Solomon’s Colonnade ǀ Issue #13: The Greatest Warrior in the Universe—What We Can Learn from the Archangel Michael.
Insights to God's Commander in the Army of the Lord!
The Bible tells an incredible story about Satan and the Archangel Michael in a dispute over Moses' body in the Book of Jude. Michael—known as a warrior angel, is a Four-Star General in the Commander of the Army of the Lord. Michael’s mission is to engage in spiritual combat for the King of the Universe. Michael's military prowess is mentioned in Daniel, Jude, and Revelation, and is considered the highest-ranking Angel. The word archangel signifies “angel of the highest rank.” Most angels in the Bible are portrayed as messengers, but not Michael. Unlike the angels, who are messengers, Michael is described as competing, battling, and fighting Satan and his demons in multiple domains. Although we do not entirely understand any angel, Michael and Gabriel are the only two named in the Bible. Scripture provides only hints of their involvement in human events, but it is clear that Michael, the archangel is one of the most powerful beings in the Universe!
The Bible demonstrates the incredible power God gives Michael and His Angels. God’s holy angels are mighty. In 2 Kings 19:35, we read:
And that night, the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians.” One single angel of the Lord killed 185,000 enemy soldiers in one night! 2 Kings 19:35
God's angels are mighty beings, but they always fight a spiritual battle beyond our understanding. While in the Army, I worked on a project to transition our war-fighting strategy to include multiple domains, such as land, air, sea, cyber, and space. However, the spiritual domain is the most crucial domain in which battles are won or lost. Whether you are fighting for King Jesus at the tactical or strategic level, it is crucial to recognize that God's Army of Angels is fighting against Satan and his demons for His people. That is you and me!
The Book of Daniel gives us an incredible glimpse of how God’s Angels fight in multiple Domains on our behalf. Daniel had been fasting and praying for 21 days. Although Passover week fell within this period, Daniel's fasting and praying period began two weeks prior. Daniel went beyond what was required of him by God, as he sought to understand a vision laid on his heart from God.
Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:12-13
Fascinating! First, did you catch how God heard every one of Daniel's prayers, just as He hears them today! Many Theologians believe the Angel communicating with Daniel is Gabriel. Now Gabriel has been the Chief Communicator at every significant event in the Bible.
Gabriel, known as the messenger, was entrusted by God to deliver important messages. Gabriel appeared to three people: first to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 8:16), he would later appear to the priest Zechariah to announce the miraculous birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19), and finally to the virgin Mary to tell her she would bear a son (Luke 1:26-38). Gabriel's name means "God is great," and he revealed that the Savior would be named "Jesus" (Luke 1:31) as the angel of the Annunciation. Gabriel tells Daniel that I was kidnapped by the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia, and Michael the Archangel came and rescued me so that I could get a message to you from God.
The other fascinating aspect is God hears our prayers and uses His angels to answer them. Daniel is perhaps one of the humblest prophets in the Bible! The Angel recognized that Daniel was humble before the Lord. Imagine prayer and humility being a combat multiplier in Spiritual Warfare!
Yet in Jude 9, we read the mighty warrior Michael is in dispute with the devil over Moses' body; notice how the most powerful warrior in the Universe deals with Satan.
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you! Jude 1: 9
“The Lord rebuke you”! Not “I rebuke you,” but “the Lord.” The most powerful Soldier in God’s Army recognizes it's not about us. Not the Angel’s supernatural power. Michael demonstrates we get our power from Him!
The point is that, in any spiritual warfare, it must be the Lord whose name is called upon for victory. Michael did not himself dare to condemn Satan for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you! Outside of God, this is the most powerful being in the universe, and he didn’t dare take on Satan. The cold hard reality is without God and His Holy Spirit; Satan will chew you up and spit you out! What’s fascinating is how Michael remains in complete submission to God.
What makes you think that you can take on Satan without God? Unfortunately, it happens every day! Days that were not in prayer, days that were not in His word, and weeks upon weeks were not in His house. The other extreme is some Christians believe they have the power to rebuke the devil and feel the need to do so constantly.
Nonetheless, there is no biblical evidence to support this belief. In the name of Jesus, we do have that power, but without Jesus, Satan will kick our teeth in! It is important to note that Satan is not omnipresent, unlike God. He can only be in one place at a time, and the likelihood of his personally harassing individual Christians is minute.
The devil has many demons who continuously try to ruin believers' faith. As Disciples of Jesus, it is essential to recognize the existence of evil and understand that our enemies are not just from the carnal domain, but real forces from the powers of darkness. We must stand firm in our faith and be aware of the presence of these forces. Remember what Paul tells us in his Letter to the Church of Ephesus.
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. Ephesians 6:12.
We're not done seeing the Archangel Michael! Victory ultimately belongs to the Lord our God. Since the days of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, whenever God’s people depended on Him alone, He gave them victory over their enemies. Old Testament prophets consistently pointed to a future Savior who would bring the fullest expression of God’s triumph: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! Go Bold, Disciples of Jesus!