Scripture Text: Hebrews 13:1-2

Angels started their activities far back from Eden (Gen 3:24). They are spirits of heaven who worship God and appear in different forms.

Though all the good angels are angels of God, or angels of the Lord, there is one special angel who is distinct and unique from all the other angels, he is called the "angel of the LORD."

Both Old and New Testaments of the Bible speak of this angel as the "angel of the LORD," the "angel of the Presence" or the "angel, or messenger, of the Covenant." He appears in many important contexts in Scripture. The manner in which he is described sets him apart from all the other angels. The angel of the Lord when swung into action brings God's presence, answers to prayers, supernatural provisions, divine healing, heavenly ministers, supernatural turnaround and shaping of history, judgement and also rewards.

The angel of the Lord could appear as:

- A mighty angel who acted as the special representative of the LORD.

- God the Father assuming a human body.

- God the Son, taking a body for a short period of time.

These three possible appearances are evident in Biblical examples who had the privilege to experience the angel of the Lord.

The angel of the Lord appeared to:
1. Hagar: The first recorded appearance of the angel of the LORD was to Hagar, Abraham's mistress, and the mother of his son Ishmael.
The angel of the LORD also said to her, "I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for multitude" (Genesis 16:10).
This angel said He Himself would multiply the descendants of Hagar. After the appearance of the angel of the LORD Hagar said. She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me" (Genesis 16:13).
She believed that she had spoken directly to God.

2. Abraham And Sarah At Mamre: Three men appeared to Abraham and his wife Sarah at the plains of Mamre. They had come to inform Abraham and Sarah concerning two matters. The son that God had promised them would be born to Abraham and Sarah the next year, and the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah would be destroyed. One of the three visitors who gave them this information is specifically called the LORD. The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day (Genesis 18:1).
-To Abraham On Mount Moriah
God told Abraham to bring his son Isaac to Mount Moriah to be sacrificed. Abraham obeyed and was about to take Isaac's life when God intervened. The angel of the LORD stopped Abraham saying: "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me" (Genesis 22:12). He called a second time to Abraham: The angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven (Genesis 22:15). In this instance the angel of the LORD, who called out to Abraham, seems to be the LORD Himself.

3. Jacob: This angel appeared a number of times to Jacob. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am' (Genesis 31:11). Jacob wrestled all night with a man who finally disabled him. The next morning Jacob understood that it was God Himself whom he had wrestled: "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved " (Genesis 32:30). At the end of his life, Jacob spoke of God, and the angel of the LORD, as identical: "The Angel who has delivered me from all harm - may He bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth" (Genesis 48:16).

4. Moses And The Burning Bush: The angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in the burning bush. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up (Exodus 3: 2). The angel explained who He was. He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:6).

5. The martyr Stephen emphasized this special event: And after forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush (Acts 7:30).

6. Children of Israel: God promised to send His angel ahead of the children of Israel. "I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him. But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. When my angel goes in front of you, and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out" (Exodus 23:20-23). The Israelites were told that they must obey this angel because the name of the LORD was in him. Since God would never share His name with any created being, this angel must be God Himself.

7. Isaiah the prophet: He wrote: "I am the LORD, that is My name; My glory I give to no other, nor My praise to idols" (Isaiah 42:. Since God will not share His name or glory with anyone else, this angel must be God.

8. Joshua: An imposing personage appeared to Joshua. "When Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" And he said, "No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?" And the captain of the LORD's host said to Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so" (Joshua 5:13-15). Having Joshua immediately remove his sandals reminds one of the LORD telling Moses to remove his sandals in God's presence at the burning bush.

9. Gideon: Gideon was a man who was called by God to raise an army to defeat the innumerable Midianites. Because Gideon was a timid person, God paid him a visit to assure him that all would go well. After the encounter Gideon exclaimed! "Then Gideon perceived that it was the angel of the LORD; and Gideon said, "Help me, Lord GOD! For I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." But the LORD said to him, "Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die" (Judges 6:22). If it was only an angel, and not God, that Gideon saw, then why was he afraid for his life?

10. Samson's Parents: The angel of the LORD appeared to a Hebrew woman to announce the birth of a son, Samson. He was to deliver the people of Israel from their enemies. The angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD. And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God" (Judges 13:21,22). They identified the angel of the LORD with God Himself.

11. Lot: He recognised two angels and gave them hospitality in his house hence Lot and his household members were saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire (Genesis 19: 1-21)

Some Reasons the angel of the Lord is the appearance of God Himself


1. He is identified With God: In some contexts, the angel of the LORD is identified with God.

2. Power To Give Life: The angel of the LORD is said to have power to give life (Genesis 16:10). Only God has this power.

3. All-Knowing: The quality of omniscience, or knowing everything, is attributed to the angel of the LORD (Genesis 16:13; Exodus 3:7).

4. Judge The Earth: The angel of the LORD is called the "Judge of all the earth" (Genesis 18:25). This is a title that belongs to God alone.

5. Forgive Sin: The Bible says that only God can forgive sin. "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25). Yet the angel of the LORD had authority to forgive sins (Exodus 23:21).

6. Receive Worship: Worship belongs to God and Him alone. Yet the angel of the LORD was worshipped by Moses and Joshua.

God In Human Flesh

The evidence from these appearances seems clear. At certain times in the past God took upon Himself a human form to appear to people as the angel of the LORD. Though we do not know exactly which member of the Trinity is in view, the most likely candidate would be God the Son.

However, though the angel of the LORD is sometimes identified with the LORD Himself, there are other times when they are distinguished. Therefore we can conclude that on some occasions the angel of the LORD was God Himself, while at other times he was merely a messenger sent from the LORD.

The angel of the Lord strictly follows the instructions and commandments of the Living God. Most time, it is the appearance of God Himself in a human body, Who shows no mercy to the enemies and great mercy to His children. "The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:7).

How Can We Provoke The Angel of the Lord to Action?

1. By having a strong faith in God
2. By the Word of God (Psalm 103:20): The angel of the Lord responds to the Word of God as it reminds God of His Word and provoke Him to action.
3. Using or saying the right word: Sometimes, what we say at a particular time comes to pass, which is as a result of the angel of the Lord representing the presence of God at that time. So, we should always choose our words carefully and declare positive things.
4. Fasting and Prayer in holiness: This can also provoke the angel of the Lord as seen in the case of Daniel (Daniel 10:10-21).
5. Believing in the Supernatural: That you can see what others cannot see
6. By True Worship of The Lord: Praise and worship of the Living God bring down the presence of God provoke the angel of the Lord to action.
7. Prayer: Binding the demons and loosing the angels of the Lord in a place.
8. Fear of the Lord: The angel of the Lord encompass to who fear Him.
9. Trust in God provokes His angel to action.
10. Generosity: Those who are hospitable will pure and holy mind tend to attract a certain level of mercy from God that ordinarily we may not get from Him. We should always go out of our ways to help people for we know not who might be the angel of the Lord (Mathew 8: 8-10)

Having said all these things, it is important to NOTE that only those who believe and do the Will of the Father can know or have access to His presence. For you to enjoy the supernatural presence of God there is need to get close to Him. You can only get to Him when you are born again and have totally surrendered your life to Christ as your Lord and saviour. Also, God dwells in a holy place. Only those will clean hands and pure heart can ascend unto the hills of the Lord. In essence, of you want to provoke the angel of the Lord to action, you must be righteous and holy and make Jesus Christ your friend.

If you would like to give your life to Christ just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You today, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil and I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus for in Your name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!

God bless you.

Peace!

Ref: Dr. D.K Olukoya message
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