- The three great missions of Angel Michael.
Number one, defending the body of Moses.
Michael is probably the most well known angelic being
mentioned in the Bible.
We know Michael is an archangel,
however, what does that specific role entail for him?
What has he accomplished and what are his responsibilities,
and how does he fit into the heavenly host
that God has assembled?
God has chosen to withhold a lot of information from us
regarding the events leading up to Moses' passing.
God gave him a glimpse of the promised land
even though it was impossible for him to set foot there.
Moses gazed toward the promised land
while perched on the peak of Nebo,
which is part of a mountain range known as Pisgah.
This peak is located in what is now
the modern nation of Jordan.
Moses was not allowed into the promised land
because he had disobeyed God.
Moses directly disobeyed God by striking the rock
rather than speaking to it.
The death and burial of Moses, the Lord's servant.
Deuteronomy, chapter 35, verses five through eight,
"Amplified Bible."
"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 the valley in the land of Moab
opposite Beth-peor.
But no man knows where his burial place is to this day.
Although Moses was a hundred and twenty years old
when he died, his eyesight was not dim,
nor his natural strength abated.
So the sons of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab for 30 days.
Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended."
We read, "So Moses, the servant of the Lord,
died there in the land of Moab."
Moses' epitaph, what we might call a line on his tombstone,
though he actually had none, was simple.
It had nothing to do with Moses, Prince of Egypt.
It was not Moses, Egyptian murderer.
It had nothing to do with Moses, shepherd in the wilderness.
It was not Moses, national spokesman.
It was not Moses, the miracle worker.
It had nothing to do with Moses, prophet.
It had nothing to do with Moses,
the man who saw a piece of God's glory.
It had nothing to do with Moses,
who never entered the promised land.
At the end of it all, the title was simple.
Moses, the servant of the Lord.
Jude 9 describes an occasion when Michael the Archangel
was at odds with the devil over the body of Moses.
It would appear that there was a dispute
regarding the body of Moses, and Jude indicates
that Michael the Archangel triumphed in this conflict
by appealing to the authority of the Lord saying,
"The Lord rebuke you," in response to the other party.
But it is not entirely clear why Michael fought Satan
over the body of Moses in the first place.
Some people believe that the devil intended
to use the body of Moses as an object of worship
to tempt Israel into engaging in idolatry.
God wanted to protect the body of Moses
so no one knows his grave to this day.
Apparently they foraged for it, as would be expected,
out of a passion for marking
this great leader of the nation.
When Moses passed away, he had lived a life
that could be neatly segmented into thirds.
He had lived 120 years.
He served as the crown Prince of Egypt for 40 years,
then spent 40 years as a simple shepherd in the desert.
And finally spent 40 years guiding the children of Israel
to their destination in the promised land.
The first two thirds served as a foundation
for the final third's content and activities.
Moses was willing to allow God to mold him
over a period of 80 years.
This proved that the observation made
in Deuteronomy 31:1 was correct, because neither his eyes
nor his natural vigor had diminished.
The children of Israel shed tears,
but eventually the period of mourning and lamentation
over Moses' death ended.
The days of mourning for Moses,
who was of such great importance, came to an end.
It was time to move on to other things.
The program that God had in mind did not come to an end
with Moses, nor did it come to an end with any man.
The baton had been handed off
and the work of God will continue.
We are told that there has not been another prophet
like Moses to arise in Israel since that time.
However, there have been great rulers of Israel,
as well as leaders, prophets, and priests.
But before the arrival of Jesus Christ,
who is known as the Messiah, there was never another man
who held all offices in such a glorious manner as Moses did.
Number two, fighting the Prince of Persia.
The Prince of Persia is only mentioned in Daniel 10,
a highly apocalyptic and therefore, at least partially
symbolic section of the Book of Daniel.
The Prince of Persia is most likely a reference
to a wicked spiritual being who ruled over Persia
in ancient times.
The Prophet Daniel had obtained a troubling vision
concerning a great war.
He went into a three-day period of mourning,
fasting, and prayer.
God sent a heavenly messenger to explain the vision
in response to Daniel's prayer.
Daniel foresaw something incredible
because he wept and fasted for three weeks
before it happened.
The angel that appeared to him was extremely beautiful.
Even though the lads with Daniel did not see the vision,
they were terrified.
Meanwhile, Daniel had been weakened by holy terror
and had fallen asleep.
Daniel, chapter 10, verses 10 through 14,
"New American Standard Bible."
"Then behold a hand touched me and shook me on my hands
and knees and he said to me, 'Daniel, you who are treasured
understand the words that I am about to tell you,
and stand at your place for I have now been sent to you.'
And when he had spoken this word to me,
I stood up trembling.
Then he said to me, 'Do not be afraid, Daniel,
for from the first day that you set your heart
on understanding this and on humbling yourself before God,
your words were heard, and I have come in response
to your words, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia
was standing in my way for 21 days.'
Then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes,
came to help me, for I had been left there
with the kings of Persia.
Now I have come to explain to you what will happen
to your people in the latter days,
because the vision pertains to the days still future."
Here we are given discernment
into the warfare in the spiritual realm.
Daniel had been praying and fasting for three weeks
and the angel had been sent from the first day
in response.
However, the angel had been delayed by a figure
called the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia,
who opposed him for 21 days, for the entire period
during which Daniel had been fasting and praying.
This was apparently a high-ranking demon
allocated to the Nation of Persia
to represent the devil's kingdom and fight against God's.
As a result, the messenger who came to Daniel
was engaged in angelic warfare.
In fact, the demonic Prince of Persia
wielded such incredible power that Michael,
one of the chief princes, was dispatched to his aid.
In Jude 9, we learned that Michael is an archangel.
The angel was able to reach Daniel due to his strength.
An angel clarifies how Jews' final days will unfold
in Daniel's final vision.
Michael, the Great Prince who stands guard
over the sons of your people, will appear at this time.
The angel also refers to Michael as "Daniel's prince."
The Bible doesn't say what standing guard entails,
but it's very clear that Michael
has special responsibilities for Israel.
In his role as a fighter,
Michael has a particular responsibility to Israel.
In Daniel 10:21 and Daniel 12:1,
he is said to be the prince of that nation.
As we read ancient and modern history,
I believe we see the hand of Michael defending Israel.
Despite his great power,
Michael remains completely submissive to the Lord.
Jude 1:9 demonstrates his reliance on the Lord's power.
The righteous angels are ranked and submit to authority.
Considering Michael the Archangel's strength,
his submission to God is all the more beautiful.
The term archangel means highest-rank angel.
Most angels in the Bible are depicted as messengers,
but Michael is described as contending, fighting,
or standing against evil spirits and principalities
in all three books.
Despite his anguish and weakness,
the angel strengthened Daniel to receive the revelation
that follows in chapters 11 and 12.
But there was a more angelic conflict to come.
The angel had to return immediately
to fight the Prince of Persia.
Then he informed Daniel that the Prince of Greece
would be arriving.
This implies that Satan's demons are constantly
at odd with God's kingdom and servants.
You must be prepared to fight in the spiritual realm
where you cannot see the battle.
Ephesians, chapter six, verses 10 through 18,
"New American Standard Bible."
"Finally be strong in the Lord
and in the strength of his might.
Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able
to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God
so that you will be able to resist on that evil day
and having done everything to stand firm.
Stand firm, therefore, having belted your waist
with truth and having put on the breastplate
of righteousness and having strapped on your feet
the preparation of the gospel of peace.
In addition to all taking up the shield of faith
with which you will be able to extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one,
and take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.
With every prayer and request, pray at all times
in the Spirit and with this in view, be alert
with all perseverance and every request for all the saints."
There are battles fought and things that happen
in the spiritual realm that we may know nothing about,
but we are taught that our conduct has an effect
on what transpires there.
That is why we should never give up praying
and submitting ourselves to the Lord in obedience.
What happens in our lives of faith has implications
far greater than what we can see.
So we must stay steadfast and trust the Lord,
even when we cannot see what he is doing.
In his model prayer, Jesus instructed his followers
to pray for deliverance from the evil one on a daily basis.
Luke, chapter 11, verses one through seven,
"New American Standard Bible."
"It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place
when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him,
'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught
his disciples.' And he said to them,
'When you pray, say, "Father, hallowed be thy name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves also forgave everyone
who is indebted to us.
And do not not lead us into temptation.'"
Christ in the New Testament church's model.
He spent a lot of time releasing people
from the grip of evil spirits.
He cast demons from possessed people frequently, publicly,
and successfully, but the demons did not leave humanity,
even after Jesus was crucified.
They will torment and possess until Christ returns
to redeem His church.
We are still at war until then.
The conflict between the two kingdoms continues.
Number three, the war in heaven.
War breaks out in heaven with Michael and his angels
on one side and the dragon and his angels on the other.
This is in the middle of the tribulation.
Revelation, chapter 12, verses seven through nine.
"And there was war in heaven.
Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon.
The dragon and his angels waged war
and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place
found for them in heaven,
and the great dragon was thrown down,
the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan,
who deceives the whole world.
He was thrown down to the earth,
and his angels were thrown down with him."
The dragon is so totally defeated that he loses his position
and he and his minions are cast down to the earth.
This is not his final fate, however.
Before the millennium begins, Satan must be restrained.
To accomplish this, an angel comes down from heaven
with a key to the abyss and a huge chain in his hand.
In one sense, our Lord bound Satan when he came to earth.
Matthew, chapter 12, verse 29.
"Or how can we enter the strong man's house
and carry off his property unless he first ties up
the strong man and then he will plunder his house?"
So this is another stage in his binding.
The angel seized Satan and bound him for 1,000 years.
John lists four names of the tempter,
dragon, serpent, devil, accuser, and Satan, adversary.
During the millennium, the archenemy
is confined to the bottomless pit.
The abyss is sealed so that he cannot go forth
to deceive the nations.
Toward the end of Christ's reign,
he will be released for his last brief rebellion.
Revelation, chapter 20, verse 10.
"And the devil who deceived them was thrown
into the lake of fire and brimstone
where the beast and the false prophet are also,
and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
Notice John's report of him, the great dragon,
that serpent of old, the devil,
Satan, the one who deceives the world.
After this aborted battle, Satan is then judged
and tormented forever, together with the beast
and the false prophet who were cast into the lake of fire
at the beginning of the thousand years.
Revelation, chapter 12, verse 10.
"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
'Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom
of our God and the authority of his Christ have come,
for the accuser of our brothers and sister
has been thrown down, the one who accuses them
before our God, day and night.'"
The announcement continues,
"'Persecuted believers overcame the evil one
by the blood of the lamb and by the Word of their testimony.
In faithfulness to Him, they sealed their testimony
with their blood.'"
Revelation, chapter 12, verses 11 and 12.
"And they overcame him because of the blood of the lamb
and because of the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their life,
even when faced with death.
For this reason, rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them.
Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil
has come down to you with great wrath
knowing that he has only a short time.
The heavens can rejoice over the dragon's departure,
but it is terrible news for the earth and the sea."
The devil knows his time is short and he is resolved
to pour out his outrage as widely as possible.
Satan is not presently in hell,
though he certainly is headed there.
The primary way Satan attacks the people of God
is through blasphemy, and he is the accuser of our brethren.
Even so, believers have a divine advocate
before God named Jesus Christ.
1 John, chapter two, verse one.
"My little children, I am writing these things to you
so that you may not sin.
And if anyone sins, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous."
Satan, the adversary, may seek to eradicate God's people,
but Jesus Christ is the good shepherd.
John, chapter 10, verse 11.
"I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep."
John, chapter 10, verse 14.
"I am the good shepherd,
and I know my own and my own know me."
John then offers simple strategy believers through the ages
have employed to overcome Satan's attacks,
a threefold plan against the devil's assaults,
covering, confession, and courage.
First, the Christians covering is nothing less
than Christ's blood spilled for their sin.
Apart from the blood of Christ,
a person remains forever vulnerable to Satan.
The Christian's confession is the Word of God.
Recall, Jesus's successful defense
against the devil's temptations
was entirely due to his use of God's Word.
Third, the Christian's courage is indicated
by loving Jesus more than life.
They did not love their lives to the death.
Satan never sleeps, nor does he tire
in his repeated attacks on God's people.
Christians who think spiritual warfare
is an excellent subject to discuss,
but don't think it affects their lives daily,
may be vulnerable to spiritual defeat.
Good soldiers of Jesus Christ know Satan roams the earth
seeking those whom he may devour.
We must be ready.
1 Peter, chapter five, verse eight.
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.
Your adversary, the devil, prowls around
like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour."
Michael and the forces of heaven defeat the dragon,
Satan, and the devil is hurled to the earth.
There, enraged, Satan went off to wage war
against those who keep God's commands
and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Revelation, chapter 12, verse 17.
"So the dragon was enraged with the woman
and went off to make war with the rest of her children
who keep the commandments of God
and hold to the testimony of Jesus."
It is necessary and no one enjoys it,
but confrontation is something that needs to be done
in order to correct, purify, and-