Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Who Is Michael?

There are 5 verses that tell us about Michael. Let's look at them to see who he is. 

Daniel 10: 12-13

(12) Then he (Gabriel) said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 
(13) "But the  prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia."

Michael is one of the chief princes. There is more than one chief prince, who are generals in God's angelic army. Here General Michael comes to defend Gabriel, the messenger angel. He needed help to get through the "kings of Persia" to carry God's message to Daniel. These "kings of Persia" are high-ranking angels who are controlling the government of Persia, and Gabriel was not able to get by them without help. 

This shows us that there are strong spiritual forces who are over the government leaders of the nations of the world. Ephesians 6: 12 says that we also battle against principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness who bring spiritual wickedness into high places. This is who we battle against, in the spiritual realm around us. Powerful forces that strongly influence our government leaders. How much more are we vulnerable to their pressure.

Daniel 10: 21
 
... There is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince. 
 
Gabriel says that Michael is the only one who will defend Israel, God's chosen people. All the other nations are backed by high ranking demons. 

General Michael is the only reliable angelic help Gabriel has, as this angelic general is the spiritual prince over Israel.  
 
Daniel 12: 1
 
Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 
 
General Michael is the great prince who guards the children of Israel. He is the high-ranking holy angel who battles the high-ranking evil angels, and Michael and his angelic army is stronger than the demon general and his infernal army, and is able to rescue everyone whose name is written in the (the Lamb's) book (of life). 
 
Jude 9

But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 
 
When Moses died, God buried him in an unmarked and unknown grave (Deuteronomy 34: 5-6) because Joshua, not Moses, was to lead the people into the Promised Land to conquer the inhabitants who were already there and take possession of the land. 
 
But these people of God were still very susceptible to wanting to worship what they can see, and they would have enshrined Moses' coffin and worshiped it. That's why the devil had a dispute with Michael. Michael knows the devil, he knows how evil and deceptive he is, and yet he still did not accuse him, but simply said that was not his to do, but the Lord Himself. 

Evidently, the devil would have promoted Moses' bones, and Michael would have none of it, and wrested the coffin away from him, for the Lord to bury anonymously.
 
Revelation 12: 7-9
 
(7) And there was war in Heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war,
(8) and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in Heaven. 
(9) And the dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the Earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 
 
This is the last mention of this angelic hero. General Michael marshals his forces to war with the enemy of God to finally throw him out of God's home. Satan didn't live in Heaven, but he had access to God's throne to accuse us as the legal prosecutor of sinners. Now he is banned completely. 
 
But now he is confined to the earthly realms, where we still live. He and his whole army of demons. And he knows that his time is short. Michael is still the defender of God's people, though, and he hasn't retired. He still will defend Israel, and if we are spiritual Israel, us too. 
 
We are all in a spiritual battle, fighting not against flesh and blood, who are the victims and slaves; but against these principalities and powers and dark rulers of the wickedness in places of high authority. 
 
Our President has been battling them, and he needs us to back him up. We as God's people are to stand up against the evil that is trying to take over our whole society, and use the power we have to vote. This is a spiritual responsibility, as well as a political one. If we don't, then we're just letting the minions of the enemy take over to destroy us. And they will. He comes only to kill, steal and destroy (John 10: 10). 
 
O my Father, please strengthen us in this great war. We know that our Lord Christ wins in the end, but in the meantime, help us in the battles we face. Show us how to love one another as freely and unconditionally as You have loved us. Teach us how to overcome the hatred with love, the darkness with light, to face the enemy boldly and courageously, and having done all, to stand. 
 
My Father, You alone are God, we are not. We desperately need You and Your grace to share with others, even when they are attacking us. Let us leave all the railing accusations to our Lord, and simply stand our ground. 
 
O Father, send us all out to tell every living person in the world that You love them and are not willing for any to perish. Lead each one of Your embryos to the birth in Your family, Father, and grow us all up to maturity that we might gain the full stature of the Son of God as His body. 
 
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, our Redeemer and Messiah, sovereign King of the World and all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen. 
 
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!