Angels and Demons 3 – The Angel of the Lord is the third installment in our study of these heavenly beings. One of the more confusing pieces to this puzzle is the concept of the Angel of the Lord. This phrase occurs all over the Bible – Old and New Testaments. Figuring out if the Angel of the Lord is an Angel or The Lord isn’t as hard as it first seems.
When an angel appears to a mere mortal normally the human becomes afraid and falls to the ground. This is natural anytime a sinful person stands in the presence of someone holy. The angel will ALWAYS say, “GET UP! Do I look like God?! (Ok, maybe.) But I’m NOT God. You don’t get to worship me.” If this is God talking and the person falls to the ground, God tells him or her to stay there. “Take off your shoes – the ground is holy too because I’m here.” Angels don’t accept sacrifices. We don’t pray to angels. The writer to the Hebrews says it well – Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Another way you can tell if this is an angel or The Lord is to listen to what is said. Often times, God will say, “I’m God.” The angel will say, “I’m Gabriel.”
Finally if there is a case that we aren’t sure about sometimes if we keep reading, God will let us know the answer. There are parallel accounts of some portions of Scripture that help us out in a few different way. This topic – The Angel of the Lord – is one of them.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s study – the final in our series on the Angels and Demons 3 – The Angel of the Lord.
Please click HERE for the Bible class slides.