Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Thursday July 5, 2018
The angel of the Lord is Jesus Christ. This is a theophany of Jesus Christ. The elect angels are always under the command of Christ.
There are four manifestations of our Lord;
- Theophany is a manifestation before the First Advent. (Christ in appearance as man or presence such as pillar of fire).
- The incarnation is an appearance in Hypostatic Union.
- Christophanies are post-resurrection appearances in Hypostatic Union.
- The 2nd Advent is His return in Hypostatic Union.Theophany is the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ in the O.T. in several different forms, human, angelic, fire or cloud are some basic examples.Examples of the angel of the Lord are identified as the Lord or Jehovah in;Gen 16:7-13, Gen 22:11-18, Gen 48:15-16; Exo 3:2, Exo 13:21, Exo 14:19; Judg 6:11-23, Judg 13:9-13, Act 7:30-35.Gen 16:7 Now the angel of the LORD found (Hagar) her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.The angel of Jehovah is the second person of the Trinity.
The second person of the Trinity is the visible God. When Christ appeared in front of O.T. saints in the form of humanity it was the same Christ who would later go to the Cross, except the Hypostatic Union had not taken place.
In the 1st Advent of Christ (Hypostatic Union) the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the role of a human being from birth until death. This meant Christ was (intentionally) limited as much as any other human being.
MAL'AK- (Heb) angel, messenger but can also be used for an ambassador or royalty.
Jesus Christ (1st Advent) is sent as the messenger of God. (Mal 3:1)
Mal 3:1 Behold, I am going to send My messenger (John Baptist), and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant (Christ), in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.
Isa 6:2 Seraphim (plural) stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
The throne is being protected by 4 Seraph angels because it is The Lord Jesus Christ on His throne that Isaiah is witnessing. This was the job of one angel in eternity past …Satan.
The word SARAPH (Heb)- has a connotations of fire associated with it. One of several scriptures that give insight into angelic beings having a light or deep glow about them.
Rev 4:6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
The angel of the Lord title is special in that it points to The Lord Jesus Christ as not only the creator of angels but also the commander. Within this title we can see an analogy of the body of Christ where Christ is the creator & head, therefore opening up the reasoning for elect angels & Bels having both been saved by Christ.
Seraph is an order of rank created as a reward for angels who achieved a higher level of growth & glorification of Christ. The seraph is distinguished from all other angels as the highest ranking angel because of the six wings.
Isa 6:2 -The pair of wings covering the face of the seraph are analogous to his integrity & humility. These angels learned more and achieved more than received a higher rank.
Four of these seraphs are the heralds of Rev 4. They had the coat of arms of the Lord and eyes on each side of the coat of arms, which indicated their great wisdom from their perception of doctrine.
The reward of “seraph” is related to the fact that part of their shield of arms is the uniform of wisdom (“full of eyes”) which describes their maximum knowledge of doctrine.
The pair of wings which cover the feet refer to their respect for divine authority. They serve the Lord best in worship. Note that the highest ranking person is the greatest servant of all.
Seraph angels appear as guardians & communicators of divine policy, Isa 6:6-8 The angel brought doctrine to Isaiah and gave him a personal sense of destiny.
There are three categories of seraphs:
King of Arms- Rev 5:2, Rev 10:1
Officer of Arms- Rev 18:1, Rev 20:1-3
The 4 Angelic Heralds- of Ezk 1 (similar to Isa 6, Rev 4)
Rev 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?
Rev 10:1 I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire;
Rev 18:1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.
Angel of arms/Seraph officer with great authority.
Rev 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
Eze 1:5 Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form.