Christ Preincarnate

[StealthCJDB]

so at my Church one thing that is occasionaly talked about by the pastor during sermons is the "angel of the Lord". He'll say like "...angel of the Lord... which some theologians believe is the preincarnate version of Jesus". every time someone says this I think hmm, is that right?
some different verses are
Gen16:7 Jud19:18 2Sam 2:17 Is 37:36
one night i realized something, didnt Joseph recieve a visit from an angel of the Lord or was it Gabriel
so i looked it up and sure enough
After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.” Matt 2:13
how can this be the preincarnate Christ (not saying there is one or is not one) when Jesus is right there as a baby
can anyone tell me where this theology came from and if they have any good thoughts on it

 

[Travis]

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:1-5​

Jesus is the Word of God. He has always been and always will be.

The Word took on human flesh. But, he existed before he did so.

"Before Abraham was, I Am"

Blessings,

Travis

 

[Waggles]

can anyone tell me where this theology came from and if they have any good thoughts on it

I don't know why there is confusion on "the angel of the Lord"... God/Jesus throughout history often sent angels as messengers to speak to prophets and others;
as well as enact severe punishments such as you described and the death plague on Egypt's first born. Revelation also gives insight to angels being responsible
for angels carrying out orders of judgments. They are more than just messengers bringing news from HQ...

As for Jesus existing before his human birth, the Scriptures are pretty clear in both Old and New Testaments that it has always been Jesus who is the Saviour to humankind.
In fact nowhere in the Old Testament is God the LORD (I AM) identified as being the Father and not the Son.
The LORD is often identified as the Redeemer both for Israel and for strangers.

Clearly in the Gospel of John, Jesus gives himself the title of I AM (seven times) - I am the bread of life; I am the light of the world; I am the truth, etc. etc.
Also Proverbs chapter 8 is about Jesus being with the Father when the world was created.
The epistles refer to Jesus' pre-existence and involvement in the creation of the world and the universe.
Paul writes that Jesus thought in not robbery (or loss) that he gave up his power and glory in Heaven to come down to Earth in the form of a human being
for the purpose of bringing salvation into the world and defeating Satan.
Jesus as God could atone spiritually for all the sins of the world (that is for millions and millions of people) which no human being alone could possibly achieve.
One cannot be born as a human being and then what be taken up to Heaven and become God.
In Revelation again Jesus refers to himself as being outsdide of time, He who was and is and will always be... the beginning and the end...

In truth the ONLY God the we humans know is Jesus as LORD and our Saviour. Nobody as yet knows the names of either our Father in Heaven nor of the Holy Spirit.