(Please note: Portions of the following article are sourced from Adventist Defense League and creation-science-prophecy.com. This is with the permission of the respective authors. To see the orginal articles, please click on the above links.)
Who is the Angel of the Lord? Who is Michael? Is He Jesus? Majority in the Christendom have no problem with the identity of the Angel of the Lord, but they have a problem with Michael the Archangel. The Angel of the Lord is correctly identified as none other than God the Son. Following are couple of verses where the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) affirms that He is truly God.
And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. (Gen. 31:11-13)
And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. “And he said, draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God” (Ex. 3:2-5).
Why is God the Son (the Almighty God) called an angel when he is not a created being?
First of all lets establish who angels are. Angels are created beings (Col. 1:16), and as such are not to be worshiped (Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10). They are God's messengers to those who shall be heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:13, 14). But Christ has "a more excellent name" than the angels (Heb. 1:4). He has "a name which is above every name" (Phil. 2:9), above that of every angel in heaven (Eph. 1:21). The angels are subject to Him (1 Peter 3:22). They bow before Him (Phil. 2:10), and worship Him (Heb. 1:6). And angels of God refuse the worship of men (Rev. 22:8, 9). But then why is Christ called an angel?
Is it possible that Christ revealed the Father in Old Testament times as well as in New Testament times? Truly, He more than any other being in the entire universe is a messenger for the Father. This explains very well why Christ is sometimes called an "Angel" when He is not an angel. The word mal'ak, in Hebrew word for "angel" means "messenger" and is sometimes used to refer to human messengers or ambassadors. In Malachi 3:1, we have John the Baptist and Christ as two angels (mal'ak). John the Baptist is the "angel" who prepares the way, and Christ is the "Angel of the Covenant," -- the Lord who comes to His temple, before whom "who shall be able to stand?" Neither was technically an "angel," but since they were messengers, they are called "angels."
This application of the term messenger or angel to Christ does not detract from his deity by any means nor does it say he is created. There was not a time that he did not exist with the eternal Godhead.
So there is no question as to the identify of this Angel (Jesus) who affirms that He is God. How about Michael? Is He also the Angel of the Lord who is none other than Christ himself? Many in the Christendom separate the Angel of the Lord from Michael. Following are the main arguments put forward by our critics:
1. Jesus is never directly called “Michael” in Scripture.
2. Jesus has the authority to rebuke Satan (Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33) while Michael the Archangel cannot (Jude 9; 2 Peter 2:11).
3. Jesus is God the Creator of all, including the angels (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-16)
4. Jesus is called God’s “Son” in a way that no angel has ever been called (Hebrews 1:5).
5. Jesus is “better than the angels” (Hebrews 1:4), receives “worship” from the angels (Hebrews 1:6), and has inherited the Kingdom, not given to angels (Hebrews 2:5).
Let us see each of the above arguments. But before we answer the arguements, let's see how the scriptures identify Christ with Michael and the Angel of the Lord with Michael.
1. Voice of the son of God vs Voce of Michael
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: 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. 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.
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
Now lets see what Christ said when He was on Earth.
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. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 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
A simple compariosn between the two Bible texts above (1 Thessalonians 4:16 and John 5:25,28), gives the strongest case for supporting the idea that Michael is Jesus. So in 1 Thess, 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!
See also Daniel 12:1-3 : When Michael stand up - many shall awake from sleep
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people... 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. Daniel 12:1-3
Is Jesus the captain of the armies or Michael?
Let's look in the Old Testament for some more evidence. In the book of Joshua, we see that Joshua saw Michael the Archangel:
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? 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? 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. Joshua 5:13-15
We can now "nail down" who Joshua saw. Joshua met the captain of the Lord's host and we find that it is God. Joshua worshiped Him, and He did not stop Joshua in his worship. This is significant.
In the book of 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!
In Revelation we find that it is Michael who leads the angel forces of heaven. And 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!
In Revelation 12:7, Michael led the angel forces in Heaven.
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, Revelation 12:7-12
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 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 is Michael, who is also God. Also we must remember the meaning of Archangel. Archangel means the chief of the angels. This does not mean that Michael is an angel, but that He is the Leader of the Angels in Heaven!
Now, in Revelation 19, we see that the leader of the armies of heaven is called by a different name.
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Revelation 19:11-14
We now see in verse 13 that it is The Word of God who leads the armies of heaven! From John 1:1 we read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word of God is Jesus! Also, there are other hints that tell us that this is Jesus. "Faithful and True" (see Revelation 3:14) and "robe dipped in blood" both say that this is indeed Jesus. Jesus Himself is the one who leads the armies of Heaven to judge and make war against Satan!
Following on in verses 19 and 20 we see that the armies of heaven is indeed His army.
And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Revelation 19:19-20
Satan gathers together all his armies to battle against Jesus and His army in the final battle in the time of the end. This is when Satan is utterly defeated and all those who follow Satan are either placed alive in the lake of fire or they are killed with the sword (Rev 19:21). In Revelation 20 we see that Satan is bound for 1000 years before he is destroyed.
So, In Joshua 5 and Revelation 12, we saw that Michael is the chief of the angels. He is the leader of the armies of angels in heaven. But in Revelation 19 we see that it is Jesus Himself who leads the armies of heaven against Satan and his armies.
Angel of the Lord and Michael
Angel that appeared to Moses says that he is God and says… .
Ex 3:5, “And he said, draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God”
In Joshua 5:13, we identified that it is Michael who appears as the captain of the host of the Lord. He says:
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? 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. Joshua 5:13-15
Micahel says, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy, just like the angel of the Lord who also claims He is God Almighty. And that’s not all, Joshua worships Michael, captain of the host of the LORD. Michael surely must not be a mere [created] angel!!!!!
Angel of the Lord & Michael says “Lord rebuke thee”
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Zechariah 3:1-5
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
Now let us examine some arguments put forward by our critics:
- Jesus is never directly called “Michael” in Scripture.
Neither is the Angel of the Lord directly called Jesus. In I Corinthians 10:4, Angel of the Lord is IDENTIFIED as Christ who followed the Israelites in a cloud. In the same way, as we have seen above, Michael is IDENTIFIED as the Anegl of the Lord as well as Christ himself.
- Jesus has the authority to rebuke Satan (Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33) while Michael the Archangel cannot (Jude 9; 2 Peter 2:11).
In the Old Testament, we find another time when Jesus did not accuse Satan directly. It is an example where the Angel of the Lord, whom we know to be Jesus; He does not directly accuse Satan. Lets look at these Bible verse again:
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the [Angel of the] LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Zech 3:1-5
Michael contends with Satan in Jude 1:9, and the passages reads that Michael “durst (dared) not bring against him any railing accusation.”
Let us examine this passage a bit closer:
Jude 1:9 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.
Carefully consider the words “railing accusation.” The word translated “railing” is the Greek “blasphemia” from which we get our English word “blasphemy” from. This same word is listed among other sins which Paul urges the Ephesians to “put away from among you” –Ephesians 4:31. Are you sure Jesus would not dare sin against the enemy? He dared not sin while on earth. In fact, Jesus never sinned (1 John 3:5). If Jesus dared to sin, even in this form, he would belong to the devil (1 John 3:8). Therefore yes, he dared not sin even in this case, for he is holy and sinless in every way. This however does not mean that Michael is subject to, or somehow afraid of Satan, for it is Michael himself who fights against Satan, according to Revelation 12:7-8. Oh and Michael prevailed against him… by the way.
- Jesus is God the Creator of all, including the angels (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-16)
Sure. But the Angel of the Lord who is Jesus is not a created being. Michael the Archangel who is also Christ is not a created being. The term angel [messenger] applied to Christ does not detract from his deity.
- Jesus is called God’s “Son” in a way that no angel has ever been called (Hebrews 1:5).
Sure. Jesus is called God’s son in a way that no “CREATED” angel (messenger) has ever been called. Angel of the Lord who is Christ is not a created angel, so is Michael, which is another title for Christ.
- Jesus is “better than the angels” (Hebrews 1:4), receives “worship” from the angels (Hebrews 1:6), and has inherited the Kingdom, not given to angels (Hebrews 2:5).
Sure. Jesus who is the Angel of the Lord is better than the created angels. Michael who is also Jesus received worship (Joshua 5:16) unlike any other created angel (Rev19:10) .
- If Jesus is Michael the chief prince, why in Daniel 10:13 does it read that Michael is rather “one of” the chief princes?
Let us go back to what the Hebrew word “sar” means. It is translated “prince” in this case, but according to Strong’s Hebrew Definitions, it can also mean “head, ruler, chief, master, governor.”
Do you think that these are titles that can also be applied to God the Father, and to the Holy Spirit?1 John 5:7(7) For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
There are three that bear record in heaven. Any “one of” these can be the “chief” or “head.” No wonder the bible speaks of a God-head (Acts 17:27), for all three, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, are head over all things. Each played a part in creating man, even the Holy Spirit (Job 33:4), therefore each deserve such titles as these.
Jesus, or Michael, is “one of” the chiefs or head of the heavenly trio.
But doesn’t various traditions tell us about a number of Archangels?
I have heard about a number of traditions about Archangels. Various churches espouse a number of archangels and I have read about these things and I have noted the sources of these ideas, such as the Apocrypha. The Aprocrypha is known to have problems and some of its teachings are contrary to the 66 books of the Bible.
Is the Book of Enoch inspired simply because Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch in verses 14-15? This does not mean the Book of Enoch is inspired by God. Jude’s quote is not the only quote in the Bible from a non-biblical source. The Apostle Paul quotes Epimenides in Titus 1:12. Should we then recognize that source? No!!! The same is true with Jude, verse 14. Jude quoting from Enoch 1:9 does not indicate the entire book is inspired, or even true.
I want to know what the Bible says about truth. My faith is built upon the word of God. Human traditions are by their very nature, faulty. So I will trust in God's word. The Bible only refers to Michael as the Archangel.
But isn’t "the angel of Yahweh" Gabriel (luk 1:11-19)?
Now lets see if Luke 1:11-19 actually spells out the idea that "the angel of the Lord" is actually "Gabriel". In Judges 13, we see that the angel of the LORD appears before a woman and gives her a message:
And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son." Judges 13:3
The story continues and Manoah, the woman's husband is able to see the visitor. So the angel of the Lord repeats the message in his presence as well. At this point, Manoah becomes curious and asks the question: Who are you?
Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, "What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?"
And the Angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?" Judges 13:17-18
In Isaiah 9:6 we read a prophecy of the birth of Jesus:
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 KJV
The Hebrew word for "wonderful" in Judges 13:18 is the very same Hebrew word for "Wonderful" in isaiah 9:6. The Strong index number is 6382 and it means incomprehensible, beyond our understanding, wonderful.
So The Angel of the LORD says that his name is wonderful, it is incomprehensible, beyond our understanding. In Isaiah 9:6, we find that Jesus' name is also incomprehensible and beyond our understanding. Jesus and the Angel of the Lord are described in the same way.
Now when we look at Luke 1 we see that this angel plainly identifies himself as Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God.
And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." 19. And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings". Luke 1:18-19
This angel, Gabriel, stands in the presence of God. His name is not beyond our understanding nor is it incomprehensible. It is Gabriel. In Judges, 13, we saw a very different person who's name is wonderful, who is incomprehensible and beyond our understanding. So, Luke 1 does not spell out the idea that the angel of the Lord is always Gabriel.
There is another difference between the Luke and Judges stories.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Luke 1:11
We see that this angel is introduced as an angel of the Lord, not as the angel of the Lord, as we read in Judges 13: 3. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Judges 13:3
Did Spurgeon and Matthew Henry also says the same thing about Michael? Can you please give me the reference of where you read that.
Michael signifies, "Who is like God," and his name, with the title of "the great Prince," points out the Divine Saviour. Christ stood for the children of our people in their stead as a sacrifice, bore the curse for them, to bear it from them. He stands for them in pleading for them at the throne of grace (Source Mathew Henry).
Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible
Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on the Bible
To whom do we owe all this? Let the Lord Jesus Christ be forever endeared to us, for through him we are made to sit in heavenly places far above principalities and powers. He it is whose camp is round about them that fear him; he is the true Michael whose foot is upon the dragon. All hail, Jesus! thou Angel of Jehovah’s presence, to thee this family offers its morning vows (source Charles Spurgeon).
However, we have found that former Adventist Pastor Mark Martin of the exadventist outreach argues by quoting Charles Spurgeon that he believed Michael to be a mere angel. It doesn’t really matter what He believed. Our faith comes from the scriptures. Scriptures say Michael is the Angel of the Lord who is none other than God the Son.
Michael signifies, "Who is like God," and his name, with the title of "the great Prince," points out the Divine Saviour. Christ stood for the children of our people in their stead as a sacrifice, bore the curse for them, to bear it from them. He stands for them in pleading for them at the throne of grace (Source Mathew Henry).
Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible
Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on the Bible
To whom do we owe all this? Let the Lord Jesus Christ be forever endeared to us, for through him we are made to sit in heavenly places far above principalities and powers. He it is whose camp is round about them that fear him; he is the true Michael whose foot is upon the dragon. All hail, Jesus! thou Angel of Jehovah’s presence, to thee this family offers its morning vows (source Charles Spurgeon).
However, we have found that former Adventist Pastor Mark Martin of the exadventist outreach argues by quoting Charles Spurgeon that he believed Michael to be a mere angel. It doesn’t really matter what He believed. Our faith comes from the scriptures. Scriptures say Michael is the Angel of the Lord who is none other than God the Son.
We found this arguement on a crtics website: The error of the SDA teaching, is that it does NOT say that Jesus IS the "Archangel" anymore than it says that Jesus is the "trump of God"! When the Trumpet blows, an archangel, which is a separate entity, comes out of the Temple and cries out to Jesus to reap the harvest! In Rev. 14, we will see the actual account of the above event, and here, we see the angel, shouting to Jesus to reap the harvest! Both the angel and Jesus are shown as two separate persons! Rev. 14:14-16 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. [15] And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. [16] And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped (Source: Crossbearer-brian)
The critic has failed to deal with the fact that due to both the voice of the archangel and the voice of Christ, the dead are raised (see John 5:28) . Also, the idea that there are two voices sounding both Jesus and the archangel is not present in 1 Thess 4:16. If we look at 1 Thess 4:16 in the Greens Literal translation (below), we will see that this is probably not an option.
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. 1 Thessalonians 4:16
Further one cannot equate the angel of Rev 14 with 1 Thess 4;16 just because he has a loud voice, for there are two angels with loud voices in Rev 14 (see also verse 18) while 1 Thess 4:16 only mentions one angel with a loud voice. The reasoning of the trump is also faulty, for it is Jesus who has the voice of a trump (see Rev 1:10-11). That's why Paul says he comes with the trump.
Also notice that the critic is also using the same line of logic which he accuses us of using. He says we can't say the "angel of the lord" is Micheal because it does not say "Michael," but he does the same thing when he says the "voice of the archangel" is the angel of Rev 14;15 while it does not say "archangel" anywhere in Rev 14. The connection we make is in the fact that in the OT, he is the "ANGEL of the lord" while Michael is the "arch-ANGEL." He can't make any connections, for there are two angels with loud voices in Rev 14. He would have to guess or choose for himself which one of those angels is that of 1 Thess 4;16, and we know that that's not a safe thing to do.