Who is Michael the Archangel in the Bible?
Michael seems to be an important individual in heaven. Archangel means "chief of the angels", so Michael must be the chief of the angels. He is the leader of the angels. (Later on this page, we will find out from the Bible that Michael is actually the commander of the Lord's army of angels in heaven.)
The name Michael has an important meaning as well, it means: "(one) who is like God. The computer lexicon describes Michael as: "one of, the chief, or the first archangel who is described as the one who stands in time of conflict for the children of Israel".
There seems to be a lot of confusion about archangels and Michael. Much of our information seems to come from a lot of different sources. On this web page I want to find out what the Bible itself actually says about Michael. So, let's start by looking at the places where Michael is actually mentioned in the Bible.
12. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:12-13
20. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 21. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. Daniel 10: 20-21
In Daniel we find that Michael is one of the chief princes and that He is our prince. That might mean He is in line for the Throne. We also find Him working behind the scenes with Gabriel to ensure that God's will for nations actually occurs.
1. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:1-3
Now we see Michael who is called the great prince, standing up, and when he does a time of trouble starts and God's people are delivered. Why is it that God's people are delivered when Michael stands up? Why not God or Jesus?And why is Michael described as standing for the children of thy people?
9. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Jude 1:9
In Jude we see Michael confronting Satan when Moses was resurrected. Many people think of Michael as being just an angel. If this is true then why would an angel be used in such a direct confrontation as to confront Satan? Why shouldn't God or Jesus be doing these important confrontations? (By the way, this text can be easily misunderstood. We need to relate it to other parts of the Bible. There is more on Jude 1:9 in the middle and also toward the end of this page.)
7. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Revelation 12:7-12
Finally in the book of Revelation, we see that there is a war in heaven. The opposing sides are described as Michael and his angels against the dragon which we know as Satan and his angels. The war in heaven is very important. Why isn't God or Jesus taking part in the war. Why are the angels described as being Michael's angels and not God's or Christ's angels?
Just reading these few texts from the Bible seem to create more questions than answers. Who is Michael anyway? Michael is the archangel, the chief of the angels. He is described as one of the chief princes and our prince. When He stands up, things happen. He is described as standing for the children of thy people. So when He stands, there is a time of trouble that results in God's people being delivered, every one who's name if found written in the book. He contends directly against Satan and the angels in heaven are described as being Michael's angels.
So, I want to ask you a question. Because Michael does things that we might think God or Jesus should be doing: Is it possible that Michael could be Jesus Christ? To answer this question, I will explore the evidence from the Bible.
Various visitors to my site are Not understanding what I am trying to say. So before I continue I need to make one thing very clear.
No, I do not think Jesus is a created being. Some would have you believe that He is just a created being, that He is the first one to be created. They believe that He was an angel who was elevated to the position of, possibly a lesser god.
We need to understand what the Bible says. Jesus is Divine just like the Father. Also Jesus said He was the Son of God several times. The Jews understood Him clearly, they saw that Jesus was saying He was equal with God so they picked up stones to stone Him!
Jesus also accepted worship when He was on earth! Even the angels in Heaven did not accept worship. In the last book of the Bible, John was stopped from worshiping an angel who was in front of him: And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10) Yet many times, Jesus accepted the worship of those around Him.
The Ten Commandment specifically says: You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3. It also says: You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God Exodus 20:5 (first part). Now, if Jesus was not the Son of God, He would be causing others to sin as well by not stopping this worship of Him. Jesus would be an enemy of God.
Satan is the one who wants to be worshiped as if he were God. That makes Satan the enemy of God, because Satan wants to take God's glory for himself!
So, this idea that Jesus is not the Son of God cannot be true! We know that Jesus is Divine like the Father and that He is the Son of God. That is why He accepts worship. On the other hand, the angels in Heaven certainly do not accept worship at all.
I believe that Jesus came to die for our sins and that we are saved through the shedding of His Blood. An angel could not do this for us. These are the very central pillars of our Christian Faith!
So, with this thought in mind, that Jesus is not a created being, but that He is fully divine as is the Father, let's get back to Michael. I have been looking at the statements on Michael and I see evidence that suggests that Jesus could have been known as Michael in heaven, before He came to Earth as Christ.
The word angel merely means messenger. Archangel merely means chief of the angels. So many times in the old testament, The Angel of the Lord comes, yet when we read the text a little closer, we see that it is really God! It is not an angel at all but it is God!
Could this be Jesus?
In trying to make sense of all these texts (that you will see below), I have come to the conclusion that when the word angel is used that it does not have to mean the created race of beings that we know to be called Angels.
We know that there was a war in Heaven and that 1/3 of the angels were kicked out with Lucifer. Today, we know them as the evil angels of Satan, or demons.
Why would Satan want to attack God? Did he not respond to God's love? What about the angels who listened to Satan? Did Satan lie about God? When we realize that this happened in heaven, we might wonder why these fallen angels believed Satan. I think it extremely possible that it became necessary for Jesus to act as a go between in Heaven for the angels, much like He has for us on this Earth. so that Michael could show the Father to the angels.
However no matter how strange this idea is, don't for one moment think that I believe Jesus is a created being! Or that I think Jesus was an angel that later was elevated to a lesser god status. Jesus is fully Divine as is His Father. He is the Son of God! Let's not forget that!
I am just wondering. Could it be that we are seeing the activities of Jesus before the New Testament when we look to Michael? Is the Angel of the Lord, who is not an angel at all; Could this angel-like being actually be Jesus? Could His name, in Heaven in the past, have been Michael?
I'm curious how you will fit all these Bible Texts together to make sense? Please, look at the Scripture that I have and then, if you are able, give me another possible answer for what the Bible says.
So now I will ask you the same question again, now that you know that I am NOT saying that Jesus is just an angel, or a created being, or has ever been created in the past.
Is it possible that Michael could be Jesus Christ? In other words, is Michael Divine, and not really an actual angel, because He is really Jesus Christ the Son of God?
In the Jewish literature, Michael is described as the highest of the angels and identify him as the angel of Yahweh which is often mentioned in the Old Testament as a Divine being!
In fact I have found that many Bible scholars, such as Charles Spurgeon and Matthew Henry, actually identify Michael as being Christ, the Son of God.
The Voice of the Archangel
Let's start looking into the Word of God for answers. In the New Testament, Michael is easily identified as being Jesus when a few texts are compared. Let's do a comparison right now:
13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
In Thessalonians we see that the Lord is descending from heaven and He is shouting with the voice of the archangel. Most people seem to think that it is the archangel that is shouting and not Jesus. Actually there are two possible meanings to the text: (1) the archangel could be shouting for Jesus; or (2) Jesus could be doing the shouting Himself and he is using the voice of an archangel because He is the Archangel.
Some might think there is a third possibility, that two voices are sounding; Both Jesus and the archangel. however, if we look at verse 16 in the Greens Literal translation (below) we will see that this is probably not an option.
16. Because the Lord Himself shall come down from Heaven with a commanding shout of an archangel's voice, and with God's trumpet. And the dead in Christ will rise again first. Thessalonians 4:16 Greens Literal Translation
Now lets see what Christ said when He was on Earth.
25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27. And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29. And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5:25-29
If we compare the two Bible texts above (1 Thessalonians 4:16 and John 5:25-28) we see one of the strongest cases for supporting the idea that Michael is Jesus.
We saw that there were two possible meanings to: "the Lord Himself shall come down from Heaven with a commanding shout of an archangel's voice" 1 Thessalonians 4:16. They are: (1) the archangel could be shouting for Jesus; or (2) Jesus could be doing the shouting Himself and he is using the voice of an archangel because He is the Archangel.
Which one is it?
John 5:25,28 solves the problem: "the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God". So in 1 Thessalonians, its the archangel's voice, but in John 5, it is the voice of the Son of God! One cannot be wrong and the other right. Michael the Archangel must be Jesus!
Now that we know that it is Jesus Himself who is doing the shouting, we can read 1 Thessalonians 4:16 with new eyes. What 1 Thessalonians 4:16 is really saying, is that Jesus descends from heaven shouting with the voice of the Archangel. This comparison shows that the Archangel really is Jesus.
Also, in both Thessalonians and John we see that the voice causes the resurrection of life. The dead in Christ will rise when they hear His voice! This is the same event and Jesus and Michael must be the same person.
Captain of the Host of the LORD
Let's look in the Old Testament for some more evidence. In the book of Joshua, we see that Joshua also saw Michael the Archangel:
13. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?14. And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?15. And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
1. Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2. And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. Joshua 5:13-6:2
This account in the book of Joshua is very interesting because we can now "nail down" who Joshua saw. Joshua met the captain of the Lord's host and we find that it is the Lord! Joshua worshiped Him, and He did not stop Joshua in his worship. In fact, The Lord actually encouraged Joshua to worship Him! This is very significant.
In Revelation, when John tried to worship an angel, the angel told him not to do that: "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10) We are only to worship God!
So, what Joshua saw was the Lord! Joshua is told that this ground is holy and to take off his shoes. He is in the presence of the Lord. Also, we see that this Divine Being accepted the worship and the reverence that Joshua gave Him. He actually invited Joshua to worship and reverence Him! Angels will not accept worship at all. But when John tried to give honor to an angel, the angel stopped him.
We also see that Jesus accepted worship when He was on earth! Many times, Jesus accepted the worship of the people around Him (Matthew 14:33; 28:9,17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38; Hebrews 1:6).
This Divine Being must be Jesus because Jesus Himself said that no one has ever seen God and that He is the one who has communicated with man:
18. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. John 1:18
Joshua had talked to this Divine Being face to face.
10. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11. searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 1 Peter 1:10-11.
It was the Spirit of Christ that has always communicating with the prophets of old.
So, if the Spirit of Christ had inspired the prophets of the Old Testament, then it makes very good sense to say that Joshua talked to Jesus. After all, Jesus is the word of God! Jesus has been the one who has communicated with man. This is why "No one has seen God at any time".
Lets look at it from another prospective. In much of the Old Testament, this Being is identified as the angel of the Lord, but to Joshua, He identifies Himself as the captain of the Lord's Host! Who is that? Who is the captain of the Lord's Host?
In Revelation 12:7 we saw that it is Michael that led the angel forces in Heaven.
7. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, Revelation 12:7
Now we find that the angels in Heaven are Michael's angels and that Michael leads His angels in battle against Satan! So, we can see that Michael is indeed the Captain of the angels. He is their leader.
Putting Joshua 5 and Revelation 12 together, we see that Joshua saw a man who identified Himself as the Captain of the host of the Lord. That man was also identified as being the Lord in Chapter 6. Archangel means the chief of the angels. He is the Chief of the angels! He is their commander, the Commander of the LORD'S army in Heaven, God's angels. This is Michael the Archangel, the Captain of the host of the Lord, who is also the Lord!
The Word
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