Let’s continue to explore the nature of the Angel of the LORD in the Old Testament. This so called “Angel” was actually Jesus in the divine nature. Does the Bible make that clear? We think so.

The One Who Was at Creation

When Manoah, the father of Samson, said ‘We have seen God!’ Manoah was affirming that he and his wife had seen the Angel of Yahweh—the One who was with God in the Beginning. They saw the One to whom God said ‘Let us make man in our image’ (Genesis 1:26). They saw the Being who God had brought forth before the Creation—the One who God established from Time Immemorial. They saw the Being who God possessed from as far back as Everlasting—before the Earth was formed!

The LORD possessed me at the Beginning of his way, before his works of old. I have been established from Everlasting, from the Beginning, before there was ever an Earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth. When there were no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth (Proverbs 8:22-25; NKJV).

Yes, that couple, Samson’s parents, knew that they were speaking to the One who was with God when God created the heavens and the Earth, the sea and the sky. The One who was with the One God was God—in other words, he was divine. But you must be clear on this point: To call him God does not mean that he was the One God. It means that he was in close fellowship with the One True God. It means that this One—the Angel of the LORD—had the divine nature.

How else could Jesus have created all things, unless he had the divine nature?

While as yet he [the One God] had not made the Earth, or the fields, or the primal dust of the World. When he prepared the heavens, I was there. When he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit so that the waters would not transgress his command—when he marked out the foundations of the Earth (Proverbs 8:26-29; NKJV).

This same Angel of the LORD, the Messenger of Yahweh who Samson’s parents saw, was present at the Creation of the Universe! Jesus was there with the One God at Creation when God drew a circle over the surface of the deep and marked out the Earth’s core.

So, when Manoah said ‘We have seen God!’ Manoah affirmed that he and his wife had seen the One who was with God in the Beginning. He saw the One who was at God’s right hand at Creation. He saw the One who was the Universe’s Master Craftsman.

Manoah and his wife saw the One in whom God delighted every day during the Creation events, and who rejoiced in God’s presence. They saw Jesus—who to this day makes human beings his most precious prize. It’s true that we (as the sons and daughters of Eve) are Jesus’ delight!

Then I was beside him as a master craftsman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in his inhabited World. And my delight was with the sons of men (Proverbs 8:30-31; NKJV).

New Testament Confirmation

Again, why did Jews like Manoah and his wife, or like Gideon, have so much reverence for the Angel of the LORD? Why did they think they would die if they saw him face-to-face? Basically because they knew that the Angel of the LORD had the divine nature—they knew that he was God! It’s scary to meet someone who wields so much power and authority.

Now, for those of us who live in the 21st century, it’s our turn to recognize this same truth: that Jesus had another nature before he took on the human nature of sin. Jesus had the divine nature before he came to us through a virgin girl from Nazareth. Doesn’t the New Testament affirm that Jesus had the divine nature prior to the incarnation?

Here are three passages from the Christian Scriptures that uphold this truth:

In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the [One] God, and the Word was God. He was with the [One] God in the Beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:1-3).

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn over all Creation. For in him all things were created: things in Heaven and on Earth… all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:15-16).

Christ Jesus who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage… (Philippians 2:5b-6)

Yes, Jesus had the divine nature before he came to us in the human nature. He was called the Angel of the LORD, but don’t let that throw you off. Don’t let his name Angel of the LORD confuse you. It does not mean that he had the angelic nature. It means that he was a Messenger. Angel means messenger. 

Angel is not a description of Jesus’ pre-incarnation nature. It’s a title. It’s a description of his function, not his nature. He brought God’s message to mankind by acting as God’s special envoy, so they called him Angel.

Prior to the incarnation, Jesus’ nature was divine! He was in very nature God. He had equality with God. He was the Firstborn over all Creation because he had created all things in the Beginning when he not only was with the One God, but he was God! These are the things the New Testament says about the pre-incarnate Christ.

Wrestling With the Question

So, we’ve studied how Jesus is called an angel in the Bible, and we have proven that he had the divine nature. We now understand that this name Angel didn’t mean that Jesus had the angelic nature.

But even if he did have the angelic nature, what shame would there be in that? Didn’t Jesus stoop much lower and take on the human nature? Isn’t the human nature of sin lower than the angelic nature? Jesus is willing to take on any challenge in order to fulfill the will of God!

But the point is that we all have to wrestle with our understanding of who this Angel of the LORD was. And, in the same vein, we must wrestle with the question of who the Angel of the LORD’s Presence was (Isaiah 63:8)! We’ll get to that shortly. But be aware that Jesus was not the only divine Being called God’s Angel in the Old Testament.

The big question regarding the two divine Beings called God’s Angels is “Who were they?” We have to ask “Who are these two Messengers with the divine nature?” The Old Testament saints were particularly concerned about solving the mystery of the Angel of the LORD. The question of who he was burned in their hearts. Has that question burned in your heart?

Jacob’s Burning Question

This question of who the Angel of the LORD was burned in Jacob’s heart. Jacob dealt with the mystery of the Angel of the LORD firsthand. He literally wrestled with the very man himself to try to figure out who the man-Angel was!

Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’

But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’

The man asked him, ‘What is your name?’

‘Jacob,’ he answered.

Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.’

Jacob said, ‘Please tell me your name.’

But he replied, ‘Why do you ask my name?’ Then he blessed him there.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared’ (Genesis 32:24-30).

As this passage testifies, Old Testament believers yearned to get the revelation of who the Angel of the LORD was. They asked him what his name was. They asked because they didn’t know his identity.

You know his name now, but they didn’t know it then. You know that his name is Jesus—but did you know that the struggle to realize who that Being in the Old Testament was is called the mystery of the Christ? It is.

Who has established all the ends of the Earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his Son? Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4) – [note the use of sarcasm in Agur’s voice]

… [Jesus said to the Apostles] blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it (Matthew 13:16-17).

Now to Him who is able to establish you in accordance with my Gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the Eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith—to the Only Wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen (Romans 16:25-27).

Well, congratulations! You know who that Angel of the LORD was. You know him by name. His name is Jesus. What Manoah did not understand, you now understand—because the mystery of Christ was not revealed in the times of Manoah. Rather, it was revealed when God resurrected Jesus 2000 years ago. At his resurrection, the mystery of the Christ was revealed.

… let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36; NKJV).

You are very blessed to live in the times that follow Jesus’ resurrection. We are part of a chosen generation. We are very fortunate! The blindness that covered the eyes of the Gentiles for thousands of years has been taken away. And the blindness that covered the eyes of the Jews when they crucified Jesus will also be lifted once they look up and see him coming in the clouds.

The Angel of Yahweh’s Presence

Now that we know why Jesus was called the Angel of Yahweh, let’s consider why the Holy Spirit is also called an angel. In one passage of Scripture, the Holy Spirit is called the Angel of Yahweh’s Presence (Isaiah 63:8)—and one passage is enough for us to believe that this is indeed true. The Holy Spirit is certainly the Angel of Yahweh’s Presence.

The problem is, with a name like this, certainly some people get easily confused and may begin to imagine that the Holy Spirit has the angelic nature. They may be weakened in their knowledge of the Spirit, and with that weakness be misled into thinking that he is an angel.

Christians are already very deficient in their knowledge of the Holy Spirit—most can’t say anything more about him than this false statement: “He’s the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.” From there they could easily be misled into believing that he’s an angel. But with a proper understanding of the Scriptures, people will recognize the Holy Spirit for who he is: the One Spirit, and not the One God!

Willingly a Messenger

But remember: Although the Spirit does not have an angelic nature, it’s not that the Holy Spirit isn’t capable of assuming the form of an angel. He can do anything! For example, the Holy Spirit can take on the divine nature. Isn’t that the form he appears in when Ezekiel sees him?

I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal (Ezekiel 8:2).

Having the divine nature, the Holy Spirit looks a lot like Jesus. Here’s what the resurrected and glorified Christ looks like:

The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace (Revelation 1:14-15).

And with the divine nature, the Holy Spirit has much of the appearance of the One God, our Father. Here’s what Ezekiel tells us God looks like:

… high above on the Throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him (Ezekiel 1:26-27).

So the Holy Spirit has the divine nature—and that means he’s capable of doing anything. He can take the form of God, the form of a man, or the form of an angel. He has no limits. His only limitation is that he has not authority over Jesus or God.

Any Form, Any Nature

We know that the Holy Spirit can also take on the form of a dove because ‘the Holy Spirit descended on him [Jesus] in bodily form [Greek word eidos] like a dove’ (Luke 3:22).

So if the Holy Spirit can take on the form of a dove, why wouldn’t the Spirit be capable of taking on the form of an angel? He can, but he doesn’t.

Possessing the divine nature (which is far superior to the angelic nature), the Holy Spirit doesn’t have any use for the angelic nature. It doesn’t help him to accomplish his purposes. That’s how we interpret why the Holy Spirit is called the Angel of Yahweh’s Presence because he’s God’s Messenger.

That’s what we deduced about the Angel of the LORD who is Jesus fulfilling his role as Messenger of God. Likewise, the Spirit is also a Messenger of God, so we call him Angel--that is, the Angel of Yahweh’s Presence.

This Messenger Is Not an Angel

To this day the Holy Spirit brings you and me messages from God. The Holy Spirit reveals the will of God to us by enlightening us, teaching us, and giving us revelations. He produces visions and dreams—things that angels do not produce.

The Holy Spirit does things on a higher level than angels. He lives, speaks, and acts on the divine level. Why? Because as God has given the divine nature to Jesus, likewise has he given the divine nature to the Holy Spirit.

And the Holy Spirit didn’t get the divine nature for nothing! Nothing in Heaven happens without a reason. The Kingdom of Heaven is a meritocracy. One ascends to higher levels of authority based on merit. The Holy Spirit serves his God, the Father. And the Holy Spirit serves his Lord, Jesus Christ.