We continue
with our rebuttal to JW Apologist Hector Heinz’s criticism of my paper,
specifically the section dealing with the significance Job 9:8 has on Christ’s
role in creation.
Heinz seeks
to undermine my position regarding the Angel of Yahweh, since he apparently
realizes that if I am correct then Heinz’s JW Unitarian view of Yahweh is exposed
as being completely and thoroughly unbiblical:
[It should be noted that Sam will say that the "Angel of the LORD" is also a
member of the Trinity, or even Jesus. This may be true some of the time, but not
always. Consider a few examples:
RESPONSE:
Heinz is
correct regarding what I will say since the OT shows beyond any reasonable doubt
that this particular Angel is not a creature, but Yahweh God Almighty who
appears visibly (often as a man) to his servants. At the same time, the Angel is
shown to be distinct from another who is also Yahweh God. These OT appearances
of the Angel of Yahweh provide evidence that there is a plurality of Persons
existing as the one true God, Yahweh. We invite our readers to carefully go over
all of Heinz’s citations to see this for themselves.
Heinz
provides an alleged “counter-argument” to my claim:
In Zechariah 1:11-13 we have a conversation between this angel and Jehovah.
"And they answered the angel of Jehovah that stood among the myrtle-trees,
and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the
earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
Then the angel of Jehovah answered and said, "O Jehovah of hosts, how long
wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which
thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?"
And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me with good words, even
comfortable words."
If the angel of the LORD is the LORD himself (or a member of the LORD...I
can't believe I just said that) then how did he not know the answer to the
question he posed to the LORD?
The text indicates that the Angel really is perplexed over the present state
of Judah. He does not know what the LORD knows and so poses the aforesaid
question to Him.
RESPONSE:
If Heinz’s
logic is correct that the Angel asking a question proves that he is not God,
then he must be consistent and conclude that Yahweh is not God either since
he too asks questions from others:
“Finally
Jehovah said to Moses: ‘How long will this people treat me without respect,
and how long will they not put faith in me for all the signs that I performed
in among them?’” Numbers 14:11 NWT
“And
Jehovah went on to speak to Moses and Aaron, saying: ‘How long will this
evil assembly have this murmuring that they are carrying on against me? I
have heard the murmuring of the sons of Israel that they are murmuring against
me.’” Numbers 14:26-27 NWT
“And he
went on to say: ‘Therefore HEAR the word of Jehovah: I certainly see Jehovah
sitting upon his throne and all the army of the heavens standing at his right
and his left. And Jehovah proceeded to say, “Who will fool A’hab the king
of Israel that he may go up and fall at Ra’moth-gil’ead?” And there was
talk, this one saying something like this, and that one saying something like
that. Finally, a spirit came out and stood before Jehovah and said, “I myself
shall fool him.” At that Jehovah said to him, “By what means?” To this
he said, “I shall go forth and certainly become a deceptive spirit in the
mouth of all his prophets.” So he said, “You will fool him, and, what is more,
you will come off the winner. Go out and do that.”’” 2 Chronicles 18:18-21 NWT
Hence,
Zechariah 1:11-13 no more disproves my position that the Angel is Yahweh God
than the preceding passages disprove the deity of Yahweh God!
Even more
amazing is that, as a JW, Heinz believes that God exercises selective
foreknowledge, i.e. that God can choose to not know certain things:
The view
that God's exercise of his foreknowledge is infinite and that he does
foreordain the course and destiny of all individuals is known as
predestinarianism. Its advocates reason that God's divinity and perfection
require that he be omniscient (all-knowing), not only respecting the past and
present, but also regarding the future. For him not to foreknow all matters in
their every detail would evidence imperfection, according to this concept.
But consider the implications of such a predestinarian view. This concept
would mean that, prior to creating angels or earthling man, God exercised his
powers of foreknowledge and foresaw and foreknew all that would result from
such creation, including the rebellion of one of his spirit sons, the
subsequent rebellion of the first human pair in Eden (Gen. 3:1-6; John 8:44),
and all the bad consequences of such rebellion down to and beyond this present
day. This would necessarily mean that all the wickedness that history has
recorded (the crime and immorality, oppression and resultant suffering, lying
and, hypocrisy, false worship and idolatry) once existed, before creation's
beginning, only in the mind of God, in the form of his foreknowledge of the
future.
If the Creator of mankind had indeed exercised his power to foreknow all that
history has seen since man's creation, then the full force of all the
wickedness thereafter resulting was deliberately set in motion by God when he
spoke the words: "Let us make man." (Gen. 1:26) These facts bring into
question the reasonableness and consistency of the predestinarian concept;
particularly so since the disciple James shows that disorder and other vile
things do not originate from God's heavenly presence but are "earthly, animal,
demonic" in source.-Jas. 3:14-18.
The argument that God's not foreknowing all future events and circumstances in
full detail would evidence imperfection on his part is, in reality, an
arbitrary view of perfection. Ultimately, God's own will and good pleasure are
the deciding factors as to whether anything is perfect, not human opinions or
concepts.-2 Sam. 22:31; Isa. 46:10.
To illustrate this, God's almightiness is undeniably perfect and is infinite
in capacity. (1 Chron. 29:11, 12; Job 36:22; 37:23) Yet his perfection in
strength does not require him to use his power to the full extent of his
omnipotence in any or in all cases. Clearly he has not done so, or, not merely
would certain ancient cities and some nations have been destroyed, but the
earth and all in it would have been obliterated long ago by God's executions
of judgment, as at the Flood and on other occasions. (Gen. 6:5-8; 19:23-25,
29) God's exercise of his might is therefore not simply an unleashing of
limitless power but is constantly governed by his purpose and tempered by his
mercy, where merited.-Neh. 9:31; Ps. 78:38, 39.
Similarly, if, in certain respects,
God chooses to exercise his
infinite ability of foreknowledge in a selective way and to the degree that
pleases him, then assuredly no human or angel can rightly say: "What are
you doing?" (Job 9:12; Isa. 45:9; Dan. 4:35) It is therefore not a question of
ability, what God can foresee, foreknow and foreordain, for "with God all
things are possible." (Matt. 19:26) The question is what God sees fit to
foresee, foreknow and foreordain, for "everything that he delighted to do he
has done."-Ps. 115:3. (Watchtower 8/1/1970 pp. 469-70; see also Insight on
the Scriptures, Volume 1, pp. 851-860 [specifically 853-854])
Again, if
Yahweh can choose to be ignorant of certain things without this nullifying his
Deity, then why should the Angel beseeching Yahweh on behalf of Judah prove that
he is not fully God? One can argue that the Angel, much like Yahweh, was
exercising “his infinite ability of foreknowledge in a selective way and to the
degree that pleases him”!
With that
said, I do not believe that the Angel was asking a question due to being
perplexed or ignorant of God’s purpose or plan. Rather, I take the Angel’s
question as more of a request for God to show mercy to his covenant people. In
other words, the Angel was functioning as Israel’s intercessor, beseeching God
to show grace and kindness to Judah. This is why the text goes on to say that
Yahweh comforted the Angel ‘with good words, even comfortable words”, and
why vv. 14-15 say:
“Turning
to me, the messenger then said, ‘Cry out that the sovereign Lord says, “I
am very much moved for Jerusalem and for Zion. But I am greatly displeased
with the nations that take my grace for granted. I was a little displeased
with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.”’” NET Bible
Furthermore, reading further into Zechariah one will find explicit evidence that
the Angel is in fact Yahweh God:
“And he
showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah,
and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. And Jehovah said
unto Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, Jehovah that hath chosen
Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua
was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel. And HE answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take
the filthy garments from off him. And unto him HE said, Behold, I have
caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with rich
apparel. And I said, Let them set a clean mitre upon his head. So they set a
clean mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the angel of
Jehovah was standing by. And the angel of Jehovah protested unto Joshua,
SAYING, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: If thou wilt walk in MY ways, and
if thou wilt keep MY charge, then thou also shalt judge MY house, and shalt
also keep MY courts, and I will give thee a place of access among these that
stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that
sit before thee; for they are men that are a sign: for, behold, I will
bring forth my servant the Branch. For, behold, the stone that I have set
before Joshua; upon one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the
graving thereof, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of
that land in one day. In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, shall ye invite
every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig-tree.”
Zechariah 3:1-10 ASV
The Angel
here is identified as Yahweh who rebukes Satan and has the ability to forgive
Joshua of his sins, a divine function. This is not the only place where the
Angel is said to be able to forgive sins:
“I am
going to send an angel before you, to protect you in the way, and to bring you
into the place which I have prepared. Take heed because of him, and obey his
voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your
transgressions, for my name is in him. But if you diligently obey him, and
do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an
adversary to your adversaries. For my angel will go before you, and bring you
in to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites,
and the Jebusites, and I will cut them off.” Exodus 23:20-23 NET Bible
The NET
translators say in footnote 47:
… The
word is Ea*l=m^ (mal'ak), "messenger, angel." This angel is to be
treated with the same fear and respect as Yahweh, for Yahweh will be speaking
in him. Cassuto says that the words of the first clause do not imply a
being distinct from God, for in the ancient world the line of demarcation
between the sender and the sent is liable easily to be blurred. Cassuto
then shows how the "Angel of Yahweh" in Genesis is Yahweh. He concludes
that the words here mean "I will guide you" (pp. 305-6). Christian
commentators tend to identify the Angel of Yahweh as the second person of the
Trinity (Kaiser, p. 446; and Kaiser, Old Testament Theology, p.
120). However, in addition to being a preincarnate appearance, the
word could refer to Yahweh-some manifestation of Yahweh himself. (http://netbible.org/cgi-bin/netbible.pl#note_47;
bold emphasis ours)
And in
regards to the Angel embodying God’s name, in footnote 50 they write:
… This
means "the manifestation of my being" is in him (Driver, p. 247).
Driver then quotes McNeile as saying, "The 'angel' is Jehovah Himself 'in a
temporary descent to visibility for a special purpose'." The Talmud
identified the Angel as "Metatron," who stood nearest the throne of God. (http://netbible.org/cgi-bin/netbible.pl#note_50;
bold emphasis ours)
The OT also
implicitly testifies that the Angel knows all things that occur in the earth:
“For the
sake of altering the face of the matter your servant Jo’ab has done this
thing, but my lord is wise as with the wisdom of the angel of the [true]
God so as to know all that is in the earth.” 2 Samuel 14:20 NWT
It is
therefore evident that a careful and accurate examination of the data leads to
the inevitable conclusion that this Angel is Yahweh God Almighty.
Heinz next
tries to pull a fast one on his readers:
Next, we have the angel of the Lord appearing to Joseph, while Mary was
pregnant (Matt 1:20), and while Jesus was a child (Matt 2:13). If Jesus is the
Angel of the Lord, then how many members of the trinity are there?
RESPONSE:
Heinz
equivocates here since he assumes that this NT Angel of the Lord is the same
entity mentioned throughout the OT. Heinz is apparently assuming that since both
are called the Angel of the Lord then they are somehow one and the same?! The
error in Heinz’s reasoning should be apparent to all since it is not simply the
title which implies that they are the same entity, or that the Being is God, but
rather the ascription of divine characteristics which would demonstrate these
facts. For instance, the OT states that:
-
The Angel is called Yahweh and God.
-
The Angel calls himself Yahweh and God.
-
The Angel is worshiped.
-
The Angel performs divine functions.
Yet, there
is nothing in Matt 2 that implies that THIS Angel is God or is the same Angel of
the Lord mentioned in the OT. Just because the same title is used doesn’t mean
that Matt had the same Being in view.
Just to show you the level of dishonesty that goes into these theories, read
the follwing from Charles Ryrie: "That He [the angel of the Lord] is a member of
the Trinity is indicated by the fact that the appearances of the Angel of Yahweh
cease after the Incarnation." (To Ryrie the "Angel of Yahweh" is the same as
the"Angel of the Lord"...see index). p. 236, Basic Theology, by Charles Ryrie.
Not only do the above 2 Scriptures contradict him, but so do the mention of
the "angel of the Lord" at Acts 5:19; 8:26; 12:7, 23. Can we believe ANYTHING
these people say regarding the Trinity, if they are even willing to lie about
it?
RESPONSE:
Apart from
Heinz’s ad hominem slurs, it is quite evident that Heinz really has nothing to
offer by way of response. Amazingly, Heinz attacks Ryrie based ON HIS OWN
MISREADING AND MISQUOTING Ryrie’s book. Heinz has conveniently quoted Ryrie out
of context. Here is the FULL quotation taken from p. 239 (not 236!) so as to see
what Ryrie actually wrote:
1. His
identity as Angel of Yahweh. Clearly the Angel of Yahweh is a
self-manifestation of Yahweh, for He speaks as God, identifies Himself with
God, and claims to exercise the prerogatives of God (Gen. 16:7-12;
21:17-18; 22:11-18; Ex. 3:2; Jud. 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-24; 13:3-22; 2 Sam. 24:16;
Zech. 1:12; 3:1; 12:8). Yet He is distinguished from Yahweh (Gen. 24:7; Zech.
1:12-13). That He is a member of the Trinity is indicated by the fact that the
appearances of the Angel of Yahweh cease after the Incarnation. This is
confirmed by the Old Testament statement that the Angel of God accompanied
Israel when they left Egypt (Ex. 14:19; cf. 23:20) and the New Testament
statement that the Rock who followed Israel was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4).
(Ryrie, Basic Theology [Victor Books, 1982], p. 239; bold and italic
emphasis ours)
Ryrie says
elsewhere:
As
discussed in chapter 40, the Angel of Yahweh is a Christophany, a preincarnate
appearance of Christ. The Angel speaks as God, identifies Himself with God,
and exercises the prerogatives of God (Gen. 16:7-12; 21:17-18; 22:11-18;
Ex. 3:2; Jud. 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-24; 13:3-22; 2 Sam. 24:16; Zech. 1:12; 3:1;
12:8). Appearances of the Angel cease after the incarnation of Christ which
supports conclusions that He was the preincarnate Christ. (Ibid., p. 130; bold
emphasis ours)
In his
section on the Triunity of God, Ryrie writes:
Though
THIS MAY REFER TO ANY OF GOD’S ANGELS (1 Kings 19:7; cf. v. 5), sometimes
that Angel is referred to as God, yet distinguished from Him (Gen. 16:7-13;
18:1-21; 19:1-28; Mal. 3:1). This points to personal distinctions within the
Godhead. Since the Angel is called God, He could hardly be only a prophet,
functioning in pre-prophetic times as the prophets did in later times as the
prophets did in later times (as Edmund Jacob suggests in Theology of the
Old Testament, pp. 75-76). (Ibid., pp. 51-52; bold and capital emphasis
ours)
That Ryrie
is also aware of the NT appearances of AN angel of the Lord can be seen from his
comments regarding the activity of angels during the earthly life of Christ:
2.
Announcement. An angel announced His birth to the shepherds and was then
accompanied in praise by a multitude of angels (Luke 2:8-15).
1.
Warning. An angel warned Joseph and Mary to flee to Egypt to escape
Herod’s wrath (Matt. 2:13-15).
2.
Direction. An angel directed the family to return to Israel after Herod
died (vv. 19-21). (Ibid., pp. 131-132)
These
citations show that Ryrie is clearly aware that there are other angels who are
called the/an angel of the Lord. After reading Ryrie’s statements IN CONTEXT, it
is quite clear what Ryrie meant regarding this Angel ceasing to appear after the
Incarnation. After the birth of the Lord Jesus, you will not find any angel
speaking as God, identifying himself as God, and/or exercising the prerogatives
of God. We therefore challenge Heinz TO PRODUCE NT CITATIONS WHERE AN ANGEL
SPEAKS AND ACTS AS GOD, AS WELL AS CLAIMING TO HAVE THE VERY PREROGATIVES OF GOD
IN THE SAME WAY THAT THE ANGEL OF YAHWEH DOES IN THE OT.
In light of
the foregoing, it is quite obvious that Heinz has either deliberately twisted
Ryrie’s words and/or misunderstood what he actually meant. Therefore, can we
believe ANYTHING Heinz says regarding the Trinity, when he is willing to lie and
twist primary sources to suit his purposes?
Heinz next
quotes Elwell:
"He is distinguished from God in that God refers to the angel (Ex 23:23;
32:34) and speaks to him (2 Sam 24:16; 1 Chron 21:27) and the angel speaks to
Yahweh (Zech 1:12). The evidence for the view that the angel of the Lord is a
preincarnate appearance of Christ is basically analogical and false short of
it being conclusive. The NT does not clearly show make that identification."
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology by Elwell, p. 62
RESPONSE:
As we had
noted in our initial response, Heinz is fond of committing the fallacy of
appealing to authority (argumentum ad verecundiam). We had stated that
one way a person commits this fallacy is by appealing to certain experts, while
failing to note that other experts disagree with those cited. In other words,
since experts in the field disagree on an issue to appeal to one group of
experts proves absolutely nothing.
The fact of
the matter is that biblical scholars do not all agree over the precise identity
of the Angel of Yahweh, something which can be seen from Elwell’s book. For
example, contributing author T.E. McComiskey states:
“Many
understand the angel of the Lord as a true theophany. From the time of Justin
on, the figure has been regarded as the preincarnate Logos. It is BEYOND
QUESTION that the angel of the Lord MUST BE IDENTIFIED in some way with
God (Gen. 16:13; Judg. 6:14; 13:21-22), yet he is distinguished from God
in that God refers to the angel (Exod. 23:23; 32:34) and speaks to him (2 Sam.
24:16; 1 Chron. 21:27) and the angel speaks to Yahweh (Zech. 1:12).
The
evidence for that the angel of the Lord is a preincarnate appearance of Christ
is basically analogically and falls short of being conclusive. The NT does not
clearly make that identification. It is best to see the angel AS A
SELF-MANIFESTATION OF YAHWEH in a form that would communicate his immanence
and direct concern to those whom he ministered.” (Elwell, Evangelical
Dictionary of Theology [Baker Book House; 2nd edition, May 2001], p. 62;
bold and capital emphasis ours)
Contributor
J.C. Moyer disagrees. Under the heading Theophany, Moyer writes:
“… Some
label the _expression ‘angel of the Lord’ or ‘angel of God’ as a theophanic
angel. These _expression occur more than fifty times in the OT; some of the most
important passages include Exodus 23:20-23; 32:34; and Isaiah 63:9. Various
interpretations have been suggested including an appearance of God himself, an
appearance of a messenger or one of God’s many angels, and an appearance of the
preincarnate Christ. Each interpretation has difficulties, and there is no
consensus.” (Ibid., p. 1191)
The problem
is far from solved. Elwell also edited Baker’s Theological Dictionary of the
Bible. On p. 770, under the heading Theophany, contributing writer
William C. Williams claims:
“Manifestation of God that is tangible to the human senses. In its most
restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period
often, but not always, in human form. Some would also include in this term
Christophanies (preincarnate appearances of Christ) and angelophanies
(appearances of angels). In the latter category are found the appearances of the
angel of the Lord, which some have taken as Christophanies, reasoning that since
the angel speaks for God in the first person (Gen. 16:10) and the human
addressed often attributes this experience to God directly (Gen. 16:13), the
angel must therefore be the Lord or the preincarnate Christ. Yet, though the
angel is clearly identified with the Lord, he is distinguished from him (he is
called ‘angel,’ meaning ‘messenger’; similar patterns of identification and
distinction can be seen in Genesis 19:1, 21; 31:11, 13; Exod. 3:2, 4; Judg.
2:1-5; 6:11-12, 14; 13:3, 6, 8-11, 13, 15-17, 20-23; Zech. 3:1-6; 12:8). In the
ancient oriental world, a king’s messenger spoke in the name of the king. Any
insult to the king himself (cf. Hanun’s treatment of David’s embassy, 2 Sam.
10:1-4; 1 Chron. 19:2-6). There seems, therefore, no necessity to posit a
theophany for the angel of the Lord. In Joshua 5:13-6:5, the conquest narrative
is interrupted by the abrupt appearance of a being who calls himself the
‘commander of the army of the Lord’ (5:14). To interpret this event as an
encounter with God oR with the preincarnate Christ forces the text. Angels were
sent on missions of this kind (Judg. 6:11, 13:3), and some were identified as
captains over heavenly armies (Dan. 10:5, 20; 12:1). While there are no
indisputable Christophanies in the Old Testament, every theophany wherein God
takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, both in matters of grace and
judgment.” (Baker Theological Dictionary of the Bible, edited by Walter
A. Elwell [Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI, 1996], p. 770;
http://bible1.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary/bed.cgi?number=T690)
In the same
volume we find contributor Louis Goldberg disagreeing with Williams! The former
writes:
Angel
of the Lord. (Heb., mal’ak yehwah). Supernatural being who bears a
message on behalf of God. In many passages in the Old Testament, the angel of
the Lord is identified with God, while in other instances a distinction is
made between the Lord and the angel. In general, however, the terms ‘the angel
of the Lord,’ ‘the Lord,’ and ‘God’ are interchangeable.
The angel
of the Lord is the messenger of both good and evil. He comes to Hagar after she
has fled from the abusive Sarai (Gen. 16:7-14) to assure her that God has heard
about her misery and that her descendants will be too numerous to count. She
names him ‘You are the God who sees me’ (v. 13). The angel of the Lord
pronounces a curse on the people of Meroz, because they refused to come to the
help of the Lord (Judg. 5:23).
The angel
of the Lord executes judgment on behalf of the Lord. He puts to death 185,000
Assyrian soldiers in their camp, thereby saving Jerusalem from decimation (2
Kings 19:35).
The angel
of the Lord both commissions and commends God’s servants. The commander of the
Lord’s army commissions Joshua to undertake the Lord’s battles for Canaan,
just as Moses had been commissioned to confront Pharaoh (Josh. 5:13-15; cf.
Exod. 3:5). The angel of the Lord appears to Abraham. He stops Abraham from
sacrificing Isaac and commends him because he has not withheld his only son
from God (Gen. 22:11-18). Abraham identifies the angel as God, calling the
place ‘The LORD Will Provide.’
The angel
of the Lord carries out a ministry of reconciliation. He asks how long God
will withhold mercy from Jerusalem and Judah (Zech. 1:12).
The
connection between the angel of the Lord and the preincarnate appearances of
the Messiah CANNOT BE DENIED. Manoah meets the angel of the Lord, and declares
that he has seen God. The angel accepts worship from Manoah and his wife as no
mere angel, and refers to himself as ‘Wonderful,’ the same term applied to the
coming deliverer in Isaiah 9:6 (Judg. 13:9-22). The functions of the angel of
the Lord in the Old Testament prefigure the reconciling ministry of Jesus. In
the New Testament, there is no mention of the angel of the Lord; THE MESSIAH
HIMSELF IS THIS PERSON.” (Ibid., p. 23-
http://bible1.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary/bed.cgi?number=T33;
capital emphasis ours)
This means
that instead of quoting authorities, one must prove their case from the Holy
Bible. Once this is done, it becomes rather evident that the Angel is indeed
Yahweh God.
Heinz
concludes with some comments from the NIV Study Bible:
"Traditional Christian interpretation has held that this 'angel' was a
preincarnate manifestation of Christ as God's messenger-Servant. It may be,
however, that, as the Lord's personal messenger who represented him
and bore his credentials, the angel could speak on behalf of the
(an so be identified with) the One who sent him (see
especially 19:21; cf. 18:2, 22; 19:2). Whether this 'angel' was the second
person of the Trinity remains therefore uncertain." NIV Study Bible, Genesis
16:7]
Again, this
is simply another example of appealing to authority and simply demonstrates that
scholars are not unanimous in their views. Yet, do note the NIV’s statement
carefully:
"Traditional
Christian interpretation has held that this 'angel' was a
preincarnate manifestation of Christ as God's messenger-Servant…
Amazingly,
Heinz failed to quote the one source that is far more authoritative for him as a
JW then all the others he has cited; a source which concedes the plausibility of
the Traditional Christian interpretation. Insight on the Scriptures writes:
“Doubtless
on many occasions during his prehuman existence as the Word, Jesus acted as
Jehovah’s Spokesman to persons on earth. While certain texts refer to Jehovah as
though directly speaking to humans, other texts make clear that he did so
through an angelic representative. (Compare Ex 3:2-4 with Acts 7:30, 35; also Ge
16:7-11, 13, 22:1, 11, 12, 15-18.) Reasonably, in the majority of such cases
God spoke through the Word. He likely did so in Eden, for on two of the
three occasions where mention is made of God’s speaking there, the record
specifically shows someone with Him, undoubtedly his Son. (Ge 1:26-30; 2:16, 17;
3:8-19, 22) The angel who guided Israel through the wilderness and whose voice
the Israelites were strictly to obey because ‘Jehovah’s name was within him,’ may therefore have been God’s Son, the Word.- Ex 23:20-23; compare Jos
5:13-15.’” (Insight, vol. 2, p. 53; bold emphasis ours)
And:
“In a
similar way God’s firstborn Son doubtless served as the Mouth, or Spokesman, for
his Father, the great king of Eternity. He was God’s Word of communication for
conveying information and instructions to the Creator’s other spirit and human
sons. It is reasonable to think that prior to Jesus’ coming to earth, on many of
the occasions when God communicated with humans he used the Word as his
angelic mouthpiece. (Ge 16:7-11; 22:11; 31:11; Ex 3:2-5; Jg 2:1-4; 6:11, 12;
13:3) Since the angel that guided the Israelites through the wilderness had
‘Jehovah’s name within him,’ he may have been God’s Son, the Word.- Ex
23:20-23; see JESUS CHRIST (Prehuman Existence).” (Ibid., p. 1203; bold emphasis
ours)
Hence, even
the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society concedes the possibility that the Angel
is none other than the preincarnate Christ!
For more
information regarding the biblical evidence which supports the view that this
Angel is Yahweh God, and that he is indeed the preincarnate Christ, we recommend
the following articles:
http://www.answering-islam.org.uk/Responses/Menj/tam1.htm
http://www.christian-thinktank.com/trin02.html
http://christian-thinktank.com/nothe.html
http://www.answering-islam.org/Who/angel_of_the_lord.html
http://www.tektonics.org/aotl.html
http://www.jewsforjesus.org/library/issues/14-06/similarities.htm
http://www.jewsforjesus.org/library/issues/02-09/angel.htm
http://www.jewsforjesus.org/library/issues/14-06/messenger.htm
