Angels Or Agents?
By Jonathan Mitchell
This investigation launches from Mark 12 where Jesus begins a response to a question, posed to Him by some Sadducees, about a fictional situation of a woman who had been successively married to seven men, who had one-after-another died, and then the woman died. They ask Jesus,
"In the resurrection, then, whenever they may be rising (or: standing) up, of which of them will she continue being a wife - you see, the seven had (possessed) her as a wife?" (Mk. 12:23).
We will focus on the term, "agent/messenger," in this investigation. What are these agents, where did they come from, and what is their function? On offer, here, is an excerpt from a book on the Gospel of Mark that we plan to publish at some future date. We are not making an exhaustive study, but offer the thoughts, below, as a catalyst for rethinking the traditional teachings about "angels." We begin with Jesus' response to the above question.
25. "For whenever they can be standing up again (or: should be rising up) from out of the midst of dead ones, men neither continue marrying (taking wives), nor [are women] continuing being given in marriage, but to the contrary, they continue existing as agents - within the atmospheres (or: constantly exist as messengers in the midst of the heavens; or: progressively exist as folks with the message, centered in the skies)!
The first, dependent clause affirms that there is a resurrection
"from out of the midst of dead ones."
But in this realm of resurrected life,
"men neither continue marrying (taking wives), nor [are women] continuing being given in marriage."
Does this sound a little like,
"Within [Him; us], there is not (there does not exist) Jew nor Greek (or: Hellenist); within, there is not (does not exist) slave nor freeman; within, there is not (does not exist) 'male and female'; for it follows that, you folks all exist being one within Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28)?
Being "within Christ" is living in resurrection Life (Jn. 11:25), the Anointed Life of the Vine (Jn 15:1ff).
Then He continued:
"they continue existing as agents, within the atmospheres,"
or,
"constantly exist as messengers in the midst of the heavens,"
or,
"progressively exist as folks with the message, centered in the skies."
These three renderings offer the literal semantic ranges of angelos and ouranos. Notice the plurals: atmospheres; heavens; skies. Paul knew a man that was caught up into the "third atmosphere, sky, heaven" (2 Cor. 12:2).
In this verse, and the parallel passage in Mt. 22:30b, there is no definite article before the noun agents. They are NOT as THE agents, but rather, "they continue existing AS agents/messengers." Being agents/messengers is their resurrected existence - in the atmospheres of the earth. Thus are they always at hand to function as God's agents. This would very likely be why they often appeared as human beings. We will take a short diversion, for the next six pages, to begin with the book of Genesis and see where/how the term "agent" is used in the Hebrew text, and observe the function, description and God-associations that we find in the beginnings of creation and of Israel, and then we will continue our investigation into the NT...
In the first appearance of the Hebrew word for "agent/messenger" in the Hebrew OT (Gen. 16:7-14), "the Agent of Yahweh" found Hagar, "by a fountain of water in the wilderness," after she fled from harsh treatment by Sarai, and He spoke with her, telling her to return and to submit to Sarai. Then in vs.10-11, "the Agent of Yahweh said to her,
'I will multiply your seed exceedingly.... Behold, you are with child and shall bear a son and shall call his name Ishmael (meaning: God shall hear), because Yahweh has heard your affliction."
Now do we find an echo of this in Lu. 1:26-38, the "Annunciation to Mary"? In Gen. 16:13, Hagar
"called the Name of Yahweh THAT SPOKE to her, 'You God see me,' for she said, 'Have I also here looked at Him that sees me?'"
Hagar named that fountain
"The fountain (or: well) of the Living One who sees me."
So, from that text, "the Agent of Yahweh" is identified as being Yahweh.
We next find the word "agent" in Gen. 19:1, where
"two agents came to Sodom, in the evening."
But that story begins in 18:1, where Yahweh appeared to Abraham. In vs. 2, Abraham
"lifted up his eyes and looked, and consider this: three MEN were standing before him."
Abraham prepared a meal and "they ate." In 18:21, Yahweh said that He will go down to Sodom, but in vs. 22, "the men" left and went to Sodom, while
"Abraham still stood before Yahweh."
Notice the solidarity between Yahweh and the agents. In 18:33, Yahweh went His way as soon as He had finished communing with Abraham. Then we find the "two agent" at Sodom, in 19:1, then in 19:10 and 12 these agents are called "men," and then in 19:15 they are again called "agents."
In Gen. 21:17, the Agent of Yahweh called to Hagar, out of the atmosphere, telling her that He had
"heard the voice of the lad,"
and He told her that He
"will make him to be a great nation,"and then, in vs. 19, God opened her eyes
"and she saw a well of water."
In all of this, we observe an association and a correlation with God/Yahweh and the Agent of Yahweh.
We also observe agents spoken of as "men." In 22:11 and 15, "the Agent of Yahweh" called to Abraham, from out of the atmosphere. When Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac, he tells his servant that Yahweh
"will send His agent before you" (24:7, 40).
In 28:12 we find Jacob dreaming of God's agents ascending and descending upon a staircase between earth and the atmosphere. A similar scene is described by Jesus in Jn. 1:51. In Gen. 31:11 Jacob reports that the Agent of God spoke to him in a dream, then in 32:1 we read that
"the agents of God"
met Jacob, and in vs. 2 he interpreted them as being God's host, or army. The last place that we find the word "agent" in the book of Genesis, is in 48:16, where Jacob blesses Joseph's sons, in which twice he refers to God, and then refers to Him as
"the Agent rescuing me from all evil."
These are all the places where it speaks of an agent, or agents, in the book of Israel's beginnings. The term refers to the function of being an agent, or a messenger. It is sometimes used in referring to an encounter with God, and in the Abraham-Lot episode, they are described as men who wield God's power and do His bidding. All of these agents are associated with the atmosphere (or: sky; heaven) but appear to function upon the earth, in the affairs of humanity.
Right after the time of Israel wandering through the wilderness, for 40 years, and after Joshua had led the people across the Jordan (on dry ground, as with the passage through the Red Sea, with Moses), Joshua is encountered by Someone, just before the episode at Jericho. In Josh 5:13-15 we read:
"Now it came to be, when Joshua was at Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and consider this: a Man [was] standing in front of him with his sword drawn, in His hand. Joshua went to him and asked him, 'Are you for us or for our foes?' He replied, 'No. I [am] Chief of Yahweh's host (army); I have now come.... Then the Chief of Yahweh's host replied to Joshua. 'Drop off your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you [are] standing, it is holy (set-apart)'..." (CVOT; additions mine)
This Chief of Yahweh's host is not described as being an agent, but His description shows Him to be a functionary of God's Army, and He was within Joshua's atmosphere. Notice that His presence now made the place (ground) "holy" - a reprise of Moses' experience at the burning bush. And again, this Chief was
"a man (a male individual)."
Bullinger (The Companion Bible) footnotes the word "host," suggesting that this referred to "Israel, as Jehovah's host," citing Ex. 12:41b,
"that same day it came to be that all the hosts of Yahweh went out from the land of Egypt."
Then, in vs. 51, "And so it came to be that same day, that Yahweh did bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt, by their hosts (armies)." The word "Chief" can also mean "Prince." Here, Kaplan observes that Adam was God's First, Chief and Ruling Agent, in the Genesis story. Or, this person that met Joshua may have been the same one of whom we read in Dan. 12:1,
"In that era, Michael (One who is like God) shall stand up, the great Chief (Prince; Ruler) [who is] standing (or: presiding) over [the] sons of your People.... Now in that era, your People shall escape..."
In this (or these) figure (or figures) we can discern a picture of Christ as the Head of His body.
A beautiful reality is seen, although perhaps perceived as an enigma, in
"An agent (or: messenger) of Yahweh [is] encamping around folks revering Him, and He will liberate them" (Ps. 34:7).
A rendering of the LXX of this verse is,
"An agent from, or which is, [the] LORD (= Yahweh) will constantly pitch a camp in a circle around the folks habitually revering Him, and will repeatedly rescue them." (JM)
This may be speaking of the agent being circumstances, or people (whether those in our atmosphere, or those living among us). God can use anything in His creation as an agent for His will and His actions.
In Ps. 148:8 we read of,
"Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy wind: the things constantly building [from; on] His Blueprint (repeatedly performing His Word; progressively doing His Thought and Idea; habitually producing the Reason which is Him; continually preparing the Logos from Him)."
But how should we understand Ps. 78:49?
"He sent forth His swelling emotion of rushing passion into the midst of them; rushing passion and swelling emotion and squeezing pressure, a sending-forth (a dispatch) through misery-gushed, worthless and malevolent agents (or: unserviceable, painful and unprofitable messengers)." (LXX, JM)
These, again, could be people or circumstances, as corrective judgments. But another comforting verse is Ps. 91:11,
"Because, He will repeatedly implant goals in and among (impart inner directives to, for) His agents and messengers, concerning you, to thoroughly watch, closely guard, and carefully preserve and maintain you in safe keeping, within the midst of all your paths (ways; roads)."
Can you see the broad range of applications for the term "agents/messengers"? Parents are His agents in the raising of their children. Teachers can be the same. And even "the authorities," when needed, are God's agents - as Paul instructs us in Rom. 13:4b,
"Yet if you should be constantly doing the worthless (the evil; the base; the thing of poor quality; the ugly), be fearing with a healthy respect, for [the authority] is not purposelessly (aimlessly; vainly) continuing to bear the sword! For it is God's servant, a maintainer of what is right (an obtainer and executor of justice) into a fruitful fervor (to a strong personal emotion; unto an angry result; unto [its] personal bent) for (or: in; to) the person constantly practicing or performing the worthless (the ugly; the poor of quality; the evil)."
Throughout the rest of both the OT and NT, those agents of our atmosphere appear to function in a similar way (e.g., 1 Ki. 19:5, 7; 2 Ki. 1:3, 15; Dan. 3:28; 6:22; cf Zech. Chapters 1-6), as well as just delivering messages, or as in Revelation, conducting John through the visions of that book. However, this word is also occasionally used to simply refer to human beings: folks with a message. Following Jesus' resurrection, when the women visited the tomb,
"two adult men (human males), in clothing that was constantly flashing and radiating beams of light, stepped up suddenly and stood by them" (Lu. 24:4b).
Then, in Acts 1:10 we again find,
"two adult men (males of the human race) had taken a position and now stand beside them in bright white garments."
John 20:12 describes the event of Lu. 24:4b with the functional term:
"[Mary] continues intently gazing at and carefully observing (watching) two agents (or: messengers) in brilliant, shining white."
Now if the tradition that transliterates the Greek word for "agent/messenger" as "angel" is correct, why are they termed "men," and in two of these last quotes (from the same author, Luke), why does he use the specific word "two adult men (males of the human race)"? And why is there no story, in the OT or NT, of where/when God created a kind of being that tradition calls "angel"? But there IS a story of God making His agents, in Gen. 1:26-27, and then He imparted His goals and directives to them:
"And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and conquer it, and hold sway over the fish of the sea and the fowl of the heavens and every beast that crawls upon the earth.'" (Gen. 1:28)
Now we are aware of the many Jewish writings that were written during the post-Babylonian/Persian era (between the OT and NT) that have many descriptions of, and stories about, "agents." But we do not find these writings referenced by the NT writers in a definite way. Thus we, at this time, hold the view that the term is used to describe a function, not a "being" or an "entity" that has some "other-worldly" origin. We ask you to consider: what if the Hebrew word malak (agent; messenger) and the Greek word angelos (agent; messenger) had never been transliterated by the Greek angelos into the word "angel"? What if all through the Bible we only read of "agents" and "messengers" - be they referring to folks in our atmospheres, or to humans on the land? What, then, would have been our traditions? What, then, would have been our traditions? What then would be our worldviews?
In Heb. 1, notice that the context and setting of vss. 6-7 is the civilized world that is being inhabited by housed people:
6. Now again, when He would bring (or: But whenever He may again lead in) the Firstborn into the civilized world that is being inhabited by housed people, He is saying, "And so, let all God's agents (or: people with the message) give homage to Him (or: worship and reverence Him; kiss toward and doobeisance to Him; = show respect and give honor to Him)." [Ps. 97:7b; note: Firstborn may = Israel, Ex. 4:22, entering Canaan]
7. And then, on the one hand, to the agents (messengers; folks with the message) He is saying, "He is the One making His agents (messengers; folks with the message) spirits (or: Breath-effects), and His public servants a flame of fire." [Ps. 104:4]
This is an example of Hebrew parallelism - the second line being a restatement of the first, but in a different figure; the figure is a reference both to the priests, as "public servants," and to the called-out community, figured as the lampstand in the Tabernacle in Rev. 1:20, and referencing Acts 2:3 - there being "tongues as if of fire" burning on the lamps in the one case, and upon the people in the second case; the agents speak a message of words that are "spirit," the effect of the Breath. As noted in the text of Heb. 1:6, Ex. 4:22 declares that Israel was God's Firstborn, and so when God brought Israel into the Promised Land, all these agents that composed the tribes of Israel were to "give homage to Him."
In speaking about the Lord's incarnation, we read about humanity's partaking of flesh and blood, but then having to deal with "the fear of death." We find this in Heb. 2:
(or: that which throws folks into dualism with divided thinking and perceptions; or: the one that throws something through the midst and casts division; the one who thrusts things through folks; the slanderer who accuses and deceives; or, commonly called: the "devil"),
15. and would set them free (or: could fully change and transform these; or: should move them away to another [situation; existence]): as many as were through all of life held within slavery by fear of death (or: in fear, from death: or: with fear, which is death)!
16. For doubtless (or: assuredly; I hardly need say) it [i.e., fear of death] is not normally taking hold upon [the] messenger-agents (or: folks with the message), but even so it is repeatedly and progressively taking hold upon (seizing) Abraham's seed (= descendants).
In vs. 16, in the Greek text there is no expressed subject for the verb "taking hold upon." We read
"fear of death (or: in fear, from death: or: with fear, which is death)"
of vs. 15b as the logical antecedent for this verb, so I selected the pronoun "it [i.e., fear of death]," with the inserted explanation, as the subject for this verb. Fear did not take hold of "messenger-agents (or: folks with the message)" because they were awake to God's plan, having seen it from afar, and we read in Heb. 11 about the faith/trust in which they lived. Rendering the subject as "he," in both clauses of vs. 16, inserts an erroneous concept into the text that does not flow with the context - which was "death" and the "fear of it."
In my translations, the phrase "folks with the message" can often be seen as a reference to the sent-forth folks, or to the called-out covenant communities. The function of the word can be in the realm of human-to-human, but most often, in the Scriptures, these functions (agent/messenger) involve atmosphere-to-earth interactions, or heaven-to-people realms. The realm of God's reign and the realm of humans inter-penetrate. A good example of this came from Philip's immediate atmosphere,
"[An] agent of, from, or which was, [the] Lord [= Yahweh's messenger] spoke to Philip..." (Acts 8:26). In Acts 11:13, Peter reports how Cornelius "saw the agent (messenger) standing within his house, and then saying, 'Send off into Joppa, then send after Simon, the one now surnamed Peter..."
And then, in Acts 12:7,
"An agent of and from [the] Lord (or: [Christ's or Yahweh's] messenger) made a stand upon [the scene; D reads: stood by Peter], and light shown (or: a light shines) within the midst of the room (= prison cell). Now tapping Peter's side, he (she; it) raised him up, while saying, "Get up quickly!" Then his chains at once fell off from [his] hands."
But in Acts 12:23,
"an agent of [the] Lord [= Yahweh or Christ] from necessity struck him, in return for that [situation] - [since] he did not give the credit (or: glory) to God. Later, having come to be consumed (or: eaten) by worms, he expired (breathed out)."
These examples demonstrate the active interaction between the two realms of the atmosphere and the people on the land.
Now in Gal. 4:14b, Paul told those of Galatia,
"you took me in your arms and welcomed me as God's agent (or: messenger; Greek: angelos)..."
This lends insights to what Paul meant when, in 1 Cor. 6:3, he said,
"Have you not seen so as to know that we shall continue sifting, separating, evaluating and making decisions about agents (or: will continue judging messengers, i.e., folks with the message)?"
We see an example of this in 1 Cor. 14:29.
"Now let two or three prophets be speaking, one after another, and let the other folks continue thoroughly sifting and sorting so as to fully evaluate and reach a decision (or: judge)."
And now consider what has formerly seemed enigmatic, in Heb. 13:2,
"Be continuously unforgetful (or: = un-neglecting) of fondness and affection to strangers and foreigners (or: Don't forget hospitality and friendliness to unexpected guests)! For you see, through this, some folks were unaware (oblivious; unconscious) of at some point receiving agents (or: messengers) as guests."
Recall Abraham's hospitality to the three men, in Gen. 18, cited above: One of them was Yahweh. Furthermore, let us think again about to what Paul was referring, in 1 Tim. 5:21,
"I continue bearing complete and thorough witness (or: I habitually give evidence and testimony throughout) in the sight of God and of Christ Jesus and of the selected, picked out and chosen agents (or: messengers; folks with the message), to the end that you may keep watch on so as to guard these things apart from effects of fore-decisions (prejudgment; prejudice)..."
The term, "the selected, picked out and chosen (the 'elect')," is a phrase of Scripture that ordinarily refers to Christ, the called-out community, or a member of Christ's body (e.g., Isa. 42:1; 45:4; 65:9, 25; Rom. 8:33; Col. 3:12; Eph. 1:4; 1 Thes. 1:4; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:2; etc.).
The book of Revelation gives us a good example of the term "agent/messenger" being a reference to humans. In Rev. 2:1 we read: "To the agent which is (or: For the messenger belonging to; In the person with the message which corresponds to; For the agent of) the called-out community within Ephesus, write.
.." And then in Rev. 2:8, "And in and for the agent which is the called-out community within Smyrna, write..."
The same is in 2:12, 2:18, 3:1, 3:7, and 3:14. Then we have the classic example of this in Rev. 22:
8. And I, John, [am] the person progressively hearing and seeing these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to do obeisance (kiss toward; worship) in front of the feet of the agent [who] is progressively exhibiting (pointing out) these things to me.
9. And he is saying to me, "Look! No! (may =: Don't!) I am your fellow-slave, even of (belonging to; from among) your brothers - of (or: belonging to and from among) the prophets and of (even from among) those continuously keeping, observing and maintaining the words and messages of this scroll. Kiss face-to-face in, and with, God (or: do [your] obeisance to God)!"
The Greek word for Good News (Gospel; Message of goodness, ease and well-being) is eu-angel-ion. Observe that our word angel, as "message," is the core idea of this noun. All through the NT, this message of goodness is the result of the function of Christ and His agents.
Returning to the OT, as an example of how an agent functioned, we find in Nu. 22:22-35 the Agent of Yahweh interacting with the prophet Balaam:
"And God's anger was kindled, because he went, and so, an Agent of Yahweh stood in the path (stationed Himself in the road, or, way) to withstand (be satan to) him..." (vs. 22).
The atmosphere above, and enshrouding, the earth is filled with people that are on a different level of existence (cf Heb. 12:1, 22-24); the earth below is also filled with people whose spirits live in that upper level:
"Because of this, you atmospheres (or: heavens) - and the folks continuously tabernacling (or: normally living in a tent; presently encamping) within the midst of them - must continuously make yourselves glad (keep or develop a good frame of mind; rejoice). Woe to (or: Alas for; A tragedy into) the Land (or: earth) and the sea..." (Rev. 12:12).
Rev. 6:10b spoke of
"those habitually having an abode (dwelling) upon the Land (earth),"
which was a symbolic picture of the lower realm of mental/spiritual/emotional living, as contrasted to living in the atmospheres.
The three heavens was pictured by the pattern of the OT Tabernacle: the outer, fenced court (a figure of the first realm of heaven into which the People of Israel could enter to offer gifts and sacrifices; the holy place (a symbol of the second heaven, which was the first chamber of the Tabernacle, where only the priests could go); the holy of holies (a picture of the third heaven, which was the second chamber of the Tabernacle, where only the chief priest could go - cf Heb. chapter 9:1-28). Outside of that set-apart, enclosed place was the Land, the earth where the common people lived (a figure of "the earth").
A book could be written, following this line of thinking and perceptions, but we trust that this short post will be a catalyst for new investigations on the topic of "agents." Kaplan reminds us to remember Prov. 4:7,
"Wisdom [is] the principle thing, so get wisdom; and with all your 'getting' [of all the thoughts and Scriptures that have been laid out in this study], get understanding and insight."
We find it instructive for the worldview of the author that in the letter written from the community in Smyrna, in the middle of the 2nd century AD, called The Martyrdom of Polycarp, when folks were being tortured and killed for their faithfulness to Christ, the author says, "they were no longer men, but already agents" (2:3b). Yes, their lives sent forth a "message," but it seems that the author was viewing them as having already transitioned to be as those that Jesus described in Mk. 12:25, above. John P Meir concludes concerning the Essenes, at Qumran, "It was perhaps such an angelic existence that individual Qumranites were thought to pass, at death" (A Marginal Jew, Vol. III, Companions and Competitors, Double, 2001 p 633).
We will close this study with Acts 6:15,
"Then, staring intently at him (or: into [Stephen]), all the men presently sitting in the Sanhedrin (High Council) saw his face (and: countenance) as if [it were the] face of an 'agent' (or: countenance and presence of [God's] messenger)."
Was Luke referencing a commonly held perception of the correlation that folks made between humans and agents?
Jonathan
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