Michael, the Prince

Hi brother,

Right now I have no plans, but everything is subject to change. Maybe ______ and ______ will need something. I just returned from two week in Alabama. I rebuilt the shed I tore down here and took there a while back. It feels good to relax and work on the book on the seven trumpets and the investigative judgment. It’s Friday and I look forward to the Sabbath. But, tell your family I really appreciate their hospitality and love. Yours too.

 

About Michael. A lot of people throughout the centuries have believed as you do. _____’s brother, _____, gave me a book on Revelation and the cover has an angel with a big sword slaying the devil. If the reigning thought of Michael then were that Revelation 12 was speaking of Christ, then than angel would have had a split beard and holes in his hands. But, it was a regular looking angel--their understanding of Michael, the archangel.

 

But, when I look in Daniel at the repeatedly used word “Michael” together with “prince” (Dan. 10:21 and 12:1), and then understand “prince” from the context of Chapter 9, 8, and 11, then I must conclude that “the prince of the host” (Dan.8:11) [“the captain of the Lord’s host” (Josh. 5:15, the Lord of Sabaoth, and the “captain of their salvation” (Heb. 2:10)], “the Prince of princes” (Dan.8:25) [as in King of kings, against whom Satan stood up through the papacy], “Messiah the Prince” (Dan.9:25) [who loves to intercede for us as our comforter], “the prince of the covenant” (Dan. 11:22) [Messiah the Prince who would “confirm the covenant with many for one week” (Dan.9:27) and was broken by the vile king of the north (the papacy)], and lastly, “Michael the great prince who stands for the children” of Daniel’s people as our Mediator and Advocate before God, all speak of the same Person. If a Bible student, without any human voices saying who Michael is, were to read all those references of prince, he would realize that Michael is the Messiah and the High Priest who lives to make intercession for us, His “children” (John 21:5; 1 Jn. 2:1). “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.” (1 Jn. 2:12).

 

Daniel 10:13 is translated as “one of the chief princes”, but in Hebrew or Aramaic, “one” can also mean “first”, “highest”, “number one”. But, because of the common misunderstanding from centuries of Dark Ages the bent of the Protestant KJV translators was to go with the established interpretation of Michael (as they did with the Sabbath, state of the dead, and other doctrines), and keep Michael as just one of Christ’s closest angels. “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.” (Ps. 45:7). Psalm 45:7 and Zechariah 3:7 both indicate that Jesus has always had a closest circle of angelic associates. I’m sure that Gabriel was one. This close heavenly circle (the 24 elders?) could be why David set up 24 priests by lot. It could also be why Christ ordained twelve when He was here. Inside of that twelve He had a closest ring of 3, Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. Outside of the twelve was a wider circle of 70, and outside of that was 500, and after the Early Rain, it went innumerable. All this is an earthly counterpart to help us know what composes the glory Jesus had in heaven, with His “a wheel in the middle of a wheel” (Eze. 1:16).

 

But, Daniel 10:21 says that Michael is “your prince”. And Daniel’s Prince was Jesus, Jehovah the only begotten Son of Jehovah, “captain of the host of the Lord” (Judges 5:14). When he declared Goliath’s demise, David fighting the enemy of Christ prefigured Christ slaying the great adversary of His Father. “Then said David to the Philistine, thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” (1 Sam. 17:45).

 

My brother, Michael the great Prince stands for you as the Captain of your salvation because you are one of His many sons. He ever lives to intercede for you and to bring you into His glory. “For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Heb. 2:10). And, Michael’s description earlier in the vision of Daniel 10 was the same as John saw in vision in Revelation 1. From looking at the book of Daniel, it’s clear to me that Michael is Christ.

 

Of course, you know that for interpreting doctrine, we can’t go by what Christians do or don’t do to demonstrate the truth of the Bible. What faulty humans do can never be used to determine God’s will. We must let His scripture interpret His scripture. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” (Isa. 28:10). It’s the same Author throughout. I believe I have followed the biblical principle for the interpretation of Michael, who is like Elohim.

Love you, brother,

David