27.2 Who Is Michael?
February 2008
References and Notes:
2. Matthew Henry
3. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
4. Terms
“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).
“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).
“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).
“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).
“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” (1 Thess 4:16).
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” (Joshua 5:14-15).
Comment:
Jesus has many names in the Bible as He meets our many needs and aspirations. As Michael He is our Prince, Commander, and Deliverer. John 5:28 states that it is the voice of the Son that will raise the dead at His Second Coming. In Revelation 12:7 there is war in heaven between Michael and His angels, and the dragon and his angels. The following verses identify God, Christ, and the Lamb as resisting the dragon and overcoming him. Jesus is also the Captain of the Lord’s hosts who met Joshua beside the Jordan. As Moses before the burning bush, Joshua was told to take off his shoes “for the place whereon thou standest is holy.” This indicates the same God who spoke to Moses.
In Daniel 12:1. Jesus Christ appears as his church’s patron and protector. At that time, when the persecution is at the hottest (after the close of probation), Michael shall stand up, v. 1. The angel had told Daniel what a firm friend Michael was to the church, ch. 10:21.... Christ is that great prince, for he is the prince of the kings of the earth, Rev. 1:5. And, if he stands up for his church, who can be against it?
But this is not all: Michael also stands up for the working out of our eternal salvation. The Son of God shall be incarnate. He shall be manifested to destroy the works of the devil. Christ stood for the children of our people when he was made sin and a curse for them, stood in their stead as a sacrifice, bore the cure for them, and bore it from them. He stands for them in the intercession he ever lives to make within the veil. He stands as their friend.
Adapted from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Daniel 12
3. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
Michael: “who is like God?” He is here (Dan 10:13) described as “one of the chief princes (Heb. Sarim).” Later He is described as Israel’s particular protector (ch 12:1). His identity is not definitely stated here, but a comparison with other scriptures identifies Him as Christ. Jude 9 terms Him “the archangel.” According to 1 Thess. 4:16, the “voice of the archangel” is associated with the resurrection of the saints at the coming of Jesus. Christ declared that the dead will come forth from their graves when they hear the voice of the Son of man (John 5:28).
It thus seems clear that Michael is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself (See EW 164; cf DA 421). The name Michael appears in the Bible only in apocalyptic passages (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7). Moreover, it is used only in instances where Christ is in direct conflict with Satan. The name in Hebrew, signifying “who is like God?” is at once a question and a challenge. In view of the fact that Satan’s rebellion is essentially an attempt to install himself on the throne of God and “be like the most High” (Isa. 14:14), the name Michael is a most fitting one for Him who has undertaken to vindicate the character of God and disprove Satan’s claims.
Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 860
4. Terms —Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary
Michael
Hebrew: mîka’el, me-kaw-ale’
English Words used in KJV: Michael 13
who (is) like God; Mikael, the name of an archangel and of nine Israelites :- Michael.
Archangel
archangelos
Used in KJV: archangel 2
from <G757> (archo) and
<G32> (aggelos); a chief
angel :- archangel.
Prince
in KJV: prince 96, captain 12, chief 10, ruler 6, vapours 3, governor 1, chief + 05387 1, clouds 1, part 1, prince + 05387 1, [Total Count: 132]
Hebrew: nasi', naw-see'; from <H5375> (nasa'); properly an exalted one, i.e. a king or sheik; also a rising mist :- captain, chief, cloud, governor, prince, ruler, vapour. Used to refer to Michael (Dan. 12:1), the Messiah (Dan 9:25; Isa 9:6), Satan (Ez. 28:2), supervisor( prince of the eunuchs), leader, to chief men.
Captain
used in KJV: prince 208, captain 130, chief 33, ruler 33, governor 6, keeper 3, principal 2, general 1, lords 1, misc 4, [Total Count: 421]
Hebrew sar, from (sarar); Commander, a head person (of any rank or class) :- captain (that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper, lord, ([-task-]) master, prince (-ipal), ruler, steward.