- [Narrator] Archangel Michael.
Only Michael is designated as an archangel
by the Bible, Jude nine.
The prefix arch refers to a chief, a principle
or a powerful angel.
As a result, Michael has risen to the position
of angel above all angels
and is now considered the first prince of heaven
according to the hierarchy.
Jude 1:9, yet Michael the archangel,
when contending with the devil,
he disputed about the body of Moses,
darest not bringing against him a railing accusation,
but said, the Lord rebuke thee, King James version.
Remember, there is just one angel
who holds the angelic rank
of Archangel in the biblical account.
Due to the fact that the word arch means principle,
this angel is the most visible of all the holy angels.
The archangel's given name is Michael,
that name asks a question, who is like God?
Numerous parents, both Jewish and non-Jewish
who named their sons Michael,
are likely to be completely unaware
of what the name signifies.
That's unfortunate.
It would be wonderful if the thoughts and feelings of people
were oriented toward God every time they heard the name.
As we will see, men who received angelic visitations
frequently expressed the desire to worship the creation
rather than the creator.
As a result, how natural that it is the name Michael,
the archangel, caused us to turn our gaze
toward the almighty God.
He must stand alone
because the Bible never refers
to archangels as a group, only the archangel himself.
When it comes to the Old Testament,
Michael appears to be associated largely
with the nation of Israel.
As a result, God refers to Michael
as the prince of his chosen people.
He is in a sense the prime minister
and God's administration of the universe,
and he serves as God's angel administrator
for the sake of delivering judgment.
At that time, Michael, the great prince
who protects your people will arise.
There will be a time of distress such as has not happened
from the beginning of nations until then.
But at that time, your people,
everyone whose name is found written in the book,
will be delivered, Daniel 12:1.
He especially protects and defends God's people,
whoever they are.
Further in Daniel, he is referred to as Michael, your prince
but first I tell you what is written in the book of truth.
No one supports me against them except Michael,
your Prince, Daniel 10:21.
He is God's messenger of law and judgment.
This is his role when he appears
in Revelation 12:7 through 12,
leading the army in their battle against Satan,
the great dragon and all of his demons.
During the final fight of the age,
Michael and his angels will be enmeshed
in the titanic war of the universe,
which will herald the defeat of Satan
and the forces darkness.
In preparation of the fight,
the Bible teaches us that Michael
will finally emerge triumphant.
Hell will tremble.
Heaven will rejoice and celebrate.
This Satan, often known as the devil,
was once called Lucifer, the son of the morning,
he was expelled from heaven with his rebel army,
and he is still fighting today.
Satan may appear to be winning the war
because he has won several significant battles,
but the eventual outcome is unavoidable.
He will be defeated one day
and his powers will be taken away from him for all time.
The powers of darkness shall be shattered by God.
How could this conflict occur in God's perfect universe?
Many people wonder.
It is referred to as the mystery of iniquity
by the apostle Paul.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work,
only he who now leadeth will let,
until he be taken out of the way, 2 Thessalonians 2:7.
While we haven't been given as much information
as we would like, we do know one thing,
the angels that fell did so
because they had rebelled against God.
For if God spared not the angels that sinned,
but cast them down to hell
and delivered them into chains of darkness
to be reserved unto judgment, second Peter 2:4.
Perhaps the comparable passage in Jude six,
places the burden of blame more squarely
on the angel shoulders.
The angels wrote Jude quite deliberately
kept not their first estate,
but left their own habitation.
Thus Lucifer's defiance of God
and the subsequent fall of possibly one third
of the angels who joined him in his wickedness
was the biggest disaster in the history
of the whole creation.
When did it take place?
Between the beginning of creation
and Satan's entry into the Garden of Eden.
The important question is not when were angels created,
but when did they fall?
It's hard to believe that their sin
happened before God put Adam and Eve in the garden.
By inference, up to this point,
even the angelic creation was good.
How long were Adam and Eve in the garden
before the Angels fell
and Satan tempted the first man and woman?
We could wonder.
This is a question that must be left unanswered.
It sounds like a present world crisis.
Isaiah 14:12 through 14, records the conflict's origin.
How art thou fallen from heaven,
Oh, Lucifer son of the morning?
How are thou cut down to the ground,
which didst weaken the nations?
For thou has 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,
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the most high.
Prior to his rebellion,
Lucifer, an angel of light,
is described in scintillating terms.
Son of man, take up a lamentation
upon the king of Tyrus
and say unto him, "Thus sayeth the Lord, God.
Thou sealest up the sum full of wisdom
and perfect in beauty.
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God,
every precious stone was thy covering.
The sardius, topaz and the diamond,
the Beryl, the Onyx and the Jasper,
the Sapphire, the Emerald
and the carbuncle and gold.
The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes
was prepared in thee in the day that thou was created.
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.
Thou wast perfect in thy ways
from the day that thou was created,
till iniquity was found in thee.
By the multitude of thy merchandise,
thy have filled the midst of thee with violence
and thou has sinned.
Therefore I will cast thee as profane
out of the mountain of God
and I will destroy thee, oh covering cherub
from the midst of the stones of fire.
Thine heart was lifted up because of the beauty.
Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.
I will cast thee to the ground,
I will lay the before kings that they may behold thee."
Ezekiel 28:12 through 17.
Some believe that when the angel Lucifer
rebelled against God and his works,
as many as a third of the heavenly hosts of the universe,
joined him in his revolt.
As a result, the fight that began in heaven
has continued on earth
and will culminate at Armageddon
with Christ and his angelic army triumphant.
Leslie Miller in his excellent little book,
"All About Angels," points out that scripture
sometimes refers to angels as stars.
This explains why Satan was dubbed the morning star
before his fall,
and John adds a qualifier to this description.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven
and did cast them to the earth,
and the dragon stood before the woman
which was ready to be delivered,
for to devour her child as soon it was born,
Revelation 12:4.
We know that the earth is the scene of the conflict.
However, it is a struggle that affects the entire universe.
It is mind boggling that you and I,
with such a short period of time on this planet,
play a part in this battle of the ages.
It is incredible to us that supernatural beings
from outer space are engaged in a struggle for this planet.
It all started in the Garden of Eden,
a place located somewhere between the Tigris
and the Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East.
The head of Satan is being battered and bruised
as the forces of God gained speed
as we near the end of the age.
Michael the archangel, is currently preparing his forces
for the final battle, Armageddon, under God's authority.
The Bible's final illustration is of heaven.
While Satan is a defeated foe in principle,
obviously God has not yet eliminated him
from the world scene.
The Bible teaches however, that God will use Angels to judge
and totally eliminate him from the universe.
When Jesus returns for the second time,
Michael, the archangel, will shout as he accompanies him,
along with proclaiming the marvelous
and wonderful news that Jesus Christ has returned.
He also preaches the message of life to everyone
who have died in Christ
and are awaiting their resurrection.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first,
first Thessalonians 4:16.
Daniel and the angel.
The prophet Daniel introduces us to Michael.
It seems that he had been praying
and God had dispatched an answer
by the hand of a messenger
who was hindered on his journey until he testified,
but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me.
Daniel 10:13.
So Michael had to fight for the free passage of God's word.
It might be appropriate
to give Michael the title of general,
for each time we see him,
it is in connection with some type of spiritual struggle.
In his role as a fighter,
Michael has a particular responsibility to Israel.
In Daniel 10:21 and 12:1,
he is said to be the prince of that nation.
As we read ancient and modern history, Daniel 10:21,
But I will shew thee,
that which is noted in the scripture of truth
and there is none that heldeth with me in these things,
but Michael, your prince.
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,
everyone that shall be found written in the book,
Daniel 12:1.
Few people appreciate how important angelic influences
are in human affairs.
The ongoing and bitter fight
between the holy Angels dedicated to God,
and the Angels of darkness aligned with Satan,
is most powerfully revealed in Daniel.
Daniel vividly describes the fierce fight
between God's angelic forces
and the opposing demons of darkness in the Old Testament.
He had been in mourning for three weeks
when the Angel appeared to him.
Daniel 10:3, I ate no choice food,
no meat or wine touched my lips,
and I used no lotions at all
until the three weeks were over.
He did not consume any bread, meat or drink
and he did not anoint himself.
As he stood by the Tigris River,
a man dressed in linen emerged in front of him.
On his face, he appeared like lightning
and in his eyes, he looked like a pair of torches.
His voice sounded like the rumble
of a large group of people.
Daniel was the only one who witnessed the vision.
The men who were with him on the other hand, did not.
A huge sense of foreboding descended upon them
and they fled to safety.
Daniel's strength completely drained away
when he was left alone with the celestial visitor,
such was the power of this individual's influence over him.
But even though Daniel was imprisoned by a deep sleep,
he was awakened by the voice of the angel Gabriel.
When he felt a hand on the shoulder,
the angel began to narrate an experience
he himself had just had.
The Angel had begun to travel to Daniel
from the moment he began to pray,
but he was halted in his journey by a demon prince
who engaged him in combat
and caused him to be delayed.
Then Michael appeared to assist the subordinate angel,
allowing him to return on his duty to Daniel unhindered.
The angel had something to say,
he was to show Daniel
what God foresaw would befall the world,
especially Israel in the latter days.
Daniel then became weak and unable to talk
and the Angel touched his lips,
restoring his strength
as well as his ability to communicate.
After completing his duty,
the angel informed Daniel that he would be returning
to continue fighting the demon prince
and the battle between the forces of good
and the forces of evil.
Throughout this, Daniel was not experiencing
any hallucinations or dreams.
Daniel could have never been persuaded otherwise
because it was a genuine encounter with a real person.
He had prayed with God on behalf of the sons of Israel
and God had heard him.
His three week prayer session,
which was supported by fasting, had been a great success.
At that moment, he received word from the angel visitor
who had been sent from heaven
to inform him that his requests had been answered.
Because of this experience,
it is apparent that delays are not denials
and that God's permissive will
is involved in every aspect of human existence.
He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed
consider carefully the words I'm about to speak to you
and stand up, for I have now been sent to you."
And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel,
since the first day that you set your mind
to gain understanding
and to humble yourself before your God,
your words were heard
and I have come in response to them,
but the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days,
then Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me
because I was detained there with the King of Persia.
Now I have come to explain to you
what will happen to your people in the future
for the vision concerns a time yet to come."
Daniel 10:11 through 14.
In addition to the Old Testament references,
we also find Michael mentioned in the New Testament.
In the little book of Jude,
the ninth verse specifically calls Michael an archangel
and recounts his battle with Lucifer
over the body of Moses.
With the Lord's help, Michael won.
That wasn't the only conflict between Michael and Lucifer,
for John tells us in the book of Revelation.
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 anymore in heaven
and the great dragon was cast out
that old serpent called the devil and Satan,
which deceiveth the world.
He was cast out into the earth
and his angels were cast out with him.
Here we see Michael serving as commanding officer
of a large group of angels.
Evidently, Michael is the chief warrior of God.
There was war in heaven once upon the time.
Michael and his angels fought against Satan
and his fallen angels.
God uses his serving men
to confront Satan's retired and ill-equipped army.
Satan could not prevail
and there was no more place found for him in heaven.
God's Angels are unstoppable.
This feature denotes the division
between Angels and devils.
Only the hosts of heaven excel in strength.
In any war, the angels always prevail in the end,
fully eliminating the adversary.
Angels are known for never failing.
There is nothing that can match your strength
when it comes up against you.
They serve as the saints most effective bodyguards.
God's angels are invincible.
This feature denotes the division
between angels and demons.
Only the hosts of heaven are more powerful.
Psalm 103:20, bless the Lord, ye his angels
that excel in strength
that do His commandments,
hearkening unto the voice of his word.
In any war, the angels always prevail in the end,
fully eliminating the adversary.
Angels are legendary for never failing.
There is nothing that can rise up against you
that matches their strength.
They constitute the most efficient bodyguards of the saints.