Who Is Michael The Archangel? Part 4

[WalterandDebbie]

Continued from part 3

The mystery thickens. Later on, Jacob wrestles with an angel all night. The account says, “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day” (Gen.32:24). Seeing Jacob’s dogged determination and perseverance, the “Man” blessed him, saying, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel [literally, “Prince with God”]; for you have struggled with God [in the wrestling match!] and with men, and have prevailed” (verse 28).

“So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [“Face of God’]: ‘For I have SEEN GOD FACE TO FACE, and my life is preserved” (verse 29). Indeed, this was some “Man”! Jacob acknowledged that he really wrestled with none other than GOD Himself! How could this be? Later, in his old age, Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, “The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads” (Gen.48:16). Obviously, he was talking about God, equating the Angel of the Lord with God Himself! Moses’ Encounter In Exodus 3, Moses himself had a unique experience. He saw a burning bush that would not burn up, and turned aside to investigate the phenomenon. We read, “And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush” (verse 2). The Angel called to Moses out of the midst of the burning bush, and said to him, “I am the God of your father – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (verse 6). The passage goes on to say, “And the LORD said . . .” (v.7).

When Moses inquired about His name, we read, “And GOD said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you’” (Exo.3:14). Who was this? He was both the “Angel of the LORD,” and “God,” and the great “I AM,” and “The LORD” [Yahveh, in Hebrew]. The answer to this enigma is given by the evangelist Stephen, the first martyr of the New Testament Church of God. We read in Acts, chapter 7, that when he was being tried by the Sanhedrin for his testimony, Stephen said to the Council: 258 “And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai . . . . This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer BY THE HAND OF THE ANGEL WHO APPEARED TO HIM IN THE BUSH . . . “This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness WITH THE ANGEL WHO SPOKE TO HIM ON MOUNT SINAI, AND WITH OUR FATHERS, THE ONE WHO RECEIVED THE LIVELY ORACLES [THE LAW OF GOD] TO GIVE TO US,

WHOM OUR FATHERS WOULD NOT OBEY, BUT REJECTED” (Acts 7:30, 35, 38-39). The one who brought Israel out of Egypt was the ANGEL of the Lord – He is the One who spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, appeared to him in the bush, and who spoke to the Fathers, and who transmitted the Ten Commandments – the “Lively oracles” – to give to the children of Israel! But they refused to obey the Angel of the Lord, who was also a manifestation of God Himself to them. Who was this great Angel? Another Name — “Commander” This great Angel also appeared to Joshua. After Israel had crossed the Jordan River, and partaken of the Passover, he appeared to Joshua. “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You for us or for our adversaries?’ So He said, ‘No, but as COMMANDER OF THE ARMY OF THE LORD I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’ Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so” (Josh.5:13-15). 259 Here he is called “COMMANDER of the Army of the LORD”! He stands before Joshua, and Joshua worships Him. This is no regular angel, but THE “Angel” of the LORD, whose presence makes the place HOLY. The passage goes on, “And the LORD said to Joshua . . .” (chap6:2). This was the LORD Himself!

 

[WalterandDebbie]

Continued Part 4

“Wonderful”

He also appeared to Manoah, the father of Samson. First, the “Angel of the LORD appeared” to Manoah’s wife (Judges 13:3). She then said to her husband, “A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome” (verse 6). Manoah prayed to God to let the Man of God appear to them again (v.8), and the “Angel of the LORD” instructed them in raising their promised son. He asked the Angel His name, but the Angel said, “Why do you ask My name, seeing IT IS WONDERFUL?” (v.18). When the Angel ascended in the flame of the altar, “then Manoah knew that he was the Angel of the LORD. And Manoah said to his wife, ‘We shall surely die, because we have SEEN GOD’” (Judges 13:22).

Notice! The Angel of the LORD is GOD! And His name is “Wonderful.” The KJV has it “secret.” The Hebrew word is paliy, meaning “remarkable, secret, wonderful.” It is from the word pala, “to separate, distinguish, to be great, difficult, wonderful, marvelous.” The same Hebrew word is found in a famous Scripture – notice! “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Saviour is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called, WONDERFUL [Hebrew, pele, from pala], Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, PRINCE of Peace” (Isa.9:6). Thus the Angel of the LORD is revealed to be the MESSIAH – the pre-existent SAVIOR, the One who became the Christ, the Anointed Savior of the world! He is the “Commander of the army of God.”

He is a mighty Angel of war. He is the One who led Israel out of Egypt, performed mighty miracles of deliverance, and protected them on their journey to Mount Sinai and the Holy Land. He is a mighty “PRINCE” – the “Prince of peace.” Who is He? 260 Notice that the archangel Michael has these very identical attributes! He is a “PRINCE” (Daniel 10:21), who stands up for Israel (same verse). He is “one of the CHIEF [first in rank] PRINCES” (Dan.10:13). He is “the GREAT PRINCE who stands watch over the sons of your people,” Israel (Dan.12:1). The Angel of the LORD is “Wonderful”; one of Christ’s names is “Wonderful.” They are one and the same! The Messiah is also the “Prince” of peace; Michael is also “the great Prince.”

They are one and the same! Michael is called an “archangel.” When Christ returns, He comes “with the voice of an archangel”! He is a great Prince; so is Michael; He is the head of the army of heaven; so is Michael; He is Commander of the army of God; so is Michael; He is the “Angel of the LORD”; so is Michael! Michael, by definition, means “who is like GOD.” Christ is the One who is truly “LIKE GOD!” Notice! He is God’s very IMAGE!

For we read in the book of Hebrews that He is the very image of God! Notice! “God, who in various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory and the EXPRESS IMAGE of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb.1:1-3). Jesus Christ and Michael are the SAME individual – just two different names, stressing different aspects of His character!