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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; cf. 21:17–18).
• 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; cf. 3:1–10).
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; cf. Judges 6:22). 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.• 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; cf. 3:1–10).
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.
