July 14, 2025 • 8 mins
Sometimes angels are angels, other times the angel is God. What? Yeah, that's an interesting situation and one that reveals a lot about God's nature.
More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com
This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).
Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and
our series on the New TestamentFramework.
Today a smaller, bite-sizedpiece from the larger lesson.
We hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it,
they tore their robes and rushedinto the crowd, crying and
saying men, why are you doingthese things?
We also are men of the samenature as you and preach the
gospel that you should turn fromthese vain things to a living
God, the one who made the heavenand the earth and the sea and
all that's in them.
So he doesn't permit himself tobe worshipped, right?
(00:31):
Because he's not Yahweh Now.
So then, if we found someone inthe Bible who was permitting
themselves to be worshipped,that might be something
interesting to look at, right.
Interesting to look at, right.
(00:51):
So let's go to some passagesabout a strange figure that's
called in the Old Testament theangel of Yahweh.
This angel of Yahweh is somehowdistinct from Yahweh, but in
some passages he's identifiedwith Yahweh and worshipped as
Yahweh.
And the question becomes whowas this angel of Yahweh?
Okay, so let's go to some ofthe passages that point out that
the angel of Yahweh is distinctfrom Yahweh himself Genesis
(01:14):
24-7.
Genesis 24-7.
Maybe you're familiar with thisfigure or heard of the angel of
Yahweh before, or maybe not,but this shows you how close
sometimes you have to read.
You can't just read and notthink you should read and think
(01:36):
and see some of these unique andinteresting passages.
So Genesis 24, verse 7, andthen we'll read verse 40.
24, 7.
The Lord, the God of heaven,who took me from my father's
house and from the land of mybirth and who spoke to me and
(01:57):
who swore to me saying To yourdescendants, I will give this
land, he will send his angelbefore you.
So it's the angel of Yahweh,it's Yahweh's angel, right, and
you will take a wife for my sonfrom there.
So this is discussing how Isaacgot a wife, and the one who
would go before in the gettingof this wife would be the angel
(02:17):
of Yahweh.
Now drop down to verse 40.
So the angel of Yahweh isdistinct from Yahweh right,
because he's going on thejourney ahead of them to get the
wife.
In verse 40, he said to me theLord, before whom I have walked,
will send his angel with you tomake your journey successful
and you will take a wife for myson, for my relatives and from
(02:39):
my father's house.
The only point we're trying tomake again is that notice Yahweh
in verse 40 is distinct fromhis angel, which would be the
angel of Yahweh.
Okay, that's all.
We're trying to show.
How about 1 Chronicles 21?
1 Chronicles 21.
So you've got 1 and 2 Samuel, 1and 2 Kings, and then 1 and 2
(03:02):
Chronicles.
So 1 Chronicles 21 and verse 15through 18.
Notice what the angel of Yahwehdoes here.
1 Chronicles 21, 15.
(03:28):
Verse 14, yahweh sent apestilence on Israel.
70,000 men of Israel fell andGod sent an angel to Jerusalem
to destroy it.
But as he was about to destroyit, yahweh saw and was sorry
over the calamity and said tothe destroying angel now how
could you speak to the angel ifit's just yourself?
See what I'm saying.
He's not talking to himself,he's talking to this angel.
(03:50):
It is enough.
He said, now relax.
And the angel of the Lord wasstanding by the threshing floor
of Ornan the Jebusite.
Then David lifted his eyes andsaw the angel of the Lord was
standing by the threshing floorof Ornan the Jebusite.
Then David lifted his eyes andsaw the angel of the Lord
standing between earth andheaven with his drawn sword and
his hands stretched out overJerusalem.
Then David and the elderscovered with sackcloth fell on
their faces.
And David said to God is it notI who commanded to count the
(04:14):
people?
Indeed, I am the one who hassinned and done very wickedly.
But these sheep, what have theydone?
O Lord, my God, please let yourhand be against me and my
father's household, but notagainst your people, that they
should be plagued.
Then the angel of the Lordcommanded Gad to say to David
that David should go up andbuild an altar to the Lord, and
so forth, on the threshing floorof Ornan.
(04:36):
Again, do you see thedistinction between Yahweh and
the angel of Yahweh?
They're not the same person.
Okay, we've seen some examplesof that.
There are more examples here.
Let's go to some passages thatshow that this angel is
identified with Yahweh Distinct,but identified with Distinct,
(04:57):
but somehow the same.
Distinct but identified withdistinct, but somehow the same.
Let's go to Genesis 16, verse 7.
Genesis 16, verse 7.
All we're trying to unearthhere is what does the Old
Testament say about the natureof God?
What is he like?
(05:18):
Is he just a solitary God or isthere diversity within him?
Genesis 16, verse 7.
Now the angel of the Lord foundher by a spring this is Hagar
right by a spring of water inthe wilderness, by the spring,
on the way to Shur.
And he said to Hagar, sarah'smaid, where have you come from
(05:40):
and where are you going?
And she said I am fleeing fromthe presence of my mistress,
sarah.
Then the angel of the Lord saidto her return to your mistress
and submit yourself to herauthority.
Moreover, the angel of the Lordsaid to her I will greatly
multiply your descendants sothat they will be too many to
count.
And the angel of the Lord saidto her further behold, you are
with child and you will bear ason and you shall call his name
Ishmael, because the Lord hasgiven heed to your affliction.
(06:02):
He'll be a wild donkey of a man.
His hand will be againsteveryone and everyone's hand
will be against him, and he willlive to the east of all his
brothers.
Then she called the name ofYahweh.
Who spoke to her.
What I thought.
It was the angel of Yahweh whospoke to her.
Now she calls the name ofyahweh.
(06:22):
Who is the one who spoke to her?
Do you see now that angel ofyahweh in this passage is not
distinguished from yahweh, butis identified as yahweh?
That's strange.
Let's look at another one.
Let's go to Genesis 31.
22 is the story of Isaac in thealtar, abraham and Isaac in the
(06:50):
altar.
31, 11 through 13.
31, 11 through 13.
31, 11.
Then the angel of God said tome in a dream, jacob, and I said
here I am.
He said lift up now your eyesand see that all the male goats
(07:13):
which you are mating are striped, speckled and mottled.
For I've seen all that Labanhas been doing to you.
I am the God of Bethel.
Wait a minute.
I thought in verse 11 you werethe angel of God.
Now you're saying you are God,point being angel of God, equal
God in this passage.
So over and over you start tofind that not only is the angel
(07:35):
of Yahweh in some passagesdistinct from Yahweh, in other
passages he's identified withYahweh.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with
Jeremy Thomas.
If you would like to see thevisuals that went along with
today's sermon, you can findthose on Rumble and on YouTube
under Spokane Bible Church.
That is where Jeremy is thepastor and teacher.
We hope you found today'slesson productive and useful in
(08:02):
growing closer to God andwalking more obediently with Him
.
If you found this podcast to beuseful and helpful, then please
consider rating us in yourfavorite podcast app, and until
next time, we hope you have ablessed and wonderful day.
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and
our series on the New TestamentFramework.
Today a smaller, bite-sizedpiece from the larger lesson.
We hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it,
they tore their robes and rushedinto the crowd, crying and
saying men, why are you doingthese things?
We also are men of the samenature as you and preach the
gospel that you should turn fromthese vain things to a living
God, the one who made the heavenand the earth and the sea and
all that's in them.
So he doesn't permit himself tobe worshipped, right?
(00:31):
Because he's not Yahweh Now.
So then, if we found someone inthe Bible who was permitting
themselves to be worshipped,that might be something
interesting to look at, right.
Interesting to look at, right.
(00:51):
So let's go to some passagesabout a strange figure that's
called in the Old Testament theangel of Yahweh.
This angel of Yahweh is somehowdistinct from Yahweh, but in
some passages he's identifiedwith Yahweh and worshipped as
Yahweh.
And the question becomes whowas this angel of Yahweh?
Okay, so let's go to some ofthe passages that point out that
the angel of Yahweh is distinctfrom Yahweh himself Genesis
(01:14):
24-7.
Genesis 24-7.
Maybe you're familiar with thisfigure or heard of the angel of
Yahweh before, or maybe not,but this shows you how close
sometimes you have to read.
You can't just read and notthink you should read and think
(01:36):
and see some of these unique andinteresting passages.
So Genesis 24, verse 7, andthen we'll read verse 40.
24, 7.
The Lord, the God of heaven,who took me from my father's
house and from the land of mybirth and who spoke to me and
(01:57):
who swore to me saying To yourdescendants, I will give this
land, he will send his angelbefore you.
So it's the angel of Yahweh,it's Yahweh's angel, right, and
you will take a wife for my sonfrom there.
So this is discussing how Isaacgot a wife, and the one who
would go before in the gettingof this wife would be the angel
(02:17):
of Yahweh.
Now drop down to verse 40.
So the angel of Yahweh isdistinct from Yahweh right,
because he's going on thejourney ahead of them to get the
wife.
In verse 40, he said to me theLord, before whom I have walked,
will send his angel with you tomake your journey successful
and you will take a wife for myson, for my relatives and from
(02:39):
my father's house.
The only point we're trying tomake again is that notice Yahweh
in verse 40 is distinct fromhis angel, which would be the
angel of Yahweh.
Okay, that's all.
We're trying to show.
How about 1 Chronicles 21?
1 Chronicles 21.
So you've got 1 and 2 Samuel, 1and 2 Kings, and then 1 and 2
(03:02):
Chronicles.
So 1 Chronicles 21 and verse 15through 18.
Notice what the angel of Yahwehdoes here.
1 Chronicles 21, 15.
(03:28):
Verse 14, yahweh sent apestilence on Israel.
70,000 men of Israel fell andGod sent an angel to Jerusalem
to destroy it.
But as he was about to destroyit, yahweh saw and was sorry
over the calamity and said tothe destroying angel now how
could you speak to the angel ifit's just yourself?
See what I'm saying.
He's not talking to himself,he's talking to this angel.
(03:50):
It is enough.
He said, now relax.
And the angel of the Lord wasstanding by the threshing floor
of Ornan the Jebusite.
Then David lifted his eyes andsaw the angel of the Lord was
standing by the threshing floorof Ornan the Jebusite.
Then David lifted his eyes andsaw the angel of the Lord
standing between earth andheaven with his drawn sword and
his hands stretched out overJerusalem.
Then David and the elderscovered with sackcloth fell on
their faces.
And David said to God is it notI who commanded to count the
(04:14):
people?
Indeed, I am the one who hassinned and done very wickedly.
But these sheep, what have theydone?
O Lord, my God, please let yourhand be against me and my
father's household, but notagainst your people, that they
should be plagued.
Then the angel of the Lordcommanded Gad to say to David
that David should go up andbuild an altar to the Lord, and
so forth, on the threshing floorof Ornan.
(04:36):
Again, do you see thedistinction between Yahweh and
the angel of Yahweh?
They're not the same person.
Okay, we've seen some examplesof that.
There are more examples here.
Let's go to some passages thatshow that this angel is
identified with Yahweh Distinct,but identified with Distinct,
(04:57):
but somehow the same.
Distinct but identified withdistinct, but somehow the same.
Let's go to Genesis 16, verse 7.
Genesis 16, verse 7.
All we're trying to unearthhere is what does the Old
Testament say about the natureof God?
What is he like?
(05:18):
Is he just a solitary God or isthere diversity within him?
Genesis 16, verse 7.
Now the angel of the Lord foundher by a spring this is Hagar
right by a spring of water inthe wilderness, by the spring,
on the way to Shur.
And he said to Hagar, sarah'smaid, where have you come from
(05:40):
and where are you going?
And she said I am fleeing fromthe presence of my mistress,
sarah.
Then the angel of the Lord saidto her return to your mistress
and submit yourself to herauthority.
Moreover, the angel of the Lordsaid to her I will greatly
multiply your descendants sothat they will be too many to
count.
And the angel of the Lord saidto her further behold, you are
with child and you will bear ason and you shall call his name
Ishmael, because the Lord hasgiven heed to your affliction.
(06:02):
He'll be a wild donkey of a man.
His hand will be againsteveryone and everyone's hand
will be against him, and he willlive to the east of all his
brothers.
Then she called the name ofYahweh.
Who spoke to her.
What I thought.
It was the angel of Yahweh whospoke to her.
Now she calls the name ofyahweh.
(06:22):
Who is the one who spoke to her?
Do you see now that angel ofyahweh in this passage is not
distinguished from yahweh, butis identified as yahweh?
That's strange.
Let's look at another one.
Let's go to Genesis 31.
22 is the story of Isaac in thealtar, abraham and Isaac in the
(06:50):
altar.
31, 11 through 13.
31, 11 through 13.
31, 11.
Then the angel of God said tome in a dream, jacob, and I said
here I am.
He said lift up now your eyesand see that all the male goats
(07:13):
which you are mating are striped, speckled and mottled.
For I've seen all that Labanhas been doing to you.
I am the God of Bethel.
Wait a minute.
I thought in verse 11 you werethe angel of God.
Now you're saying you are God,point being angel of God, equal
God in this passage.
So over and over you start tofind that not only is the angel
(07:35):
of Yahweh in some passagesdistinct from Yahweh, in other
passages he's identified withYahweh.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with
Jeremy Thomas.
If you would like to see thevisuals that went along with
today's sermon, you can findthose on Rumble and on YouTube
under Spokane Bible Church.
That is where Jeremy is thepastor and teacher.
We hope you found today'slesson productive and useful in
(08:02):
growing closer to God andwalking more obediently with Him
.
If you found this podcast to beuseful and helpful, then please
consider rating us in yourfavorite podcast app, and until
next time, we hope you have ablessed and wonderful day.
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