The precise identity of the angel of the Lord is not given in the Bible.
However, there are many important clues to his identity. These clues help us
see that the angel of the Lord is a unique being, separate from the other
angels. Here are some instances of the angel of the Lord showing up in
Scripture:
• He finds
Hagar in the wilderness and gives her a promise concerning her son, Ishmael (Genesis
16:7–12).
• He stops Abraham from sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22:11–18).
• He appears to Moses “in flames of fire from within a bush” (Exodus 3:2).
• He delivers a message to wayward Israel (Judges 2:1–4).
• He commissions Gideon and performs a miracle for him (Judges 6:11–24).
• He brings a plague on Israel during David’s time (2 Samuel 24:15–17).
• He appears in a vision of the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 1:11–13).
In various
passages, the angel of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself with God, and
exercises the responsibilities of God. In several of these appearances, those
who saw the angel of the Lord feared for their lives because they had “seen
God” (Judges 13:22). Therefore, we can say that, in at least some instances,
the angel of the Lord is a theophany, an appearance of God in physical
form.
The appearances of the angel of the Lord cease after the incarnation of Christ.
Angels are mentioned numerous times in the New Testament, but “the angel of the
Lord” is never mentioned in the New Testament after the birth of Christ. One
possible difficulty is that the angel who appears to Joseph in a dream in Matthew
1:24 is called “the” angel of the Lord. However, this angel is clearly the
same one appearing in verse 20, which calls him “an” angel. Matthew is simply
referencing the same angel he had just mentioned. There is also some confusion
regarding Matthew 28:2, where the KJV says “the angel of the Lord”
descended from heaven and rolled the stone away from Jesus’ tomb. Here, it is
important to note that the original Greek has no article in front of the word
for “angel”; it could be “the angel” or “an angel,” but the article must be
supplied by the translators. Other translations besides the KJV say it was “an
angel,” which is the better wording.
It is possible that appearances of the angel of the Lord represent the Son of
God taking on temporary human form - a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus
Christ. Jesus declared Himself to be existent “before Abraham” (John 8:58), so
it makes sense that He would be active and could manifest in the world.
Whatever the case, whether the angel of the Lord was a pre-incarnate appearance
of Christ (a Christophany) or an appearance of God the Father (a theophany), it
is likely that “the angel of the Lord” was, in most cases, a physical
appearance of God.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"