6870. 'And this will be the sign to you that I have sent you' means the recognition that the Divine would go forth from Him. This is clear from the meaning of 'the sign' as the corroboration of truth and consequent recognition that it is indeed so; and from the meaning of 'being sent' as going forth, dealt with in 2397, 4710, 6831, so that 'being sent by God' is going forth from the Divine. It is also the Divine going forth from Him, for one who comes forth from the Divine is receptive of the Divine and extends its influence further.

6831. 'And the angel of Jehovah appeared to him' means the Lord's Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of 'the angel of Jehovah' as the Lord's Divine Human, dealt with in 6280. The reason why the Divine Human is called 'the angel of Jehovah' is that before the Lord's Coming, whenever Jehovah passed through heaven He appeared in human form, as an angel; for heaven as a whole resembles one entire human being, called the Grand Man, which has been the subject at the ends of quite a number of chapters. When therefore the Divine Himself passed through heaven He appeared in human form, as an angel, before the eyes of those to whom He spoke. This was Jehovah's Divine Human before the Lord's Coming. And the Lord's Human, having been made Divine, is also Jehovah's Divine Human, for the Lord is Jehovah Himself in the Divine Human. The fact that the Lord's Divine Human is called 'the angel', may be seen in 6280. It is also clear from a number of places in the New Testament where the Lord says that He is The sent from the Father; 'being sent' means going forth, and in the Hebrew language 'the sent' is used to mean an angel. For places where the Lord says He is 'the sent', see Matthew 10:40; 15:24; Mark 9:37; Luke 4:43; 9:48; 10:16; John 3:17, 34; 4:34; 5:23-24, 36-38; 6:29, 39-40, 44, 57; 7:16, 18, 28-29; 8:16, 18, 29, 42; 9:4; 10:36; 11:41-42; 12:44-45, 49; 13:20; 14:24; 16:5, 7; 17:3, 8, 18, 21, 23, 25.