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The New Testament plainly tells us that Jesus was present at the creation of the world and was in fact the One through whom God created the world.
The apostles do not really explain how it is that they deduced that Jesus was there at the beginning and that it was through him that God created the world. However, knowing that their doctrines were derived strictly from scriptures [Luk 24:25-26,27; Rom 16:25; 1Co 4:6; 1Pe 1:18-21], a correct understanding of the Scriptures, i.e., the Old Testament, will lead to the very same conclusion.
The One who created Heaven and Earth is plainly stated, over and over again, to be Yahweh. This fact that Yahweh created the Heavens and Earth is a fact almost taken for granted in Scriptures. It is the foundation of our religion.
The first chapter of Scriptures, the opening account of creation refers to the Creator of the World as "Elohim", i.e., God [Gen 1:1]. Now, while this account does not refer to God as Yahweh the next chapter does.
In the chapter that follows after it, the Creator, who in this account is called by the Name "Yahweh Elohim" [Gen 2:4,5,7]. In this account, which focuses on the Adam and Garden of Eden, Yahweh Elohim, (or the LORD God), created,
So, according to the Creation Account of Genesis, Yahweh is the God who created all things.
That Yahweh is the Elohim of the first opening account of Creation is certain. Genesis progresses
Yahweh who appeared to Abraham and called him to go to Canaan is called by Stephen "the God of Glory".
“The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.” [Act 7:2 cf., Psa 29:3]
Understanding the meaning of the Name "Yahweh" and considering the mighty power demonstrated by the bearer of the Name, the Angel of Yahweh appearing to Moses and speaking to him on Mount Sinai basically stated that he was the One (through whom God) created the world.
The Name "Yahweh", as revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai by the Angel of Yahweh means that “The Being who brings things into being” [Exo 3:14]. This is quite popularly translated as “I AM THAT I AM” or its variants and so conceals the true meaning of the words and of the Name "Yahweh".
Apparently, Yahweh means “the Being that Brings Into Being”.
True to the meaning of the Name Yahweh, Yahweh (in the person of the Angel of Yahweh) beginning from Mount Sinai, in the land of Egypt and in the Wilderness demonstrated creation power, power over all things.
Scripturally/Spiritually, one of the defining characteristics or attributes of gods is power, and power, for them is not power to wrestle but power over nature.
What Yahweh demonstrated through Moses to the Worlds is that His power as God is unlimited, that He has power over all nature. Others gods have power but their power is not as great or far-reaching as Yahweh's power.
Like Yahweh, the gods that Egypt served could change rods into live snakes. However, unlike Yahweh, their rods/snakes were no match for Yawheh's.
Like Yahweh, the gods of Egypt could turn water into blood and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt. Nevertheless, when Yahweh did these things, they could not reverse them showing that Yahweh's power over nature is greater than theirs.
Apart from the first three miraculous signs that Yahweh performed in the land of Egypt, the goods of Egypt could not reproduce any of the miracles that Yahweh performed. Yahweh demonstrated absolute power over all nature--over water, the animals, creation of living things, over the dust of the ground, changing even the dust into insects, controlling the heavens and bringing darkness upon the land and so on.
Really, Yahweh's point in the power He demonstrated in bringing Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land is that He, Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the true God, the Creator of the World.
Keeping in mind that it is the Angel of Yahweh speaking to Moses, and whose name, as stated over and over, is Yahweh, the point is that the Angel of Yahweh has Creation Power.
And if the point of the demonstration of Yahweh's power is that the One exercising the power is the Creator of the World, then it means that Exodus is teaching that the Angel of Yahweh who in the Burning Bush appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai created the World.
By Yahweh's own testimony, the sons of God (or angels) were present at the creation of the world [Job 38:4-7]. If the sons of God were present, then the Angel of Yahweh was certainly present.
Now, the unrivaled power possessed by the Angel of Yahweh, as demonstrated in the account of Exodus and beyond, indicates that he is superior in power to the other sons of God. But more than simply being superior in power to the others, the testimony of Exodus is that it was through him that God created the world.
In His words to Job, speaking of the creation of the World, Yahweh asks Job,
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?” [Job 38:4-5]
These words reveal that someone served Yahweh in the Creation of the World. This person "marked off its dimensions" and "stretched a measuring line across it".
Jesus is called "Lord of Glory" [1Co 2:8]
Since
With bitterness archers attacked him [Joseph]; they shot at him with hostility. 24But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of Shaddai, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. [Gen 49:23-25]
Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my Shepherd all my life to this day, 16the Angel who has delivered me from all harm—may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth.” [Gen 48:15-16]
In these words, Jacob declares the Angel of Yahweh to be his God and the God of Abraham and Isaac. He declares the Angel of Yahweh to be his Shepherd.
I think there are, at least, two important points to be made from the account of the wrestling of Jacob and the Angel
From the words of Jacob above, we can see that the following are all One and the same person,
(Quite plainly, Daniel reveals the name of the Captain of Hosts who Appeared to Joshua to be Michael--the One who appeared to Joshua is the Archangel Michael.)
There are significant similarities between the Angel of Yahweh and the Archangel Michael (i.e., the Captain of Israel who appeared to Joshua)
Since both
With regard to the Name Yahweh, the only way that Michael and the Angel of Yahweh would be different angels is if the Name Yahweh is not unique to the Angel of Yahweh but can and is born by other angels. If the Name Yahweh is unique to the Angel of Yahweh, then since Michael bears the Holy Name Yahweh, Michael is the Angel of Yahweh whom Jacob and Moses knew and loved.
Since both the Angel of Yahweh and the Glory of Yahweh dwelled in the Cloud, they are one and the same.
That is THE ANGEL OF YAHWEH WAS/IS THE GLORY OF YAHWEH IN THE (PILLAR OF) CLOUD (AND FIRE)
The One who created Heaven and Earth is plainly stated, over and over again, to be Yahweh. This fact that Yahweh created the Heavens and Earth is a fact almost taken for granted in Scriptures. It is the foundation of our religion.
The first chapter of Scriptures, the opening account of creation refers to the Creator of the World as "Elohim", i.e., God [Gen 1:1]. Now, while this account does not refer to God as Yahweh the next chapter does.
In the chapter that follows after it, the Creator, who in this account is called by the Name "Yahweh Elohim" [Gen 2:4,5,7]. In this account, which focuses on the Adam and Garden of Eden, Yahweh Elohim, (or the LORD God), created,
So, according to the Creation Account of Genesis, Yahweh is the God who created all things.
That Yahweh is the Elohim of the first opening account of Creation is certain. Genesis progresses
The following lists are not exhaustive but are sufficient to demonstrate that the Creation of the World, i.e., heaven and earth and all in them, is Yahweh.
The EXACT COPY of a KEY can do everything the ORIGINAL can.
These names, combined with the peculiarity and superiority of the Angel of Yahweh to other angels, signify that he is God's Image and Likeness like no other.
These all indicate that he is God's exact COPY or image.
Yahweh brought the flood on the world as an act of judgment on the world because of their sins [Gen 6:3,5-7; 8:21].
Many, many years after the flood, Abraham referred to the Yahweh who appeared to him as "the Judge of All the Earth" [Gen 18:25].
Abraham, therefore, associates the Yahweh that appeared to him as the one who brought on the flood upon the world in judgment of men's sins.
Yahweh judged the earth,
"...Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building." [Gen 11:5]
Compare to
The Angel of Yahweh is Michael by
The Archangel Michael did everything God said the Angel that He was sending ahead of Israel would do.
God's word to Moses and Israel concerning the Angel of Yahweh was
According to Micah [Mic 2:14-15], the Angel of Yahweh will be the first to rise from the dead. And by his resurrection, he will make the resurrection of other Israelites possible.
“I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. 13One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, Yahweh at their head.” [Mic 2:14-15]
According to the Prophet Micah, the King of Israel who will pass through the gates (of Sheol/Hades) before them is the Yahweh who was at their head in the wilderness. The Yahweh at the head of Israel was the Angel of Yahweh [Exo 13:21-22; 14:19; 23:20-23; Isa 63:9]
Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on Yahweh and he answered them. 7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them. 8O Yahweh our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds. [Psa 99:6-8]
According to these verses, Samuel met with the One who was in the Pillar of Cloud. This means that the one who spoke with Samuel [1Sa 3:10,21,4-14,19-21] was in fact the same person in the Pillar of Cloud in the wilderness, the One with whom Moses and Aaron related.
Since the Angel of Yahweh, the Presence of Yahweh/God, the Glory of Yahweh was the One in the Pillar of Cloud, then it means that he was the same person who spoke to Samuel. Therefore, the Angel of Yahweh was still guiding Israel even after they had taken possession of the promised land.
This, however, is not a revelation because this is already established in the Book of Judges.