Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!caen!uwm.edu!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: davidbu@loowit.wr.tek.com (David E. Buxton) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Jesus = Michael Archangel =/= angel Message-ID: Date: 9 Apr 91 06:58:23 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 168 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu There is reasonable evidence that when Charles T. Russell was founding his church that he took several of his theological themes from the Seventh-Day- Adventists. In each case his ultimate version can no longer be called SDA. The state-of-the-dead is one example. Another regards Michael the Archangel. When JWs insist that Jesus is Michael, a mere angel, it is a popular rebuttal to try and prove that Jesus cannot be Michael. But I propose that the better answer, from the Bible is that Jesus, as Michael the Archangel, cannot possibly be a mere angel. Seventh-Day-Adventists, in their study of the Bible, find that Michael the Archangel is Jesus the Commander in chief of the heavenly host and not Himself an angel. If you can prove from the Bible that Michael is a mere angel then you have proved that Michael is not Jesus. The divinity of Christ is more important to me than proving that Michael the Archangel is one of Jesus' pre-incarnate names. "For to which of the angels did He ever say: "You are My Son, today I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son"?" -- Heb 1:5 (NKJ) Michael means "one who is like God". Ancient names give us real clues into what the named was/is like. It was Lucifer, the 'morning star' of heaven, who in his rebellion, desired to be like God. ""How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' " -- Isa 14:12-14 (NKJ) "And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. " -- Luke 10:18 (NKJ) Lucifer's desire to be like God, was a key factor in his fall from heaven. And yet it was not rebellion for Jesus to "be like God", to be Michael, meaning "one who is like God", because He is our God and Savior Jesus Christ. No one is like God, in this context, but God Himself. It should also now be clear that Lucifer could not possibly have been Jesus' brother in heaven, else Lucifer's desire to be like the Most High would have been as legitimate as Jesus'. Considering that the OT sites God as the creator and in the NT it makes clear that Jesus is the creator, it is reasonable to con- clude that Jesus is the creator God who created all the angels of heaven, including Lucifer. It is not possible for the creator to be the brother of the created. Consider the war in heaven: "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dra- gon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down." -- Rev 12:7-10 (NKJ) Who else but a divine power could have taken on Satan successfully and cast him from heaven. The winner of this contest was Christ. "Arch" comes from the Greek meaning "ruler", one who reigns over -- as in the word "monarch". To be the ruler or monarch over the angels does not make Michael a mere angel. In Genesis 1:28 we read that God gave man domin- ion over the creatures of this earth. That does not make man a mere animal. Just as saying that the president of the United States is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces does not make the president a mere foot soldier or even a mere general or admiral. Jesus is the Supreme Commander in Chief of the hosts of heaven and our Commander in Chief as well. Now consider the story of Joshua meeting his Commander in Chief: "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 (NKJ) The living Bible reads "Commander in Chief". Clearly the Commander in Chief of the Lord's army was Jesus in His pre-incarnate form. Elsewhere in the Bible we see angels refusing to be worshipped (Rev 19:10; 22:8,9). The Com- mander that Joshua met that day accepted Joshua's worship, even commanded it, declaring the ground to be holy ground, which reminds us of Moses' experience at the burning bush -- pre-incarnate Jesus again. Clearly the commander of the Lord's army is not a mere angel but rather the God of heaven. The following texts make it clear that Michael the Prince and Messiah the Prince are the same Prince of heaven: ""Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the com- mand to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times." -- Dan 9:25 (NKJ) ""At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book." -- Dan 12:1 (NKJ) ""When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory." -- Mat 25:31 (NKJ) ""Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, "and has given Him authority to execute judg- ment also, because He is the Son of Man. "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice" "and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemna- tion." -- John 5:25- 29 (NKJ) "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first." -- 1 Th 4:16 (NKJ) Jesus = Messiah the Prince = Michael the Prince, the one who will return to take us home with Him. A common text offered in rebuttal is Jude 1:9 "Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a revil- ing accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"" -- Jude 1:9 (NKJ) The Bible is clear that Satan is the accuser and reviler (Rev 12:10). God would not stoop to the methods of Satan. Here is a text that presents the same circumstances in the Old Testament: "And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"" -- Zec 3:2 (NKJ) Also consider Jesus' language in rebuking Satan: "Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' " "-- Mat 4:7 (NKJ) "Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' " "-- Mat 4:10 (NKJ) Clearly, in rebuking Satan, Jesus identifies Himself before Satan as the "Lord your God". Matthew 4 is never used to prove that Jesus is not our Lord. In Jude 1:9, Michael is not calling upon the Lord to rebuke Satan but rather Michael is the Lord Himself rebuking Satan. Michael our Supreme Commander in Chief will come with the hosts of heaven and all power over the grave. He will come with the angels of heaven to take us home to paradise that He has been preparing for us. " "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. "-- John 14:2,3 (NKJ) Dave (David E. Buxton) From the Silicon RainForest of the Northwest