Who Is This Michael The Archangel?

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his

 angels fought against the dragon; and the

 dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,

 Now is come salvation, and strength, and the 

kingdom of our 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.

 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. Therefore rejoice, 

ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and and of he 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 

      Who is this Michael who fought against the dragon? We must know who this Michael is as there are many interpretations as to who he is as with the Jehovah Witnesses who state that there is "Scriptural evidence indicates that the name Michael applied to God's Son before he left heaven to become Jesus Christ and also after his return" (Aid to Bible Understanding, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 1971, p.1152). This fits their theology or Christology that Jesus is a created being and is the Archangel used by God to do God's work. Is this true? Is Jesus a created angel, the Archangel and not God, the Second Person of the Trinity? From the earliest of Christian times there was various understanding as to who Michael was and Origen thought that this came from a Hebrew writing called the "Asumption of Moses." Some will say that Jude who mentions Michael the Archangel was referring to accepted story or tradition, probably based on Deut. 34:6., and this verse does not mention Michael being present at the burial of Moses so this is simply speculation. The Mormons have their theology as to who Michael is:

Michael, or Adam, is the archangel or chief angel.

• The Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel:1 Thes. 4:16;
• Michael is the archangel:Jude 1:9; ( D&C 29:26; D&C 88:112; D&C 128:20–21; )

      A problem that exists within humans is the need to dogmatize and this they do by attempting to give rank and numbers of angels. We, as humans like things that we can relate with so we give interpretations that make us feel as though we have the truth. So, let us study this: Michael is described by David as a might Prince, and by Jude as an Archangel. Paul accounts that an archangel will blow the trumpet that calls the world to judgment. Even Michael, Gabriel, and a third if one reads the history of Tobit. Our problem is that angels are spirits and have no body, not as our physical body and they are described in various shapes and forms to give to us meaning, the meaning that God desires for us to have and this gives to us assurance that God will, when the occasion requires that they will come to our aid. We must remember that angels are ministering servants of God, messengers. We must not act presumptuously and give them more meaning that what Scripture allows and we will not know much more until we too are in heaven. Jesus refers to us in that when we rise from the dead we will be as the angels that are in heaven (Mark 12:25). Whatever God has planned for His children for eternity we can know this: we will be messengers, ministers for Him for eternity. Jesus Christ, the incarnate God, was made more excellent than the angels. Jesus Christ, the incarnate God is said to be not only higher than all other angels, messengers of God, but to be worshiped. Now only God can receive worship so if Jesus is worshiped then He must be God or otherwise as a created being he would then be placed on equal ground as God and Scripture does no allow for this to occur. John in Revelation (19:10;22:8-9) states that only God alone can be worshiped: "See thou do it not; I am thy fellow servant: worship God."

    Unfortunately many people give some sort of meaning where Scripture does not and this is certainly the case when it comes to Michael the Archangel. God does use means to accomplish His work, and Jesus was the means for our salvation, but He never became a created being for only He by means of His death could by His death make eternal intercession for all who believe. The question is: Why would God use means when He has all the power to do whatever Himself? God did not do what needed to be done out of His necessity as if He were not able to do this Himself. God uses means, so that we who are weak and in need God comes to us so that we can know that it is He that comes, it is He that saves, It is He that protects and our confidence is strengthened, not by some invisible, unknowable, but by our senses we can know the truth: God will do whatever it is that is necessary for us so that we can come to Him. 

     We know that there is and will be a war, a war against the Devil, Satan, to end all wars so that God will then reign over all those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who calls us to Himself, it is Jesus Christ who defeats Satan who at this time has turned to attempt by power to defeat God, but God is all-powerful so that now by the justice of God, God can destroy Satan all his demonic angels. 

     Jesus Christ is the Word of God, therefore is the greatest of all spokesmen for God, it is this Word of God who was before the beginning for He was at the beginning of creation, with God and is God and is the One who created all things. Jesus Christ comes as mighty Michael with all His angels and the war comes to a conclusion but until that conclusion there will be a time when this earth will suffer under the hands of Satan. You, all who are Authentic Christians may have to suffer also, but that sufferings leads to life, whereby those who do not believe suffer to eternal death. 

     Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ and make Him your personal Savior, your personal Messenger from God who speaks to you through His word by Him, the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. We learn about this war but we are not afraid.

Where there is no vision,

    the people perish: but

he that keepeth the law,

    happy is he.

             Proverbs 29:18

You, today, are God's messenger

Richard L. Crumb