When many people hear about angels of the LORD (messengers of YHWH) speaking for YHWH they often think the angels (or messengers) are YHWH. This happens a lot with Trinitarians and modalists who read their preconceived belief that Jesus (Yehoshua) is YHWH into the bible. They believe that, since no one has seen the Father, if YHWH is seen by people, then it must be Jesus (Yehoshua).
Angels Are YHWH’s Messengers
But, by definition of the Hebrew word mal’akhim (angels), they can’t be YHWH, because malakhim are sent by YHWH with a message from Him. When people see angels, they’re not seeing the (invisible) Father physically, but they are hearing from the Father because He’s telling the angels what to say. This is how Jesus (Yehoshua), who was a messenger for YHWH, was the image of the Father. Everything he said and did was what he was commanded to say and do. He was a shaliah (ambassador) for the Father, coming in His “name”.
From Wikipedia:
“Hebrew mal’akh (מַלְאָךְ) is the standard word for “messenger”, both human and divine, in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), though it is rarely used for human messengers in Modern Hebrew as the latter is usually denoted by the term shaliyah (שליח). In the King James Bible, the noun mal’akh is rendered “angel” 111 times, “messenger” 98 times, “ambassadors” 4 times. The noun derives from the verbal consonantal root l-’-k (ל-א-ך), meaning specifically “to send with a message” and with time was substituted with more applicable sh-l-h.[3] In Biblical Hebrew this root is attested only in this noun and in the noun “Mel’akah” (מְלָאכָה), meaning “work”, “occupation” or “craftsmanship”.
The morphological structure of the word mal’akh suggests that it is the maqtal form of the root denoting the tool or the mean of performing it. The term Mal’akh therefore simply means the one who is sent, often translated as “messenger” when applied to humans; for instance, Mal’akh is the root of the name of the prophet Malachi, whose name means “my messenger”. In modern Hebrew, mal’akh is the general word for “angel”; it is also the word for “angel” in Arabic (malak ملاك), Aramaic and Ethiopic.”
It makes no sense to say YHWH sent Himself as a messenger for Himself.
If you want to send a message to someone, through a messenger, then you send the messenger. You don’t go yourself to deliver the message (because in that case no messenger was needed).
In Acts 3:19-23 Peter (Kefa) says that the LORD (YHWH) sent His anointed (Christ-ed) one, Jesus (Yehoshua), to speak for Him, and perform works for Him in order to fulfill Deuteronomy 18:15-19.
In Deuteronomy 18, YHWH says they spoke correctly to ask to not hear HIS voice anymore, so He said He would send someone else to talk for Him.
Deuteronomy 18:15 YHWH thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16 According to all that thou desiredst of YHWH thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again the voice of YHWH my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.” 17 And YHWH said unto me, “They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”
Then, of course, Jesus (Yehoshua) says he never spoke his own words, on his own authority, but only spoke as commanded to by his Father (YHWH) [John 12:49, John 7:16, John 8:26-27, John 14:10] letting us know he believed he was fulfilling that prophecy in Deut. 18, just like his disciples believed he was the prophet from Deut. 18. He never claimed to be YHWH, he claimed to be the one YHWH had anointed to speak for Him. He believed he was YHWH’s messenger, or shaliah.
Angels & Sheliḥim Speak For YHWH
The prophets were sheliḥim (plural form of Shaliah). Angels and sheliḥim can speak as if they were YHWH speaking.
Prophets speak for YHWH
For example, when Ezekiel was told to say the following to the people, it would have sounded like it was YHWH talking.
Ezekiel 7:1 The word of YHWH came to me: 2 “Son of man, this is what the Lord YHWH says to the land of Israel:
“ ‘The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land! 3 The end is now upon you, and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. 4 I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will surely repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. “ ‘Then you will know that I am YHWH.’
As Ezekiel spoke those words to the crowd, we know that they wouldn’t assume he was claiming to be YHWH in the flesh. It’s just that YHWH sent them angels and prophets so they wouldn’t have to hear from YHWH Himself.
Angels speak for YHWH
An angel spoke out of the burning bush, but the angel spoke for YHWH and said things the angel could not say unless the angel was YHWH’s messenger speaking as His mouthpiece…
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the LORD 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. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
Some suggest that since God is talking and Moses is afraid to look at God this is a contradiction since it just said the angel (messenger) of God was who appeared. Acts 7 says the same thing, the angel appeared, but the voice of the LORD (YHWH) came forth.
Acts 7:30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the LORD in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the LORD came unto him, 32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 Then said the LORD to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
Did the angel see the affliction of the people? Is the angel calling the Israelites “my people”? No. And this is not a contradiction when you understand that the angels and prophets can speak words for YHWH as His mouthpiece.
YHWH’s Messengers Broadcast The Word of God
You can think of the angels and prophets as portable radios, they were tuned into the correct station, that is the frequency that YHWH was broadcasting from, so they could pick up and share what He was saying. The “radios” (prophets/angels) were not coming up with the “Word of God” themselves, they were just broadcasting what they were picking up through the Spirit.
They were who the people saw, but the words they spoke were not their own. They spoke for the Father.
John 12:49 For I have not spoken on my own; but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”
YHWH’s Anointed Are To Be Respected As YHWH
If a prophet or angel of YHWH comes to see you and maybe give you a “Word of the LORD” or “Word of God” we’re supposed to treat these people as if they’re YHWH Himself. Most of the time, we don’t know who they are.
Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.
Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
We’ve been given greater instructions to treat everyone as if they are Christ, as YHWH had poured out His spirit on all flesh.
In the Tanakh (OT) they treated the anointed ones in this way. They were afraid to go against anyone who YHWH had anointed to do His work for Him. David spare’s Saul’s life:
1 Samuel 26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against YHWH’s anointed and be guiltless?” 10 David added, “As surely as YHWH lives, YHWH Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.
YHWH’s Anointed May Be “Worshiped”
Though some people try to claim Jesus (Yehoshua) had to be YHWH because he was “worshiped”. That doesn’t make any sense, since many men (and all believers) are “worshiped” in the bible. Kel from the Trinity Delusion channel did a good video about it. The English word “worship” means something very different from the Hebrew and Greek meaning of the word “worship”.
With the English word “worship” people think it means you’re saying the person you are bowing down before is the creator. In Hebrew and Greek it means showing respect, such as when we show respect to YHWH’s anointed ones (angels, priests, kings, and prophets). This is why King David got worshiped in 1 Chronicles 29:20.
1 Chronicles 29:20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise YHWH, your God.” So the whole assembly praised YHWH, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and worshiped YHWH and the king.
Some Examples of People Being Worshiped
Genesis 19:1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.
Genesis 23:7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites… 12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land
Isaac blesses Jacob so that he will be bowed down to by many:
Genesis 27:28 May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
Genesis 33:3 But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
1 Chronicles 29:20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise YHWH your God.” So the whole assembly praised YHWH, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to YHWH and to the king.
Psalm 5:7 But as for me, I will come into Thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy: and in Thy fear will I worship toward Thy holy temple.
The believers have those of the “synagogue of Satan” bow down before them.
Revelation 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Joseph has dreams about his family bowing down to him and then it actually happens:
Genesis 37:5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and bowed down to my sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11 And his brethren envied him; but his father kept in mind what he had said.
Genesis 42:6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the land, who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.
In the example with Joseph’s family we can see what they believed it meant to ‘worship” him. They believed that he would have “dominion” over them or “lord” over them one day. They didn’t believe he was the creator, but that YHWH anointed him. YHWH raised Joseph up to rule over his brethren, just as He raised Jesus (Yehoshua) up.
Just because someone is “bowed down to” or “worshiped” doesn’t mean they’re the creator. It just means that YHWH has placed that person or angel in a position of authority and people have respect or reverence for that authority because they were anointed by YHWH. When someone is anointed by YHWH, we treat them like YHWH because they’re doing His will and speaking for Him.
To “dis,” or disrespect, YHWH’s anointed is to disrespect YHWH. Jesus (Yehoshua) came in his Father’s name (authority), and if people rejected Christ, they were really rejecting YHWH, since Christ only spoke the words of YHWH. Then Jesus (Yehoshua) sent us to do the same thing for him. So when people reject us, it means they’re rejecting Christ.
We should be very careful with how we treat other people, because we never know when YHWH is using them to give us a message, or to see how we’ll treat them. The sheep and goats are separated over their reactions to strangers, because how you treat them shows how you would treat Christ.
According to the Essene Mirrors how people treat us is a reflection of who we are and how we treat others. When we allow ourselves to raise our frequency, we will start to notice the people around us treating us better too. We should be very careful with others if we’re inclined to be mean to another even if we think they deserve it, YHWH never would be. He doesn’t want anything bad to happen to anyone, including the wicked. He just wants them to repent, and Jesus (Yehoshua) told us to forgive even our enemies and those who would want to kill us, because they’re blind, they don’t know what they’re doing. So we should be merciful to the blind and pray their eyes will be opened.
