Who is Michael the archangel?

Who is Michael the archangel as mentioned in the Bible? Many do not know, and even more do not know that understanding who this individual is, is a key to understanding a key prophecy found in Daniel 12 for our time. Is Michael a high ranking angel, Jesus, or someone else? Many questions similar to this have circulated throughout the Christian world.  Thankfully all these questions can be quickly answered by simply studying what the Bible has to say. Therefore let us study just a few simple verses today to learn who this individual in the Bible is. But before we do so let us pray.

Dear gracious and loving Heavenly Father, We simply ask for your Holy Spirit today, so that we may understand the deep things of God. We ask that you give us clear understanding regarding this individual and help us to understand the prophecy for our time found in Daniel 12:1 we pray so that we may be ready for your return. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Savior and God, amen.

Perhaps the most famous verse referencing Michael is found in Jude 1:9 which says…

“Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Here Michael rebukes Satan and says “The Lord rebuke you!”. We can learn from this verse that Michael must be on the Lord’s side, not on Satan’s. However this Scripture gives us little insight into the identity of Michael. Yet the Bible does not leave us in the dark. One of the best ways to identify this individual is to look at Zechariah 3:1-6 it says

“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! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

Many Christians of various faiths believes that this Angel of the Lord is Jesus for the following reasons…

1 – He forgives sins and only God can forgive sins.

2 – The word angel is capitalized in some translations.

3 – The word angel in both the New and Old Testament actually just means messenger. Many times it refers to literal angels, but sometimes it refers to humans or God (for example Mark 1:2 uses the word messenger as referring to John the Baptist, the Greek word is angel). http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H4397&t=KJV

If you look at Zechariah 3 Jesus forgives the priest’s sins and says “The Lord rebuke you, Satan!” the exact same wording as Jude 1:9. This gives us a hint that this archangel or chief messenger may be Jesus. But the Bible gives us much clearer evidence. If you look at Jude 1:9 it says there is only one archangel…

Yet Michael the archangel

If I say hand me a cell phone, you can hand me any cell phone. But if I say hand me The cell phone, it’s a unique one right? Thus there is only one archangel. And if you look at 1 Thessalonians 4:16 it says

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

So the voice of an archangel raises the dead, and only Jesus can do that (Revelation 1:18). 1 Thessalonians 4 tells us that the voice of Michael the archangel is the voice of Jesus, thus it would stand to reason that Jesus also goes by the name Michael and he is the archangel which means he is the lead or chief messenger, not a literal angel. Jesus is also called the Lamb of God, but certainly we also know he is not a literal lamb. Also Jesus goes by many names for the Bible says

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)

What does this conclusion tell us and how does it effect you? Simple, it gives us insight into one of the most important prophecies in Daniel 12:1, watch this sermon entitled “Michael Stand Up” to learn more.

May the Lord bless you as you study His Word.