Michael the Archangel is mentioned in the Bible, but who is this angel?
Michael : Heb. Mika’el, literally, “who [is] like God?”
The name “Michael” appears only in passages that are linked with the apocalypse.
Archangel: occurs only twice in the Bible. ἀρχάγγελος
Archaggelos (1Thess. 4:16 and Jude 9).
There are only 5 verses in the entire Bible that mention Michael, the Archangel. Here they are:
- 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 10:13
- 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 10:21
- 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. Daniel 12:1
- 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
- And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, Revelation 12:7
1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, “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:”
John 5:28 says, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his (Jesus’) voice. See also John 11:43,44 (Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead).
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” John 11:25
Jesus said, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 1:18
To Jesus alone, is ascribed the power to raise the dead.
Jesus is referred to as an angel or angel of the Lord.
In the Bible Jesus is often referred to as “the angel of the Lord”. In Exodus 3:2 says, “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him (Moses) 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.”
Who was this “angel of the Lord?” Verses 4-6 gives the answer. The angel of the Lord is Jesus Himself.
Judges 2:1 says, “And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.”
Who is this angel of the Lord? It is none other than Jesus.
Joshua 5: 13-15 says, “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.”
Notice that Joshua worships this being without rebuke prohibition. The only person worthy of our worship is one who is a member of the Godhead.
John tried to worship an angel and was refrained from doing so. Revelation 19:10 says, “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.”
Here we see clearly that no other being is to be worshiped but God Himself. An angel, though a more exalted being than man is not to be worship, only God is to be worshiped.
Conclusion: Michael, the Archangel is non other than Jesus, the captain of the Lord’s army. It is by the call of His voice that the dead in Christ will rise (see 2 Thessalonians 4:16.
