This is a very good question, one that many people don’t know the answer to. It’s a genuinely fascinating topic. Most people assume Jesus was born in Bethlehem and that He never appeared on earth before that moment. Did Jesus appear on earth before His birth in Bethlehem? Did Jesus only take on a physical body when He was born in Israel 2,000 years ago, or did He appear to people even before that? Let’s explore this question: is Jesus the Angel of the Lord, or was it simply an angel?
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Who Are Angels?
The confusion often comes from assuming that “an angel” is always just an angel. In fact, the word “angel” simply means “messenger.” All ordinary angels are just that — messengers — and they do not deserve worship. In Revelation, John actually attempts to worship an angel, and the angel immediately corrects him, saying not to worship him, since he is merely a fellow servant.
Revelation 19:10 — “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
One major reason we know that “the Angel of the Lord” cannot be an ordinary angel is that He accepts worship. In the passage above, John attempts to worship an angel, who clarifies that the “spirit of prophecy” mentioned in Revelation 12:17 refers to a group of people who carry the Spirit of prophecy — and this particular angel firmly refuses worship, since angels are simply God’s servants, sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation. Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Very likely — but let’s look for further confirmation.
Hebrews 1:14 — “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation?”
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Abraham
The Angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham, accompanied by two other angels. Who were they? Abraham was staying in a tent, likely in the desert. Genesis chapter 19 tells us this was not far from Sodom and Gomorrah. The two other figures who accompanied the Angel of the Lord were, in fact, ordinary angels.
Genesis 19:1 — “And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;”
These two angels left the Angel of the Lord’s company to go meet Lot. So who remained with Abraham? The beginning of Genesis 18 tells us that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham, while the end of that same chapter says Abraham remained in the presence of God. Let’s study this remarkable biblical truth more closely.
Genesis 18:1 — “And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.”
Here it says God appeared to Abraham — but how could God appear to Abraham in human form?
Genesis 18:2 — “And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,”
This verse confirms that God Himself is the Angel of the Lord. The final verse of Genesis 18 then says:
Genesis 18:33 — “And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.”
Can God speak directly with a human being? We know the Bible teaches that no one has seen God the Father. So the only remaining possibility is that the Angel of the Lord is either Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes — because:
- No one has seen God the Father.
- The Angel of the Lord is worshipped.
- Every time people encounter the Angel of the Lord, they worship Him.
In Genesis 18, the Angel of the Lord appears to Abraham and speaks with him about Sodom and Gomorrah, nearby cities. Abraham pleads with God not to destroy them. God finishes speaking with Abraham, and in Genesis 19, the two other men who accompanied Him — clearly identified as angels — go to meet Lot.
Near the end of Genesis 19, the Angel of the Lord, still with Abraham, calls upon God in heaven to send fire and brimstone. This is a remarkable verse — Jesus, as the Angel of the Lord, appeals directly to God the Father to send judgment. Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes.
Genesis 19:24 — “Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;”
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Ishmael
When Abraham’s servant Hagar flees from her mistress Sarah, the Angel of the Lord gives her a prophecy. This further confirms that the Angel of the Lord is Jesus, since only God knows the future — and the Angel of the Lord also says He Himself will multiply her descendants. Only God has the power to multiply a nation.
Genesis 16:9–10 — “The angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Return to your mistress and submit to her.’ The angel of the Lord also said to her, ‘I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.’”
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Isaac
The Angel of the Lord also appears to Abraham just as he is about to sacrifice his son Isaac. Let’s examine this passage.
Genesis 22:11–12 — “But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’”
At first glance, this verse might seem to suggest the Angel of the Lord is not God Himself, since it says “now I know that you fear God.” But let’s not be surface-level readers. The verse continues by saying “you have not withheld your son from Me” — providing strong additional evidence that Jesus, as the Angel of the Lord, is also fully God.
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Judges 2
In this chapter, it’s especially interesting that Jesus speaks directly to the congregation of Israel as the Angel of the Lord — as God Himself. The KJV renders this as “an Angel of the Lord,” while the ESV more accurately translates it as “the Angel of the Lord.” As we continue reading, it becomes clear that this is Jesus.
Judges 2:1–2 — “Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, “I will never break my covenant with you…”‘”
Here, the Angel of the Lord speaks in the first person, saying, “I brought you up from Egypt” and references the covenant “I swore” to the fathers. There’s little doubt — is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes, since the Father Himself has never appeared on earth.
Exodus 33:20 — “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Gideon
At first, Gideon doesn’t realize who he’s speaking with, assuming this figure might simply be an angel. Here we see the loving, humble character of Jesus, who doesn’t immediately announce, “I am God,” but consistently gives glory to the Father.
Judges 6:12–13 — “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.’ And Gideon said to him, ‘Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.’”
So far, it might seem that the Angel of the Lord is not God Himself, since He refers to “the Lord” in the third person, saying, “The Lord is with you.” Does this mean He isn’t God? No — this reflects Jesus’ humility, consistently directing worship toward the Father.
Judges 6:16 — “And the Lord said to him, ‘But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.’”
But here in the story, we discover that the Angel of the Lord is indeed Jesus, as He says, “I will be with you” — and only God has the power to grant someone victory over an entire nation.
After Gideon presents an offering, the Angel of the Lord touches it with His staff, fire bursts forth, and the Angel of the Lord disappears at the same moment. Gideon becomes afraid, realizing he has seen God face to face.
Judges 6:22–24 — “Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, ‘Alas, O Lord God! For now 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.’ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.”
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes — as Jesus Himself reassures Gideon, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” Here we find absolute proof, as Gideon worships Him and Jesus accepts that worship.
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Samson
Jesus, as the Angel of the Lord, also appears to Samson’s parents.
Judges 13:3 — “The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.’”
Samson’s mother later tells her husband that she saw what appeared to be an angel, though she didn’t know exactly who He was.
Judges 13:6 — “Then the woman came and told her husband, ‘A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, “Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.”‘”
Samson’s mother describes Him both as “a man of God” and as having the appearance of “the angel of the Lord.”
When Manoah offers Jesus food, Jesus directs the honor toward the Father. To a surface reader, this might seem to indicate He is not Jesus — but again, this simply reflects Jesus’ humility in giving glory solely to the Father.
Judges 13:16 — “And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, ‘If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.’ (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.)”
Yet the latter part of this passage confirms it was indeed Jesus. As always, reading Scripture in its full context is essential to grasping the complete truth being revealed. As we continue reading, the pieces of the puzzle come together: is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Yes — since He accepts worship, something no ordinary angel ever receives.
Manoah’s wife asks the Angel of the Lord for His name, and He responds that His name is too wonderful to be known — a remarkable answer.
Judges 13:18 — “And the angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?’”
As the offering is presented, a flame rises toward heaven, and once again the Angel of the Lord is worshipped — and He accepts that worship.
Judges 13:20 — “And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.”
Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord? Moses and the Burning Bush
Moses was tending his flock when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him. How can we recognize, in this account, that this is indeed Jesus? Let’s read on.
Exodus 3:1–2 — “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 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.”
If we weren’t familiar with this topic, we might assume this was simply an ordinary angel. But the next verse tells us:
Exodus 3:4 — “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’”
Although Moses initially encountered the Angel of the Lord, verse 4 tells us that God Himself saw Moses approaching the burning bush. While one might still wonder whether this Angel of the Lord truly is Jesus, the following verses remove all doubt, as the Angel of the Lord declares:
Exodus 3:5–6 — “‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”
The Angel of the Lord plainly declares, “I am the God of your fathers,” and Moses becomes afraid to look directly at God, or at the Angel of the Lord.
What a beautiful truth — that God loved us so deeply that even in the Old Testament, Jesus was sent to bless and guide His people. In fact, Paul tells us that the One who led Israel through the wilderness was “the Rock,” which refers to Jesus.
1 Corinthians 10:2–4 — “And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
Jesus was the One who led Israel through the wilderness and guided His people throughout the Old Testament — a remarkable biblical truth revealing the depth of God’s love. Jesus desired to remain close to His people, to bless, prosper, and guide them. And every single time the Angel of the Lord appeared, He was worshipped.
What an amazing, loving story of Jesus’ care for you — He is ready, even now, to draw near and help you in all your needs. Have you accepted Jesus into your heart? Repeat after me: “Father God, forgive my sins, come into my heart. Give me Your righteousness. Please bless and prosper me, in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
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