THE ANGEL OF THE LORD
Lesson 26
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This battle on Resurrection Sunday
had a long history that preceded it.
Before Lucifer sinned. Michael was
the archangel, ruler over all angels.
When one-third of the angels defected
and joined Lucifer in rebellion
against Christ, Satan became the
self-appointed archangels over his
followers. Thus the great controversy
between Christ and Satan is actually
a contest between two powerful
archangels who were once best of
friends. It is interesting to note
that each time the name Michael is
used in the Bible, it is used in the
context of an angelic conflict
between the devil and Jesus.
After examining the four texts in the
Bible that refer to Michael, the
evidence indicates that Michael is
Jesus. But continue reading because
there is better evidence still to
come!
Michael, the Angel of the Lord, is
Jehovah
Many people are surprised to learn in
the Old Testament; Jesus is often
identified as “the angel of the
Lord.” Three excellent examples
follow. Pay careful attention to who
is speaking in each text. When
Abraham was about to slay Isaac as a
sacrifice, the Bible says, “But
the angel of the Lord called out to
him from Heaven, ‘Abraham!
Abraham…Do not lay a hand on the
boy,’ he said. The angel of the
Lord called to Abraham from Heaven a
second time and said…’I
swear by myself, declares the Lord
{Jehovah}, that because you have done
this and not withheld your son, your
only son, I will surely bless you and
make your descendants as numerous as
the stars in the sky and as sand on
the seashore. Your descendants will
take possession of the cities of
their enemies, and through your
offspring all nations on Earth will
be blessed, because you have obeyed
me.’” (Selections from
Genesis 22:11-18, insertion mine.)
Did you notice in these verses that
“the angel of the Lord” is
actually God, the Lord Jehovah?
The second example is even more
illuminating. One day when Moses was
tending his sheep, he noticed a bush
blazing with flames of fire.
“There the angel of the Lord
appeared to him in flames of fire
from within the bush. Moses saw that
though the bush was on fire it did
not burn up. So Moses though, ‘I
will go over and see this strange
sight – why the bush does not
burn up. ‘When the Lord saw that
he had gone over to look, God called
to him from within the bush,
‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses
said ‘Here I am.’ Do not
come any closer,’ God said.
‘Take off your sandals, for the
place where you are standing is holy
ground.’ Then he said, ‘I
am the God of your father, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God
of Jacob.’” (Exodus 3:2-6)
Did you notice again that “the
angel of the Lord” is actually
God?
The third text removes all doubt.
“The angel of the Lord went up
from Gilgal to Bokim and said,
‘I brought you up out of Egypt
and led you into the land that I
swore to give to your forefathers. I
said, ‘I will never break my
covenant with you, and you shall not
make a covenant with the people of
this land, but you shall break down
their alters. Yet you have disobeyed
me. Why have you done this? Now
therefore I tell you that I will not
drive them out before you; they will
be thorns in your sides and their
gods will be a snare for you.’
When the angel of the Lord had spoken
these things to all the Israelites,
the people wept aloud, and they
called that place Bokim. There they
offered sacrifices to the Lord.”
(Joshua 2:1-5) I have to ask again,
who is “the angel of the
Lord?” There is only one angel
who is God, has the authority of God
and speaks for God. His name is
Michael. He is the archangel. He was
with the Israelites day and night and
provided for all their needs,
including their food and water.
Notice what Paul wrote, “They
all ate the same spiritual food and
drank the same spiritual drink; for
they drank from the spiritual rock
that accompanied them, and that rock
was Christ.” (1 Corinthians
10:4) After reviewing these verses,
the mystery is easy to solve. The
angel of the Lord is God. He is the
Archangel and His name is Michael,
which means “One who is like
God.”
Michael/Jesus
When Michael was born to Mary, the
Father gave Him an earthy name. The
birth of Jesus was a profound
miracle. Michael became Jesus. This
transition says much about the role
of the servant leader in God’s
order because Jesus stooped even
lower in the order of creation to
become a man. Paul was overwhelmed
with the submission of Jesus. He
quotes a song by David (Psalm 8:4,5)
saying, “What is man that you
are mindful of him, {even} the son of
man that you care for him? You made
him a little lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor
and put everything under his
feet…” “But we see
Jesus, who was made a little lower
than the angels, now crowned with
glory and honor because he suffered
death, so that by the grace of God he
might taste death for everyone.”
(Hebrews 2:6,9) Jesus may appear to
be a man – Michael may appear to
be an angel – but He is none
other than a member of the Godhead
dwelling among His created beings.
This may be hard to comprehend, but
Jesus left Heaven to live among
sinful men for the express purpose of
revealing the marvelous ways and
unfathomable love of the Godhead.
The Bible is dedicated to revealing
the love that the Godhead has for man
and understanding Jesus Christ is the
only means through which this
revelation can occur. In other words,
the truth about God begins and ends
with the Word, i.e., Jesus. No wonder
He is called the Alpha and the Omega.
At the end of sin’s drama, just
before the wicked are destroyed, God
will show everyone – including
all fallen angels and all mankind
– the fullness of all that Jesus
really is. After Earth is purified,
the King of kings and Lord of lords
are going to do a very amazing thing.
Paul says, “Then the end {of
sin’s drama} will come, when he
{Jesus} hands over the kingdom to God
the Father after he has destroyed all
dominion, authority and
power…When he has done this,
then the Son himself will be made
subject to him who put everything
under him, so that God may be all in
all.” (1 Corinthians 15:24,28,
insertion mine.) Can you believe
this? After conquering sin and
destroying evil, after receiving the
Earth as an inheritance, after
redeeming billions of saints, Jesus
returns all that He has to the Father
so He can live with humanity as one
of them. What a servant leader!
Think about this. Michael/Jesus has
the same power, authority and glory
as the Father, but he humbled himself
to live among angels as one of them.
Then, when sin entered the universe
He stooped even lower to live as a
man. Even more, He was willing to be
cursed and bear the shame of the
cross to pay the penalty for our
sins. (Hebrews 12:2) He was willing
to perish for eternity if it meant
that sinners could have the
possibility of eternal life. To His
glory, He succeeded in His rescue of
humankind and was exalted to the
highest position in the entire
universe. Then, in one act of
incomprehensible love, a victorious
Jesus returns His crown and great
possessions to the Father God so He
may live among His people. The
kingdom of God is all about serving
others. Jesus said,
“…Whoever wants to become
great among you must be your servant,
and whosoever wants to be first must
be your slave – just as the Son
of Man did not come to be served, but
to serve, and give His life a ransom
for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28)
“If I then, your Lord and
Master, have washed your feet; ye
also ought to wash one another’s
feet. For I have given you an
example, that ye should do as I have
done to you.”
Closing thoughts
One of the saddest
verses in the Bible is found in John
1:11. “He came to which was his
own, but his own did not receive
him.” Reflect for a moment how
it must have been when Michael bent
down on His knees to affectionately
create Adam out of the soil of the
Earth. (Genesis 2:7; Hebrews 1:1-3)
Later, He personally spoke with
Abraham, sharing with him God’s
plans for a future nation dedicated
to His purposes. He personally spoke
with Moses and cancelled
Pharaoh’s authority, delivering
the children of Israel from Egyptian
bondage. Tenderly, He watched over
Israel, feeding then angel’s
food – manna from Heaven. True
to His word, He gave them the
Promised Land and prosperity that
peaked during the reign of David and
Solomon. He sent Nebuchadnezzar to
destroy His temple, but later sent
Cyrus to free His people. After all
He had done, His own people totally
rejected and crucified Him. John
says, “He came to that which was
his own, but his own did not receive
him.” The story of rejection, of
course, does not end with the Jews.
It continues among the Gentiles, even
to the last generation. What have you
done about Jesus Christ? Do you
believe His words? Do you love Him
and do you want to be part of the
kingdom He represents? Have you
accepted His authority as Lord of
your life? Are you willing to reflect
His character and be one of His
representatives on Earth? Are you
willing to do what He asks? Are you
willing to become what He wants you
to be? Are you willing to go where He
commands? If your answer is,
“Not right now, “then when
will it be? If you surrender your
life to Him, He will clothe you with
His righteousness. Surrender is the
first step toward Heaven. Think about
it! All who surrender to the Son will
have the privilege of embracing this
most wonderful person who is fully
God, who is the archangel, Michael
and who is the man, Jesus!
Memory Verse: “He
came to that which was his own, but
his own did not receive him.”
(John 1:11)
1. Who is the
angel of the Lord?
2. Who did
Michael identify with in Heaven?
3. What happens
in the Bible each time Michael/Jesus
and Lucifer/ Satan come together?
4. What happens
at the end of time when Michael/Jesus
has destroyed all authority and
dominion on this earth?
5. What does it
mean to surrender a person’s
life to Jesus Christ?
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