When God Showed Up—Who Was It That Showed Up? (Part 2 of 2)

When God Showed Up—Who Was It That Showed Up? (Part 2 of 2)

Who was the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament?

Jude tells us that the Angel of the Exodus deliverance and judgment was actually Jesus. Stephen, in the Book of Acts, clearly preaches that it was Jesus who gave Moses the law and spoke through the burning bush.

Some theologians, however, see The Angel of the Lord as just another created angel that represents God so closely that the lines become blurred to the human observer. Other scholars and pastors, though, view these encounters strictly as pre-incarnate appearances of Christ.

The fact of the matter is that in the Old Testament, the Angel of the Lord often has God’s name. In Exodus 23:21, the Angel speaks as God in the first person and accepts worship—traits not typical of created angels—and God explicitly says that “My name is in him.”

Now, we know that the New Testament tells us all these things about Jesus:

• Christ is The Eternal Word

• Christ is the Image of the Invisible God

• Christ is the One who reveals the Father

In my opinion—based on a careful reading of Scripture, patterns in the text and the weight of historical conservative Christian interpretation—the appearances of the Angel of the Lord are best understood as pre-incarnate appearances of Christ. These are God-initiated encounters, where the divine breaks into human history unprompted, revealing God’s character and holy nature.

Now, here’s why this matters. In other words, this is why I’ve spent two days on this subject. It means that:

• Jesus did not begin at Christmas—He has always been active.

• The God of the Old Testament is not different from the God of the New.

• God has always been a God of relationship first.

• Christ is present throughout the whole story of Scripture.

Or said simply, the Angel of the Lord shows us that Jesus has always been the One who comes near. He is the One who shows up.