Not and Angel

The Commander of Yahweh’s armies appeared to Joshua—but who was this mysterious military man?

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’

‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’

The Commander of the LORD’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so (Joshua 5:13-15).

Joshua bowed before this man and the man accepted worship. That means that the man was not an angel. Good angels never receive worship. They deflect it because they want God to get it.

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, 'Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!' (Revelation 22:8-9)

Not God

Who was this man? He couldn’t have been God, because he referred to himself as ‘Commander of the army of Yahweh’ and not the ‘Commander of my army,’ which is what he would have said if he were God. That Commander spoke of God as another, and not as himself.

Another reason why this Commander could not have been the One God our Father is because Joshua saw him face-to-face. No man can see the Father’s face and live. ‘Joshua went up to him’ but that would have been is impossible if he was speaking with the One God.

Another Lord

Okay, but if this Commander wasn’t God, then why did Joshua bow down before him? And why did Joshua refer to him as my Lord? The answer is that the Commander must have been another Lord distinct from the One God. But how many other Lords are there?

There are only two: God and Jesus.

Jesus gave a marvelous teaching on this matter, proving that there are only two Lords. Let's listen to it. Jesus started by asking the Pharisees a question:

“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is he?”

“The son of David,” they replied.

He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’

If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions (Matthew 22:41-46).

Jesus was attempting to lead the Pharisees towards sound interpretations of the Bible. If they had been good interpreters, they would have concluded that the Messiah is the Son of God and not just the son of David. That was the lesson Jesus had for them.

But our takeaway is different. We already know that the Messiah is the Son of God. That part of Jesus' teaching is easy for us. What we might not know is that both the Father and the Messiah are called Lord. That's what we can learn from Jesus here.

Did you know that God Himself refers to Jesus with the title Lord? Well, if you didn’t, now you know! Psalm 110 is the most oft-quoted passage of Scripture in the New Testament. Here's what it gives us:

The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet' (Psalm 110:1).

Lord not LORD

You should also notice in the passage under scrutiny that the term Lord used by Joshua was not the tetragrammaton. It was not the four letters YHWH, from which we get the name Yahweh. In this passage—Joshua’s encounter with the Commander of God’s Army—the term LORD does not appear in capital letters like it does in your English Bible when it replaces the name Yahweh.

Rather, Joshua used the title Lord to address this mysterious man. Lord does not mean Yahweh. It means boss. It’s a recognition of authority. Joshua asked the mysterious sword-wielding man ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’ Here's the text again:

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’

‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’

The Commander of the LORD’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so (Joshua 5:13-15).

This Lord must have been Jesus! Nobody else in the Bible is reverently called Lord but God or Jesus. Not even the Holy Spirit is called Lord in the Bible.

Not the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has authority over angels, and he has a glorious appearance much like the Captain of this passage, but he is never called the Lord. In fact, he is mentioned alongside God as Lord in the Scriptures in such a way that there is no confusing the two.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul…’ (Acts 13:2)

It’s clear that the disciples worshipped God as Lord, and that the Lord was not the Holy Spirit. That’s clear. But the following example is more challenging. In the next passage, Jesus is called the Lord, and he is juxtaposed with the Spirit:

Now the Lord [Jesus] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).

You’ll notice that this second example does not say that “the Spirit is the Lord.” The Bible never says “the Spirit is the Lord” or “the Spirit is God” like a lot of worship music today says. The Bible never uses either of those two expressions. If you use them, you need to correct yourself. You do well to change your words and adapt your vocabulary. Worship God in spirit and in truth!

The Bible doesn't say “the Spirit is the Lord.” It only says that ‘the Lord [Jesus] is the Spirit.’ That means that Jesus is literally in the Spirit, working through the Spirit to minister to our hearts. Do you understand this nuanced ministry?

The Spirit is subject to Jesus and follows his orders.

Jesus: Lord of the Holy Spirit

Jesus has authority over the Holy Spirit. He is seated at the right hand of God and now exercises authority over everyone, even the Spirit of God! This authority of Jesus is very impressive. He has lordship over all beings except God.

The following two passages demonstrate that Jesus is now Lord of the Holy Spirit. Please read them slowly and with reflection.

Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear (Acts 2:33).

Jesus has received the Holy Spirit from the Father? What does received mean? Has Jesus received God's Spirit from God as his Aide and as his Steward? Yes, he has! Does the Holy Spirit serve Jesus the same way Eliezer served Abraham? Yes, he does? Does the Spirit serve Jesus the same way or Hegai the eunuch served Ahasuerus the King, in care of the future queen, Esther? Yes, he absolutely does!

All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said ‘the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you’ (John 16:15).

Why did Jesus say 'the Spirit will receive from him what the Spirit will make known to us'? He said it because all that belongs to the Father is his. Does all that belongs to the Father include the Spirit of God? Of course it does.

He (the Holy Spirit) is God's. That's why he's called the Spirit of God--because he belongs to God. The preposition of indicates possession. God possesses the Holy Spirit as his own.

Here’s a review:

1. Who has always belonged to the Father? The Spirit.

2. In addition, who does the Spirit belong to now? To Jesus.

3. What does Jesus do with the Holy Spirit? He gives the Spirit power and revelation and the Spirit distributes gifts and makes Jesus' revelations known to us.

A Letter from Christ Written with the Spirit

Now, let’s understand what it means for Jesus to minister to us in such a way that ‘the Lord is the Spirit.’ The following verse is from the same chapter that says ‘the Lord is the Spirit’ so with it we can understand the context of these words which are so often misunderstood by Christians.

… you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3).

So, you and I are a letter from Christ. But Jesus did not just write upon us by himself. He wrote on our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit. Jesus works through the Holy Spirit to give us revelations. The Holy Spirit transmits truth to our hearts.

We are a letter. Our hearts receive the revelations of the Holy Spirit. Jesus writes on our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit. And precisely that's why we can say 'the Lord is the Spirit.' The Lord Jesus works so intimately through the Spirit, and the Spirit so faithfully transmits all things that come from Jesus to us, it's as if the Spirit was the very Lord Jesus himself!

The Spirit of Christ

Let’s set the record straight and explain things in black and white. Jesus ministers to us in the New Covenant through his Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ twice (Romans 8:9 and 1 Peter 1:11) and the Spirit of Jesus Christ once (Philippians 1:19) in the New Testament.

For the Spirit to be the Spirit of Jesus means that Jesus is the Holy Spirit’s boss. Jesus tells the Holy Spirit what to say and do. For example, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit obeyed Jesus. Aren’t you glad he did? Aren’t you glad the Holy Spirit did exactly what Jesus told him?

He [the Holy Spirit] will glorify me [Jesus] because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you (John 16:14).

… the Helper, the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I [Jesus] said to you (John 14:26; NKJV).

The Lord Jesus Christ is in you through the Holy Spirit! This next passage says so conclusively. Notice the comparison: The Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, is Christ in us!

… if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then… (Romans 8:9-10)

God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

Long-Time Lord

So Jesus is the Lord of the encounter with Joshua. Jesus is the Commander of the Army of Yahweh. That fact is strong proof that Jesus was Lord long before his resurrection from the Dead.

And Jesus was also Lord before he came in the flesh—that is, before he was conceived in Mary’s womb. That’s also true.

But, was he Lord during his time in the flesh too? Yes, he was Lord even then. He said so!

You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet… no servant is greater than his master… (John 13:13-16)

Holy Ground

Note that Joshua wanted to humble himself so much before Commander Jesus that he bowed prostrate before him. Additionally, Joshua took off his sandals in our Lord’s presence—a sign of reverence and worship. Joshua did this because Jesus commanded him to.

Moses took off his sandals at the Burning Bush, and we know that Moses’ encounter at the Burning Bush was with the same Lord—the preincarnate Jesus. We know why Mount Sinai was holy ground—the Father would descend there to deliver the Ten Commandments—but what made the ground holy outside of Jericho?

Jericho was a city doomed to destruction. There would be no further encounters with God at that spot. So, why was the spot so holy? The only explanation is that the Lord Jesus was there—and that’s enough.

Jesus sanctifies every place he visits. Who hasn’t heard of Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, and Jerusalem? These are each places forever transformed by the presence of Jesus. He has left his mark. He has consecrated their ground. Now tourists pour into them to see, touch, smell, and feel the things Jesus once saw, touched, smelled, and felt.

Our Lord, Our Commander

Joshua’s Lord was Jesus. Is Jesus your Lord too? If he is, he’ll certainly lead you to victory. Jesus is still the Commander of God's armies. He has the entire army of God behind him.

But remember what Jesus said to Joshua: He is not with our armies or against our armies. What do you do with a Commander who speaks that way? You join him!

Don't worry about who Jesus is for or against. Just make sure that you are with him. Each of us must qualify to become reclutes in his army. We follow Jesus the Lord into the battle because we believe in his authority. In addition, we know that he will have the final victory.

I saw Heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war… his name is the Word of God.

The armies of Heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations (Revelation 19:11-15).

Yes, the armies of Heaven follow Jesus to his victory at Armageddon--and those armies consist of those who were raptured and who participated in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Those are the ones dressed in fine linen. Don't forget what you just read:

The armies of Heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean (Revelation 19:14).

So, who are these who are dressed in white fine linen? Members of the Church.

It was given to her [the Church] to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (Revelation 19:8; NASB)

To obtain this honor, the honor of being enlisted in Jesus' Army, you must overcome. You must be victorious in this life. You have to overcome temptation. Then, as a reward, you will be dressed in white. You will be issued that uniform!

With that uniform, you will be a soldier in Christ’s army! Normally there are only a few of us in every church, so prove yourself to be among the chosen few!

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.

The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white (Revelation 3:4-5).