The "Angel" in the Pillar of Cloud
Ex. 23:20-23 Here I am sending an angel ahead of you to keep you on the road and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. Watch yourself because of him and obey his voice. Do not behave rebelliously against him, for he will not pardon YOUR transgression; because my name is within him. 22 However, if you strictly obey his voice and really do all that I shall speak, then I shall certainly be hostile to your enemies and harass those who harass you. 23 For my angel will go ahead of you and will indeed bring you to the Am´or·ites and the Hit´tites and the Per´iz·zites and the Ca´naan·ites, the Hi´vites and the Jeb´u·sites, and I shall certainly efface them.
Ex. 13:21 And Jehovah was going ahead of them in the daytime in a pillar of cloud to lead them by the way, and in the nighttime in a pillar of fire to give them light to go in the daytime and nighttime.
Ex. 14:19, 24 Then the angel of the [true] God who was going ahead of the camp of Israel departed and went to their rear, and the pillar of cloud departed from their van and stood in the rear of them. And it came about during the morning watch that Jehovah began to look out upon the camp of the Egyptians from within the pillar of fire and cloud, and he went throwing the camp of the Egyptians into confusion.
Lev. 16:2 And Jehovah proceeded to say to Moses: “Speak to Aaron your brother, that he should not at all times come into the holy place inside the curtain, in front of the cover which is upon the Ark, that he may not die; because in a cloud I shall appear over the cover.
Num. 12:5 After that Jehovah came down in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Mir´i·am. At this both of them went out.
Num. 14:14 And they will be bound to tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you are Jehovah in among this people, who has appeared face to face. You are Jehovah, and your cloud is standing over them, and you are going before them in the pillar of cloud by day and in the pillar of fire by night.
Deut. 1:32, 33 But despite this word YOU were not putting faith in Jehovah YOUR God, who was going before YOU in the way to spy out for YOU a place for YOU to camp, by fire at night for YOU to see by what way YOU should walk and by a cloud in daytime.
Isa. 63:8, 9 And he went on to say: “Surely they are my people, sons that will not prove false.” So it was to them that he came to be a Savior. 9 During all their distress it was distressing to him. And his own personal messenger saved them. In his love and in his compassion he himself repurchased them, and he proceeded to lift them up and carry them all the days of long ago.
Deut. 31:15 Then Jehovah appeared at the tent in the pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud began to stand by the entrance of the tent.
Clearly, the messenger who led the Israelites in the wilderness is called Jehovah, and God makes it quite clear that the Being is His "Angel," and this "Angel" has His name. In other words, God is declaring that His "Angel" is named Jehovah or Yahweh too.
The "Angel" and Hagar
Gen. 16:9-13 And Jehovah’s angel went on to say to her: “Return to your mistress and humble yourself under her hand.” 10 Then Jehovah’s angel said to her: “I shall greatly multiply your seed, so that it will not be numbered for multitude.” 11 Further Jehovah’s angel added to her: “Here you are pregnant, and you shall give birth to a son and must call his name Ish´ma·el; for Jehovah has heard your affliction. 12 As for him, he will become a zebra of a man. His hand will be against everyone, and the hand of everyone will be against him; and before the face of all his brothers he will tabernacle.” Then she began to call the name of Jehovah, who was speaking to her: “You are a God of sight,” for she said: “Have I here actually looked upon him who sees me?”
Gen. 21:17, 18 At that God heard the voice of the boy, and God’s angel called to Ha´gar out of the heavens and said to her: “What is the matter with you, Ha´gar? Do not be afraid, because God has listened to the voice of the boy there where he is. 18 Get up, lift up the boy and take hold of him with your hand, because I shall constitute him a great nation.”
Twice we have the "Angel" of Jehovah speaking to Hagar as if He Himself is Jehovah.
The "Angel" and Abraham
Gen. 22:11, 12, 15-18 But Jehovah’s angel began calling to him out of the heavens and saying: “Abraham, Abraham!” to which he answered: “Here I am!” And he went on to say: “Do not put out your hand against the boy and do not do anything at all to him, for now I do know that you are God-fearing in that you have not withheld your son, your only one, from me.” And Jehovah’s angel proceeded to call to Abraham the second time out of the heavens 16 and to say: “‘By myself I do swear,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘that by reason of the fact that you have done this thing and you have not withheld your son, your only one, 17 I shall surely bless you and I shall surely multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens and like the grains of sand that are on the seashore; and your seed will take possession of the gate of his enemies. 18 And by means of your seed all nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves due to the fact that you have listened to my voice.’”
To Abraham also this "Angel" spoke as if He was Jehovah Himself.
The "Angel" and Jacob
Gen. 31:11-13 Then the angel of the [true] God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob!’ to which I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And he continued, ‘Raise your eyes, please, and see all the he-goats springing upon the flock are striped, speckled and spotty, for I have seen all that La´ban is doing to you. 13 I am the [true] God of Beth´el, where you anointed a pillar and where you vowed a vow to me. Now get up, go out of this land and return to the land of your birth.’”
Not only did this "Angel" speak to Jacob as if He was God, He also here claims that He is God.
Gen. 32:27-30 So he said to him: “What is your name?” to which he said: “Jacob.” 28 Then he said: “Your name will no longer be called Jacob but Israel, for you have contended with God and with men so that you at last prevailed.” 29 In turn Jacob inquired and said: “Tell me, please, your name.” However, he said: “Why is it that you inquire for my name?” With that he blessed him there. 30 Hence Jacob called the name of the place Pe·ni´el, because, to quote him, “I have seen God face to face and yet my soul was delivered.”
Hos. 12:4 And he kept contending with an angel and gradually prevailed. He wept, that he might implore favor for himself.” At Beth´el He got to find him, and there He began talking with us.
Jacob said he wrestled with God, but Hosea said he wrestled with the "Angel." They must be one and the same.
Gen. 48:15, 16 And he proceeded to bless Joseph and to say: “The [true] God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,The [true] God who has been shepherding me during all my existence until this day, The angel who has been recovering me from all calamity, bless the boys. And let my name be called upon them and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac,And let them increase to a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
Jacob here identifies the "Angel" that redeemed Him with God Himself.
The "Angel" in the Bush
Ex. 3:2-4 Then Jehovah’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a thornbush. As he kept looking, why, here the thornbush was burning with the fire and yet the thornbush was not consumed. 3 At this Moses said: “Let me just turn aside that I may inspect this great phenomenon, as to why the thornbush is not burnt up.” 4 When Jehovah saw that he turned aside to inspect, God at once called to him out of the midst of the thornbush and said: “Moses! Moses!” to which he said: “Here I am.”
Acts 7:30, 35, 38 “And when forty years were fulfilled, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Si´nai an angel in the fiery flame of a thornbush. This Moses, whom they disowned, saying, ‘Who appointed you ruler and judge?’ this man God sent off as both ruler and deliverer by the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the thornbush. This is he that came to be among the congregation in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Si´nai and with our forefathers, and he received living sacred pronouncements to give YOU.
Was an angel in the bush, or was the Lord Jehovah in the bush? Or was this the "Angel" who is God, none other than Christ?
The "Angel" and Balaam
Num. 22:31-35 And Jehovah proceeded to uncover Ba´laam’s eyes, so that he saw Jehovah’s angel stationed in the road with his drawn sword in his hand. At once he bowed low and prostrated himself on his face. 32 Then Jehovah’s angel said to him: “Why have you beaten your she-ass these three times? Look! I—I have come out to offer resistance, because your way has been headlong against my will. 33 And the she-ass got to see me and tried to turn aside before me these three times. Supposing she had not turned aside from before me! For by now even you I should have killed, but her I should have preserved alive.” 34 At this Ba´laam said to Jehovah’s angel: “I have sinned, because I did not know that it was you stationed in the road to meet me. And now, if it is bad in your eyes, let me go my way back.” 35 But Jehovah’s angel said to Ba´laam: “Go with the men; and nothing but the word that I shall speak to you is what you may speak.” And Ba´laam continued going with the princes of Ba´lak.
Num. 23:3-5 And Ba´laam went on to say to Ba´lak: “Station yourself by your burnt offering, and let me go. Perhaps Jehovah will get in touch and meet with me. In that case whatever he will show me, I shall certainly tell you.” So he went to a bare hill. 4 When God got in touch with Ba´laam, he then said to Him: “I set the seven altars in rows, and I proceeded to offer up a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Accordingly Jehovah put a word in the mouth of Ba´laam and said: “Return to Ba´lak, and this is what you will speak.”
Here have an "Angel" speaking to Balaam who appears to be identifying himself with God.
The "Angel" and the Erring Israelites
Jdg. 2:1-3 Then Jehovah’s angel went up from Gil´gal to Bo´chim and said: “I proceeded to bring YOU up out of Egypt and to bring YOU into the land about which I swore to YOUR forefathers. Furthermore, I said, ‘Never shall I break my covenant with YOU. 2 And for YOUR part, YOU must not conclude a covenant with the inhabitants of this land. Their altars YOU should pull down.’ But YOU have not listened to my voice. Why have YOU done this? 3 So I, in turn, have said, ‘I shall not drive them away from before YOU, and they must become snares to YOU, and their gods will serve as a lure to YOU.’”
Again we have an "Angel" speaking as if He is God, this time to quite a few people all at once.
The "Angel" and Gideon
Jdg. 6:11-16, 20-22 Later Jehovah’s angel came and sat under the big tree that was in Oph´rah, which belonged to Jo´ash the Abi-ez´rite, while Gid´e·on his son was beating out wheat in the winepress so as to get it quickly out of the sight of Mid´i·an. 12 Then Jehovah’s angel appeared to him and said to him: “Jehovah is with you, you valiant, mighty one.” 13 At this Gid´e·on said to him: “Excuse me, my lord, but if Jehovah is with us, then why has all this come upon us, and where are all his wonderful acts that our fathers related to us, saying, ‘Was it not out of Egypt that Jehovah brought us up?’ And now Jehovah has deserted us, and he gives us into the palm of Mid´i·an.” 14 Upon that Jehovah faced him and said: “Go in this power of yours, and you will certainly save Israel out of Mid´i·an’s palm. Do I not send you?” 15 In turn he said to him: “Excuse me, Jehovah. With what shall I save Israel? Look! My thousand is the least in Ma·nas´seh, and I am the smallest in my father’s house.” 16 But Jehovah said to him: “Because I shall prove to be with you, and you will certainly strike down Mid´i·an as if one man.” The angel of the [true] God now said to him: “Take the meat and the unfermented cakes and set them on the big rock there, and pour out the broth.” At that he did so. 21 Then Jehovah’s angel thrust out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unfermented cakes, and fire began to ascend out of the rock and to consume the meat and the unfermented cakes. As for Jehovah’s angel, he vanished from his sight. 22 Consequently Gid´e·on realized that it was Jehovah’s angel. At once Gid´e·on said: “Alas, Sovereign Lord Jehovah, for the reason that I have seen Jehovah’s angel face to face!”
Twice, this passage specifically calls the "Angel" who appeared to Gideon Jehovah.
The "Angel" and Samson's Parents
Jdg. 13:21-23 And Jehovah’s angel did not repeat appearing to Ma·no´ah and his wife anymore. Then it was that Ma·no´ah knew that he had been Jehovah’s angel. 22 Consequently Ma·no´ah said to his wife: “We shall positively die, because it is God that we have seen.” 23 But his wife said to him: “If Jehovah had been delighted only to put us to death, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hand, and he would not have shown us all these things, and he would not as now have let us hear anything like this.”
Manoah said that the "Angel" was God.
The "Angel's" Head, Face, and Feet
Revelation 10:1 And I saw another strong angel descending from heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet were as fiery pillars,
Rev. 1:13-15 And in the midst of the lampstands someone like a son of man, clothed with a garment that reached down to the feet, and girded at the breasts with a golden girdle. 14 Moreover, his head and his hair were white as white wool, as snow, and his eyes as a fiery flame; 15 and his feet were like fine copper when glowing in a furnace; and his voice was as the sound of many waters.
Daniel 7:9 I kept on beholding until there were thrones placed and the Ancient of Days sat down. His clothing was white just like snow, and the hair of his head was like clean wool. His throne was flames of fire; its wheels were a burning fire.
Prince of the Army of Jehovah and Joshua
Joshua 5: 13-15 And it came about when Joshua happened to be by Jer´i·cho that he proceeded to raise his eyes and look, and there there was a man standing in front of him with his drawn sword in his hand. So Joshua walked up to him and said to him: “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14 To this he said: “No, but I—as prince of the army of Jehovah I have now come.” With that Joshua fell on his face to the earth and prostrated himself and said to him: “What is my lord saying to his servant?” 15 In turn the prince of the army of Jehovah said to Joshua: “Draw your sandals from off your feet, because the place on which you are standing is holy.” At once Joshua did so.
Exodus 3: 4-6 When Jehovah saw that he turned aside to inspect, God at once called to him out of the midst of the thornbush and said: “Moses! Moses!” to which he said: “Here I am.” 5 Then he said: “Do not come near here. Draw your sandals from off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he went on to say: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses concealed his face, because he was afraid to look at the [true] God.
Exodus 3: 4-6 When Jehovah saw that he turned aside to inspect, God at once called to him out of the midst of the thornbush and said: “Moses! Moses!” to which he said: “Here I am.” 5 Then he said: “Do not come near here. Draw your sandals from off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he went on to say: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses concealed his face, because he was afraid to look at the [true] God.
Why is Christ referred to as an "Angel" when He is not an angel and is divine? Because He, more than any other being in the entire universe, is the One who reveals the Father to us. This important work of Christ fits the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words for "angel."
Source: The above article is adapted from the web site Pickle Publishing (with the permission of the Author: Bob Pickle). But the verses quoted are from the New World Translation of the Jehovah Witness’s. Click here to see the original article.)