The Angel of the Lord is shrouded in mystery

The Angel of the Lord is shrouded in mystery. Clearly He is a messenger of the Lord appearing according to divine assignment to deliver God’s Word concerning revelation, deliverance, or judgment.

Many consider this heavenly messenger to be a Christophany or an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ to human beings who otherwise would not have been able to look upon God and live (see Exodus 33:20).¹

^{18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was
the priest of the most high God. ¹⁹And he blessed him, and said,
Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: ²⁰And
blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.
And he gave him tithes of all. ²}

Genesis 14

Genesis 14:18 Melchizedek, whose name means "my king is righteousness," is described as "king of Salem" or "king of peace." Some identify him as king of nearby Jerusalem (see Ps. 76:2). As both priest and king, Melchizedek foreshadowed Christ (Ps. 110:4). Like Abram, Melchizedek worshiped the true God. His description (v. 18), his blessing of Abram (vv. 19–20), and his acceptance of a tithe (v. 20) have prompted some to identify this as a Christophany, an appearance of the preincarnate Christ (see Hebrews 7:1–10).³

^{1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make
thine enemies thy footstool. ²The LORD shall send the rod of thy
strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. ³Thy
people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of
holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. ⁴The
LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after
the order of Melchizedek. ⁴}

Psalm 110

^{1For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who
met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; ²To
whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King
of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; ³Without
father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor
end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. ⁴Now
consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham
gave the tenth of the spoils.⁵}

Hebrews 7

^{7And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the
wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. ⁸And he said, Hagar,
Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I
flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. ⁹And the angel of the LORD
said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
^{10And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed
exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. ¹¹And the
angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt
bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy
affliction. ¹²And he will be a wild man; his hand will be
against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the
presence of all his brethren. ¹³And she called the name of the LORD
that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked
after him that seeth me? ¹⁴Wherefore the well was called
Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.⁶}
Genesis 16
^{1And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in
the tent door in the heat of the day; ²And he lift up his eyes and
looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to
meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground.⁷}
Genesis 18

Genesis 18:1 The appearance of the Lord. Abraham took the
covenant-confirming step of circumcision. The three men could well have been God
Himself, in a theophany or Christophany (vv. 13, 33), accompanied by two angels
(Genesis 19:1).⁸}^{1And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of
Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself
with his face toward the ground; ²And he said, Behold now, my lords,
turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash
your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay;
but we will abide in the street all night. ³And he pressed upon them
greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made
them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. ⁹}

Genesis 19

²⁴And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. ²⁶And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. ²⁷And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. ²⁸And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. ²⁹And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. ³⁰And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. ³¹And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.¹⁰

Genesis 32

^{14And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon
Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s
head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵And
he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did
walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, ¹⁶The
Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named
on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a
multitude in the midst of the earth.¹¹}

Genesis 48

^{1In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. ²Above
it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face,
and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. ³And
one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts:
the whole earth is full of his glory. ⁴And the posts of the
door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. ¹²}

Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6:1 Isaiah apparently chose first to record the heart of his message and then to present his call to the prophetic ministry. This occurred circa 740 B.C. Isaiah experienced a theophany, i.e., an appearance of God, which is a temporary yet physical manifestation. The chief importance of the theophany is its revelation of God or its unfolding of a divine message, while its physical aspects are merely to enhance and authenticate the revelation. Isaiah did not see the physical form of God (John 1:18; I Timothy 6:16), but he experienced a manifestation of His glory in human form. Unlike a theophany, the "incarnation" was a permanent, visible manifestation of God in Jesus Christ. Other examples of theophanies include the appearances of the Angel of the Lord (Exodus 32:34; 33:14, 15), Moses’ confrontations with the Lord (Exodus 3:2–6; 19:18, 19; 33:23; 34:6, 7), and the visions of Jacob (Genesis 28:12–14; 32:22–30) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:26–28).¹³

^{37But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they
believed not on him: ³⁸That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be
fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath
the arm of the Lord been revealed? ³⁹Therefore they could not
believe, because that Esaias said again, ⁴⁰He hath blinded their
eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes,
nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal
them. ⁴¹These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of
him.¹⁴}

John 12

John 12:41 The passage undoubtedly refers to the magnificent vision of Isaiah (cf. Is. 6), but also to the great Suffering Servant prophecy of Is. 53 (v. 38). Again the theme is sounded: the Messiah’s glory is revealed in His suffering. Since John declares that Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus, it is certain that this vision was a Christophany, that is, a preincarnate appearance of the living Lord¹⁵

^{26And above the firmament that was over their heads was
the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the
likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above
upon it. ²⁷And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of
fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and
from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance
of fire, and it had brightness round about. ²⁸As the appearance of
the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of
the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of
the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I
heard a voice of one that spake. ¹⁶}

Ezekiel 1

^{1And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I
made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware
unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. ²And
ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down
their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? ³Wherefore
I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as
thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. ⁴And
it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the
children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. ⁵And
they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the
LORD.¹⁷}

Judges 2

^{11And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was
in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon
threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. ¹²And
the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is
with thee, thou mighty man of valour. ¹³And Gideon said unto him, Oh
my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be
all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us
up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the
hands of the Midianites. ¹⁴And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go
in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites:
have not I sent thee? ¹⁵And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith
shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am
the least in my father’s house. ¹⁶And the LORD said unto him,
Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. ¹⁷And
he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign
that thou talkest with me. ¹⁸Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I
come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And
he said, I will tarry until thou come again. ¹⁹And Gideon went in,
and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he
put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto
him under the oak, and presented it. ²⁰And the angel of God
said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon
this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. ²¹Then the angel of
the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched
the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and
consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed
out of his sight. ²²And when Gideon perceived that he was an
angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an
angel of the LORD face to face. ²³And the LORD said unto him, Peace be
unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. ²⁴Then Gideon built an altar
there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet
in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
^{25And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take
thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and
throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is
by it: ²⁶And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of
this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt
sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. ²⁷Then
Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so
it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city,
that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. ²⁸And
when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal
was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second
bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. ²⁹And they
said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked,
they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. ³⁰Then the
men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he
hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was
by it. ³¹And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye
plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to
death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for
himself, because one hath cast down his altar. ³²Therefore on
that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he
hath thrown down his altar. ¹⁸}

Judges 6
^{3And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her,
Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive,
and bear a son. ⁴Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not
wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: ⁵For,
lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head:
for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to
deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. ¹⁹}

Judges 13
^{24And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child
grew, and the LORD blessed him. ²⁵And the Spirit of the LORD began to
move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. ²⁰}

Judges 13

^{5Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man
clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: ⁶His
body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of
lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in
colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a
multitude. ⁷And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were
with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they
fled to hide themselves. ²¹}

Daniel 10

Christ and Moses

Deuteronomy 6:1. The Lord said unto Moses. Statements such as this
must indicate some type of direct revelation, either by voice or complete
Christophany. God reassured Moses with Now shalt thou see what I will do to
Pharaoh. God had made no mistakes.

2–4. I am the Lord, or Jehovah. God here announced that the
patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had known Him with relation to His mighty
greatness indicated by the phrase God Almighty (Hebrew El
Shaddai). They had not known the riches of God as Jehovah, the
name now to be associated with God’s activity in keeping His covenant
with Abraham. This is not to say that they did not know the name of Yahweh
(thought by many to be the original pronunciation of the name, Jehovah); but
they would now come to know the benefits of that name as Israel’s
covenant-keeping God. See Laird Harris, "The Pronunciation of the
Tetragram," in J. Skilton (ed.), The Law and the Prophets,
pp. 215–225. God’s gracious loving-kindness would be manifested to them
through a powerful deliverance.²²}

^{1Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to
Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand
shall he drive them out of his land. ²And God spake unto Moses, and
said unto him, I am the LORD: ³And I appeared unto Abraham,
unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name
JEHOVAH was I not known to them. ⁴And I have also established my
covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their
pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. ⁵And I have also heard the
groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I
have remembered my covenant. ⁶Wherefore say unto the children of
Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of
the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you
with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: ⁷And I will take
you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am
the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians. ⁸And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the
which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give
it you for an heritage: I am the LORD. ⁹And Moses spake so
unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of
spirit, and for cruel bondage. ²³}

Exodus 6:1-9

9–11. A covenant meal followed the sacrifices, participated in by Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. They ascended the mountain before dining. Twice it says they saw God; and His feet are mentioned, apparently indicating a Christophany, but accompanied by such glory, splendor, and brightness that the figure was enshrouded in magnificence that primarily shielded Him from their view. Upon the nobles … he laid not his hand means they were not slain, even though they saw the God of Israel. ²⁴

^{9Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the
elders of Israel: ¹⁰And they saw the God of Israel: and there was
under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the
body of heaven in his clearness. ¹¹And upon the nobles of the
children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and
drink.
^{12And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be
there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I
have written; that thou mayest teach them. ¹³And Moses rose up, and
his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. ¹⁴And
he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you:
and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to
do, let him come unto them. ¹⁵And Moses went up into the mount, and a
cloud covered the mount. ¹⁶And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount
Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto
Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷And the sight of the glory of
the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of
the children of Israel. ¹⁸And Moses went into the midst of the cloud,
and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty
nights.²⁵}

Exodus 24

18–23. But Moses desired a further, fuller knowledge of God and so
requested show me thy glory. What follows is an account of God coming
down in the form of a man to appear gloriously and visibly before Moses. But the
glory and splendor were so great that God had to shield Moses’ view with His hand,
so that Moses would not see the fuller essence of God’s glory as it shone from
His face and would only see God’s back parts. The Christophany
was to occur upon Mount Sinai the next day.

34:1–4. These verses form a parenthesis in the midst of the account of
the Christophany (appearance of Christ). Moses is to meet God again upon the
mountain (vs. 2), alone (vs. 3), and with two tables of stone like unto the
first (vs. 4). God again would give a copy of the Ten Commandments.

5–7. And the Lord descended … and stood (lit., planted
Himself), … and … passed by before him. God, the second person of the
Trinity, came down and walked before Moses, though shrouded in a glorious
brightness such as He had during the transfiguration (Matthew 17:2). Moses also
learned something of God’s attributes especially His mercy and
forgiveness, as well as His holiness, righteousness, and judgment.

8–9. As a result, Moses bowed his head toward the earth, and
worshiped before the Lord. God was personally present as He communicated
verbally to Moses.²⁶

1Dorothy Kelley Patterson, general editor; Rhonda Harrington Kelley, managing
editor, Woman’s study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library
System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1995.
2The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
3Dorothy Kelley Patterson, general editor; Rhonda Harrington Kelley, managing
editor, Woman’s study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library
System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1995.
4The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
5The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
6The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
7The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
8Dorothy Kelley Patterson, general editor; Rhonda Harrington Kelley, managing
editor, Woman’s study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library
System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1995.
9The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
10The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
11The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
2The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
3W.A. Criswell, Believer’s study Bible [computer file], electronic ed. ,
Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1991 by the
Criswell Center for Biblical Studies.
14The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
15W. A. Criswell, Believer’s study Bible [computer file], electronic ed.
, Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1991 by the
Criswell Center for Biblical Studies.
16The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
17The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
18The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
19The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
20The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
21The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
22Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll
Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic
ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1994.
23The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
24Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll
Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic
ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1994.
25The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
26Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll
Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic
ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1994.}