| Although some would argue that the angel of the Lord is not preincarnate Jesus, we could also argue that the Lord has always had a physical presence in heaven to complement His Spirit presence. That physical presence is the one whom the angels of heaven interact with. It is that physical presence that spoke the creation into existence.
There are only a few instances of the angel of the Lord reference in the New Testament. Most of them have to do with the announcement of Jesus' birth. The only one that is difficult is the one where the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Since this is a dream and not a physical appearance there is no problem with considering the angel of the Lord as being Jesus.
The purpose of this argument is to bring clarity to the fact that there is only one God and His name is Jesus. The different references to God in the Old Testament are by virtue of the fact that Jesus had not yet appeared to implement His plan of salvation. So, the people were being taught about aspects of His character and expectations in terms that their primitive understanding could grasp.
That 'the angel of the Lord' is Jesus is not doctrine.
To illustrate the clarity and power of grasping the oneness of the Lord, the verses below have had 'the angel of the Lord' replaced with 'Jesus'. And Jesus said unto her, Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hands. |
And Jesus said unto her, I will multiply your seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. |
And Jesus called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. |
And Jesus appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. |
And the Lord's anger was kindled because he went: and Jesus stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.  |
And the ass saw Jesus standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam struck the ass, to turn her into the way. |
But Jesus stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. |
And when the ass saw Jesus, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he struck her again. |
And Jesus went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. |
And when the ass saw Jesus, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the ass with a staff. |
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw Jesus standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. |
And Jesus said unto him, Wherefore have you struck your ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand you, because your way is perverse before me: |
And Balaam said unto Jesus, I have sinned; for I knew not that you stood in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease you, I will get me back again. |
And Jesus said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto you, that you shall speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. |
And Jesus appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour. |
Then Jesus put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then Jesus departed out of his sight. |
And Jesus appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, you are barren, and bear not: but you shall conceive, and bear a son. |
And Jesus said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. |
And Manoah said unto Jesus, I pray you, let us detain you, until we shall have made ready a kid for you. |
And Jesus said unto Manoah, Though you detain me, I will not eat of your bread: and if you will offer a burnt offering, you must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord. |
And Jesus said unto him, Why asks you thus after my name, seeing it is secret? |
For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that Jesus ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. |
But Jesus did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.  Again, this is not preincarnate Jesus appearing to Manoah but an angel of the Lord. |
And Jesus came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for you. |
But Jesus said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a god in Israel, that you go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?  |
And Jesus said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. |
And it came to pass that night, that Jesus went out, and struck in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. |
And David lifted up his eyes, and saw Jesus stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. |
Then Jesus commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. |
But David could not go before it to enquire of the Lord: for he was afraid because of the sword of Jesus.  |
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let Jesus chase them. |
Then Jesus went forth, and struck in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. |
And they answered Jesus that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sits still, and is at rest. |
And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before Jesus, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. |
And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And Jesus stood by. |
And Jesus protested unto Joshua, saying, |
In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as the Lord, as Jesus before them.  |
But while he thought on these things, behold, Jesus appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take unto you Mary your wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. |
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as Jesus had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:  Joseph honored the Word of the Lord and so he honored Mary and Jesus. |
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for Jesus descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. |
And, lo, Jesus came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were very much afraid. |
But Jesus by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, |
And Jesus spoke unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goes down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. |
And, behold, Jesus came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he struck Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. |
And immediately Jesus struck him, because he gave not the Lord the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up His Holy Spirit.  |
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