Michael the Archangel
By: David M. Curtis

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Please commit to reading the entire article. I promise the conclusions will be thoroughly well explained in detail from the Bible. What perplexes many minds at the teaching of Michael being Jesus Christ is the title Archangel. Without searching for themselves many conclude that the archangel must be Himself a created angel. JESUS CHRIST IS NOT A CREATED ANGEL! HE IS THE CREATOR GOD! May the Lord bless you as you read this article.

Q. When sin began who were the two main opponents?
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

A. Michael and the dragon.

Q. Who is the dragon represent?
Revelation 12:9 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.

A. Satan. The next obvious question is, who is Michael? Well that is going to be much of what we study and will take several scriptures to identify.

Q. Who claims to have been there to see Satan and his angels cast from heaven?
Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

A. Jesus Christ

Q. What is one of the titles given to Michael?
Daniel 10:21 But I will show 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 12:1 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.

A. Prince & the great Prince. Notice the following texts also found in the book of Daniel and keep them in mind as we continue to study.

Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”

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Please note that Messiah means Christ. Jesus is the Christ! Before sin there was no need of a Savior. Jesus means “Savior.” “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. This was the VERY FIRST time the name “Jesus” (“Yehoshua” in Hebrew; see strongs concordance 3091) was ever spoken. The Messiah accepted this name because we needed His salvation. Prior to His Birth in Bethlehem Christ “whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2) had been called by another name. That name was Michael. This teaching may be new to some, but after we look at the over whelming evidence of scripture I think you will agree that this is sound doctrine and extrememly vital to understanding the great controversy.

Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify [himself] in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

The Bible identifies Jesus as “the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14; 19:16) “For the LORD your God [is] God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward” Dueteronomy 10:17 “O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.” Psalms 136:3. This titile “Prince of princes” signifies the noblest of all princes. A title that can alone belong to Son of God Jesus Christ. Michael is called, “the great Prince.” Daniel 12:1. What greater prince is there than the Prince of princes? Come and let us reason together. A prince is the son of the king and heir to the throne. AS we will notice the Bible NEVER names any one other than Christ as the Son of God worthy of the Throne of God. As we will discover in the Bible no angel other than Lucifer lays claims to that position. For this claim we will see Lucifer was cast out of Heaven. Indeed there was war in heaven Between Michael and the dragon. Let us look at a few more text calling Christ our great Prince.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6.

“And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.” Acts 3:15

“We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand [to be] a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:29-31.

Q. Since a prince is the son of the King who does the Bible Claim to be the Son of God?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

The Bible describes both the redeemed and the holy angels as “the sons of God” Job 1:6; John 1:12. However it calls Jesus “the only begotten Son of God.”
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Hebrews 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 1:8 But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Clearly Jesus is the only begotten Son of God; the one that God says is the heir to His throne. How appropriate that one of His titles be the great prince! “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Revelation 3:21. Before concluding on this important title as prince let us look at Daniel 10:21 again.
“But I will show 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.” Michael was not just any prince. He was given to Israel to be their prince! He was the heir to the throne of David. Yet another important piece of evidence revealing Michael as Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 9:7 Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Q. What is another title given to Michael?

“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.

“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. Deuteronomy 34:5,6. Who buried Him? The LORD Himself did. Who is the LORD? The LORD of lords? “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” 1 Corinthians 12:3. Jude was given vision of these things and saw Satan coming to argue with the LORD about the body of Moses. What did Jesus tell Satan? “The Lord rebuke thee.” The Bible goes on to record, “no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.” No one ever found the burying place of Moses; why? Because Jesus Christ who was at that time called Michael resurrected Moses. Notice that Moses was alive to minister to Jesus less than 2000 years ago. “And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.” Matthew 17:3. Elijah of course needed no resurrection. “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, [there appeared] a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” 2 Kings 2:11. Notice that it is the voice of the Archangel that calls the dead from the grave.


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“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 Thessalonians 4:16

It is the Lord Himself shouting it is His voice calling the dead from the grave. “The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread [the grapes], against all the inhabitants of the earth.” Jeremiah 25:30. No other power can raise the dead. Jesus is “the way the truth and the LIFE” John 14:6. He said, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life.” John 11:25. The name of Jesus alone is powerful enough to raise the dead!

What perplexes many minds at the teaching of Michael being Jesus Christ is the title “archangel.” With out searching for themselves many conclude that the archangel must be Himself a created angel. JESUS CHRIST IS NOT A CREATED ANGEL! HE IS THE CREATOR OF THE ANGELS! This gave Him the position as the chief leader of the angels! The word “archangel” appears only twice in the Bible. Lets look at the Strong’s Concordance concerning this word.

“747 archegos ar-khay-gos; from 746 and 71; a chief leader:- author, captain, prince”

Anyone of those words could have been used in translation to the English. Notice nothing in there says the archangel was an angel, rather the chief leader of the host of heaven. In a moment we will look at the name “Captain” but first lets look at the two verses containing “archangel” again. This time lets translate “archangel” using the word “prince.” The person referred to becomes obvious.

“Yet Michael the Prince, 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.

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Prince, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16. No one would take offence naming the Prince as Christ. Unfortunately the title “archangel” is hard for some to understand, as applying to Him.

Note: the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Michael is Christ. They do not accept Jesus as God, They believe Him to be an angel sent into this world. No wonder minds have been closed from hearing this wonderful truth of scripture. “Lo, Michael the first of the chief princes came to help me” KJV margin. Reason with me. If Michael were not Christ his claim to be “first of the chief princes” would be a position above “the Prince of Peace.” Can you now see they are one person? Jesus Christ? Had 1 Thessalonians 4:16 been translated “Prince” rather than “archangel” everyone today would recognize this vers as referring “the Lord Himself,” instead of in their minds thinking it must mean another person. Did you notice that another way “archangel” could have been translated, was “Captain?”

Joshua 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, [Art] thou for us, or for our adversaries? 5:14 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
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did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 5:15 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.

This was Jesus Christ, lets look at the evidence of scripture. Angels are not to be worshiped, only the Lord may be worshiped!

Matthew 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Colossians 2:18 “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,”

Revelation 19:10 And I (the apostle John) fell at his (an angel) feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Revelation 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard [them]. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See [thou do it] not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

It will be seen that Lucifer desired all the host of Heaven to worship Him. He desired to usurp the authority of Jesus Christ, who at that time was called Michael. This was the conflict that began the war in Heaven between Michael and the dragon. Before looking at that evidence we have more in connection to Michael.

“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 5:15. Let us now look at the parallel scripture found over 40 years prior to this experience.

Exodus 3:2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush [was] not consumed. 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here [am] I. 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy ground. 3:6 Moreover he said, I [am] the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

“The Angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. . .God called unto him out of the midst of the bush,. . .put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy ground” Notice the same words that were given by the captain of
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the LORD'S host to Joshua. The Captain was the Lord God, Jesus Christ. Here he is called, “the Angel of the Lord.” Again I want to stress Jesus is NOT a created angel. He is the Creator of the angels. So why then is he here being called the Angel of the Lord? The Scripture does have the answer to this mystery. But first lets look at a few more scriptures.

Genesis 31:11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, [saying], Jacob: And I said, Here [am] I. 31:12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle [are] ringstreaked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 31:13 I [am] the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, [and] where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.”

Jesus Christ is the God of Bethel. Jesus Christ is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” John 5:58

Hosea 12:3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: 12:4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him [in] Bethel, and there he spake with us; 12:5 Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD [is] his memorial.” This is referring to the night Jacob wrestled with a man all night. The prophet declares that man was God, yet in the same passage it called him, “the angel.”

Genesis 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 32:27 And he said unto him, What [is] thy name? And he said, Jacob. 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.32:29 And Jacob asked [him], and said, Tell [me], I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore [is] it [that] thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Note the following are just the key verses please read the whole chapter, for yourself. Genesis 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 18:16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 18:17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;”

Now there were three men that appeared to Abraham. When the men left to go to Sodom, the LORD stayed with Abraham. When the men got to Sodom that evening there were only two and they were
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then called angels. Jesus Christ and two angels appeared to Abraham as three men. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2. Since angels can and have appeared as men, let us remember Satan and his demons can do the same. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:14,15.

Let us take a closer look at the mystery we are trying to solve. How is it that Jesus Christ appeared in the Old Testament as the Angel of the Lord? The Creator humbled himself and became like one of His creation at the incarnation in the virgins womb. This was to demonstrate what Christ was like from all eternity. Meek and lowly in heart. In Heaven the Son of God, humbled Himself and became LIKE one of the angels so that they might identify with God on a level they could understand. Michael’s position in Heaven was at the right hand of the Father’s throne. Lucifer’s position was at the left.

Psalms 118:14 The LORD [is] my strength and song, and is become my salvation. 118:15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation [is] in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. 118:16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.

Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Ezekiel 28:14 Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 28:15 Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Lucifer envied the postion Christ held at the right hand of God. He envied the worship Christ received from the angels. He envied the power of Christ to create. Chiefly because when he saw Christ He did not see Him as God, he looked only on His humble appearance, which to our eyes was indeed glorious in that form of a angel, named Michael. Lucifer looked upon himself and said am not I just as beautiful as Michael. I am brighter than all the angels of Heaven. Not to mention Lucifers beautiful six octave voice! He said to himself, I am given a higher position than every angel in Heaven except for Michael. This is unjust, he thought to himself.

“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness:” Ezekiel 28:17 He began to resent the authority of Michael, who was the only Lawgiver heaven knew. At first his apostasy was not perceived. He deceived 1/3 of all the angels of Heaven.

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Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. 12:8. . . neither was their place found any more in heaven. 12:9 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.

Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Imagine the seen with me. We are in the courts of Heaven. The Father presents to all the host of angels the true position of His Son. From here Michael looks at all Heaven and says “Thou shalt not have other gods besides Me.” Amen says the congregation. Then he glances at Lucifer. Rebellion rumbles in his heart. “Thou shalt not worship the likeness of anything I have created.” a large host says, Amen. Christ looks at those who had been slandering Him, and says, “Thou shalt not take My name in vain.” This time in great love Michael commands the homage of all the universe with the words, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God.” It was right then and there that Lucifer decided for all eternity to be the “adversary” of God’s holy law especially the Sabbath for it was the memorial of Michael’s Creative power. The one thing he envied the most. From that day forward He was known as Satan, which means adversary.

The name Michael is the most humble name the Creator could take for Himself. It is actually a question. “Who is like God?” there is only one being who is exactly like the Father in every way, and that is His Son. He did not take a name that announced I AM GOD. Rather he asks the question with His Name Michael, and leaves it up to you and I to see the likeness of Father in His Son for ourselves.

Let us look at the Day of Atonement now.

Leviticus 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him [for] a sin offering. 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, [and] to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

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These two goats in appearance looked the same. However one was to represent the LORD’S goat Jesus Christ on the Cross. The other was the scapegoat, which was to represent Satan. We will discover what the wilderness was to represent in a later discussion called “the Millenium.” Just as these two goats appeared to be of the same caliber, they were not. Michael and Lucifer appeared to be of the same caliber as well, but they were not. One was the Creator, the other was the creation.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” Isaiah 14:12. A name for Christ is “the morning star.” “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.” Isaiah 22:6. Jesus Christ was Lucifer’s Father. He created him perfect, totally without sin. There was no sin in him. Lucifer is the father of sin. Lucifer was a son to Michael. How it breaks the heart of Christ to see his rebellion and when he is finally destroyed he will weep as did king David when his son rebelled against him and finally was destroyed by king David’s army.

2 Samuel 18:33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! 19:4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!

Listen to Radio Message: Michael the Archangel (broadcasted Live!)