT LIMIT GOD AND REMEMBER ALL THESE PROMISES !
