Michael the Archangel

Generally, Michael is the only recognized archangel in the Abrahamic Bibles. He is a high-ranking angel who serves as a messenger sent from the Creator to certain people, such as the prophet Daniel. However, Daniel 10:13 describes Michael as "one of the chief princes". According to some scholars of biblical studies, this verse indicates that there is more than one archangel. Literally translated, his name means: "God is my strength". He is mentioned in the Jewish Tanakh, the Old and New Testament of the Christian Bible and the Islamic Qur'an. He is revered as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches. In the Qur'an this certain angel is known as Mikhail, who is only mentioned once in the Islamic holy text.

"Whoever is an enemy to Allah (God) and His angels and His messengers and Jibrail (Gabriel) and Mikhai (Michael) - then indeed, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers." ~ Sura 2:98 

According to rabbinic Jewish tradition, Michael acted as the advocate of Israel, and sometimes had to fight with the princes of the other nations and particularly with the angel, Samael, Israel's accuser. Michael's enmity with Samael dates from the time when the latter was thrown down from heaven. Samael took hold of the wings of Michael, whom he wished to bring down with him in his fall; but Michael was saved by God. Michael also said, "May The Lord rebuke you" to Satan for attempting to claim the body of Moses.

The Jewish Midrash gives a more in depth look at the archangel known as Michael. The rabbis portend that Michael became the defender of Israel at the time of the biblical patriarchs. According to Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob, the archangel rescued Abraham from the furnace into which he had been thrown by Nimrod, son of Cush and great-grandson of Noah (Midrash Genesis Rabbah xliv. 16). It was Michael who informed Abraham that Lot had been taken captive (Midrash Pirke R. El.), and who protected Sarah from being defiled by Abimelech. This archangel announced to Sarah that she would bear a son and he rescued Lot at the destruction of Sodom. Later Michael prevented Laban from harming Jacob.(Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, xxxvi). It was also Michael who wrestled with Jacob and who afterward blessed him.

In the Roman Catholic teachings Michael [referred to as Saint Michael] has four main roles: His first role is leader of the Army of God and the leader of heaven's forces in their triumph over the powers of hell. In his second role, Michael is the angel of death, carrying the souls of all the deceased to heaven. In this particular role Michael descends at the hour of death, and gives each soul the chance to redeem itself before passing; therefore bringing consternation upon the devil and his minions. In his third role, he weighs souls in his perfectly balanced scales. In his fourth role, Michael is also the guardian of the Church; it was thus not unusual for the angel to be revered by the military orders of knights during the Middle Ages.

Many Protestant Christian denominations do not call upon the intercession of saints and generally only recognize two angels - Michael and Gabriel. However, an unofficial Anglican prayer of preparation before Mass includes a confession to "Michael the Archangel" as well as other saints such as John the Baptist. Some sects, including Jehovah's Witnesses, believe the archangel Michael to be one in the same with Jesus Christ, the Christian Messiah. The basic premise of this claim seems to stem from the distinct usage of the word 'archangel'. John A. Lees, in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, states:

"The earlier Protestant scholars usually identified Michael with the pre-incarnate Christ, finding support for their view, not only in the juxtaposition of the 'child' and the archangel in Rev 12:1-17, but also in the attributes ascribed to him in Daniel."

Jewish apocalyptic literature [of the post-exile period] describes seven archangels who stand in the presence of God: Suruel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Gabriel, Remiel, and Uriel (Tobit 12:15; 1 Enoch 9:1; 20:1-7; 40:9). Other apocalyptic theologians proclaim Michael is one of four powerful angelic beings created before other angels. They are known to possess immense power surpassing that of demons and lesser angels. Those four angels are: Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel. 

Regardless of the scholars' angelic hypothesis, Michael is mentioned by name three times in the Tanakh/Old Testament (Daniel 10:13; 10:21; 12:1) and twice in the New Testament (Jude 1:9; Revelation 12:7).  Michael is portrayed as an angel that is a fighter - contending and withstanding against all forces of evil. His most famous example of fighting abomination is when he cast Lucifer and his fellow angels out of heaven following Lucifer's stand against the Creator. While not mentioned by name in I Thessalonians 4:16, most scholars believe that Michael is being referred to in this verse.

The idea that Michael was the advocate of the Jews became so popular that, in spite of the rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries between God and his people, Michael came to occupy a certain place in the Jewish liturgy. Likewise, Christian sanctuaries honoring Michael appeared in the 4th century, when he was seen as a healing angel, and later becoming known as the leader of the army of God. The archangel, who is deemed as a protector and was first venerated as a healer in Phrygia (modern-day Turkey), has been revered for many centuries now.

In the Book of Revelation, Michael leads the Creator's armies against Satan during the war in heaven, and defeats Satan, also known as Lucifer. After the conflict, Lucifer (referred to as the "dragon") is thrown to earth along with the fallen angels, where he (referred to as "that ancient serpent called the devil") still tries to lead the whole world astray.

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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 12:7-9

The Prophet Daniel had a vision of an angel who identifies Michael as the protector of Israel (Daniel 10:13-21). The ancient oracle goes on to proclaim that Michael will arise during the "time of the end" (Daniel 12). In Revelation 12:7-10, the Bible expands upon the story of how Michael and his army will defeat the rebellious angels right before the Second Coming of Jesus. 

To sum up the archangel known as Michael, he is a powerful, heavenly entity that has been not only a protector and healer, but a high-ranking, warrior angel that has supreme dominion over God's heavenly host of soldiers. 

John B. Medina - "Paradise Lost"

Silence of the Prophets

Why was there such a long silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament prophets? The majority of Christians believe there was a silence of prophecy for 400 years prior to birth of Jesus. Many biblical scholars find themselves in heated debates over the subject. 

But ... Who's ? Right.  

The "400 years of silence" or the "intertestimental period", is in reference to a biblical silence in which there were no known prophets to share the word of God with mankind. From Malachi [the last book in the Old Testament] to Matthew [the first book in the New Testament], the Creator remained mysteriously quiet. But why?

While biblical scripture does not detail the period between c/430 BC and c/40 AD, this particular era is referenced in other books, such as, "The Jewish War" (c/75 AD) and "Antiquities of the Jews" (c/94 AD) by the 1st century AD historian, Flavius Josephus.

The Known History of the "400 Years"

The Prophet Malachi set the stage with his biblical prediction of Elijah's return in reference to Jesus (Malachi 4:5-6) circa 430 BC. During this era of time the Jews had returned from Medo-Persia and rebuilt their second temple under the influence of King Cyrus and the guidance of Ezra. In 332 BC, the Greek Empire conquered the Persians and laid claim to the Jewish homeland followed by the Egyptian occupation in 312 BC. It was during this epoch of time the Old Testament was translated into Greek (known as the Septuagint). However, the Jews continued to practice their temple rituals and the Law of Moses until Syria captured Jerusalem in 204 BC. The Maccabean Revolt lasted from 167-160 BC in which Mattathias [Maccabee] the Hasmonean, sparked the revolt against the Seleucid Empire after Antiochus IV desecrated the Holy of Holies (the most sacred part of the Jewish temple) and issued a decree forbidding Jewish religious traditions and practices. The Hasmoneans temporarily fled the scene, but later returned after regrouping. After the death of his father (Mattathias Maccabee), Judah Maccabee led an army of Jewish dissidents to victory over the Seleucid dominion in guerrilla warfare around 160 BC. The Romans conquered the Israeli homeland by 63 BC, and continued to reign over the region throughout the dawning of the AD era, which led to the events of the New Testament.

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It was a bloody 400 years of wars and skirmishes, but it is interesting to note some of the events during the 400 years fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. Significantly, Daniel had spoke of future empires that resembled those of the Greek and Roman dynasties (Daniel 7, 9). There were several apocryphal books written during this time, as well:

Tobi --------------------------------------------------225-175 BC
Ben Sira (Sirach) ---------------------------------200-175 BC
Bel and the Dragon ------------------------------200-100 BC
Greek Esther -------------------------------------- 200-1 BC
Prayer of Azariah --------------------------------200-1 BC
1 Maccabees ----------------------------------------150-100 BC
2 Maccabees ----------------------------------------150-100 BC
1 Esdras --------------------------------------------- 100 BC-100 AD
Prayer of Manasseh ----------------------------- 100-1 BC
3 Maccabees ----------------------------------------100-1 BC
4 Maccabees ----------------------------------------100-1 BC

Some scholars and theologians of biblical studies believe while the 400 years of biblical silence revealed no new revelations from the Creator, the necessary preparations for the coming of the Messiah was fulfilled. As the AD era dawned, the count down to the coming of Messiah began. Israel was undergoing major change; the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes came to positions of political and religious influence. Israel was ready for a Messiah. According to the Christians, the stage was now set for Jesus Christ to come. Galatians 4:4-5 states, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."

The Supreme Creator was definitely active in world history during the 400 years, causing major political and military upheavals to occur. But, the Jews do not have similar views on this "biblical silence", as the Tanakh (Old Testament) had other periods of biblical silence, such as:

>  the many hundreds of years between Adam and Abraham
>  the 400 years when the Hebrew people were living in exile, then slaves
>  the many hundreds of years between Joseph (son of Jacob) and Moses

These are just a few examples from the Tanakh, also known as the Hebrew Bible. Judaism does not see the 400 year "biblical silence" as odd in this respect. 

"The truth is, there was no silence. I grew up celebrating Chanukah, commemorating the events that took place smack dab in the midst of this four-century period. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include apocryphal books written during that period, including the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, which details the story of Chanukah. Though Jewish Bibles don’t include these books in their canon, the Jewish festal calendar includes this minor feast in its cycle of observance, and has since before Jesus was born." ~ Michelle Van Loon (Patheos.com)

While the biblical scholars and theologians debate the "400 years of silence", it is interesting to note that there has been close to "2,000 years of silence" since the New Testament was written and later canonized.   Most theologians agree there have not been any prophets from any of the tribes of Israel to proclaim mysteries, warnings or chastisement to the nations. Yet, there are a few philosophers that will attest that the 16th century AD poet and seer, Nostradamus, was indeed the Creator's prophet, commonly believed to have been descended from the tribe of Issachar. Regardless of the Nostradamus debate, another "biblical silence" has ensued for many centuries since the completion of the New Testament.

Whether the Christian view is correct or not, the "400 years of silence" will probably remain an  obscure subject among the biblical professors.

Related Articles:

400 Years Of Silence?
Was Christ’s Birth Preceded by 400 Years of Divine Silence?
Why are there 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testaments?