2-9 COME DOWN

We will suggest in Chapter 6 that when the Angels are spoken of as physically moving, they do literally move- they allow themselves to a large degree  to  be  bounded  by space. The ideas of God visiting men and coming down therefore often have an Angelic reference. The implication in these phrases that God has to come down in order to visit men and see how they are is obvious language of limitation and therefore often applies to Angels. The Hebrew for "come down" is often used to describe  literal physical movement.

 

- "The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men builded" at Babel. This language of limitation must be concerning the Angels, seeing that God is aware of all things. The Angelic response was "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language" (Gen. 11:5,7). This recalls  the Angels' words of Gen. 1:26 "Let us make man in our image".

 

- In the same way the Angels responded to news of Sodom's sins by saying "I (God manifest in the Angels) will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know" (Gen. 18:21). The two Angels were therefore sent to Sodom, and decided "We will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord" (Angelic language; e. g. Ex. 33:12 cp. 20); Gen. 19:13. God coming down was therefore in the form of the Angels sent to Sodom.

 

- Ex. 3:8 is very clear- the Angel in the burning bush says "I am come down to deliver" Israel.

 

- Many  passages  talk  of  the  Angel's  presence on Mount Sinai as God coming down there- e. g.  Ex. 19:11,20; Neh. 9:13

 

- The Angel in the pillar of cloud that spoke regularly to Moses is described as the Lord coming down to him (Num. 11:17,25; 12:5).

 

- 2 Sam. 22 is a chapter full of reference to God's manifestation through the Angels (see Chapter 3). Verse 10 describes God bowing the Heavens and coming down in this context. Similar passages are found in Ps. 18:9; 144:5.

 

- Elijah's commanding of fire to "come down" from Heaven to destroy the bands of men sent to capture him (2 Kings 1:10) was probably effected by Angelic means, similar to how "the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty Angels, in flaming fire (cp. Ps. 104:4) taking vengeance on them that know not God" (2 Thess. 1:7,8).

 

- Fire coming down from Heaven (e. g. 2 Chron. 7:1) to consume acceptable sacrifices probably refers to the Angels being made a flame of fire (Ps. 104:4) to consume the sacrifice. In 2 Chron. 7:1  this  would  be by  the  Angel  dwelling in the temple. The same scenario was probably seen in Eden, when the Angel cherubim consumed the sacrifices.

 

- Mic. 1:12 describes evil coming down from the Lord- created by God (Is. 45:7) by His "Angels of evil" (Ps. 78:49).