Plainly, the bible speaks of Jesus in glory and honor, but also discusses the fact that at some point (which Christians may not agree on) Jesus Christ the Son (who is much more than a mere angel) has been appointed by Jehovah God the Father as King of God's Kingdom. Jehovah God is the source of Christ's authority, so that Jesus at some point is plainly "better than the angels".
(Hebrews 1:3-4) [Jesus] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty in lofty places. 4 So he HAS BECOME better than the angels [caps added]
(Matthew 28:18) And Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth.
(Acts 2:36) God made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you impaled.
(John 3:35) The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
(Acts 5:31) God exalted this one as Chief Agent and Savior to his right hand
(Psalm 2:2-6) The kings of earth take their stand And high officials themselves have massed together as one Against Jehovah and against his anointed one... Jehovah himself will hold them in derision..., Saying: "I, even I, have installed my king [Jesus]
Such a "king" is not the peer of his subjects, and clearly, an "archangel" is not the peer of mere angels.
Christendom has pretended that Gabriel is also an archangel, and that Satan had been; both ideas have no foundation in Scripture. Some religions in Christendom invent names for four or five additional supposed "archangels"; those invented names have no foundation in Scripture. "Archangel" actually means "Chief of the Angels"; the fact remains that the bible itself speaks of only one single solitary archangel. The Scriptures never use the term "archangel" in the plural, but only in the singular.
Who is a better person than Jesus to be the single "Chief" of all faithful angels? Of whom can it be said that faithful angels belong to him, or are "his"?
2 Thes 1:7 Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels
Rev 12:7 Michael and his angels battled
The bible certainly teaches that the archangel Michael is the same person as Jesus.
Note that Jesus the Lord calls with an archangel's voice:
1 Thes 4:14-16 Jesus died and rose again, so, too... the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel's voice
Do two different persons present themselves during a time of "distress" such as has "not occurred" before?
Dan 12:1 And during that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who is standing in behalf of the sons of your people. And there will certainly occur a time of distress such as has not been made to occur since there came to be a nation until that time.
Matt 24:3-21 Disciples [asked Jesus] what will be the sign of your presence...?" And in answer Jesus said to them: "...All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress. ...for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world's beginning until now
Do two different persons both lead the heavenly armies?
Rev 19:13,14 [Jesus] is The Word of God. Also, the armies that were in heaven were following him
Rev 12:7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels battled
Once you study it, the bible really teaches that Michael is another name for Jesus. Though the term may confuse some, Jesus can properly be called an "archangel" or an "angel" (though not a mere angel) or a "son of God" or a "morning star" (though not a mere 'morning star'). Interestingly, the Scriptures refer to *ALL* angelic spirit creatures as "morning stars" (not just Jesus or Lucifer). Note that the archangel Jesus is uniquely elevated above mere angels by the title "the BRIGHT morning star".
Job 38:4,7 When [Jehovah] founded the earth... When the morning stars [or "angels"] joyfully cried out together, And all the sons of God began shouting in applause
Rev 22:16 I, Jesus... I am the root and the offspring of David, and the BRIGHT morning star. [caps added]
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20050422/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19951101/article_02.htm
2007-08-28 14:16:57
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answer #3
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answered by achtung_heiss 7
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The Bible’s Viewpoint
Who Is Michael the Archangel?
ACCORDING to the Bible, there are millions of angelic creatures inhabiting the spirit realm. (Daniel 7:9, 10; Revelation 5:11) From beginning to end, the Scriptures make hundreds of references to the angels that remain loyal to God. Yet, only two of these spirit creatures are mentioned by name. One is the angel Gabriel, who personally delivered messages from God to three different individuals over a period of some 600 years. (Daniel 9:20-22; Luke 1:8-19, 26-28) The other angel mentioned by name in the Bible is Michael.
Michael is clearly an outstanding angel. For example, in the book of Daniel, Michael is described as fighting wicked demons in behalf of Jehovah’s people. (Daniel 10:13; 12:1) In the inspired letter of Jude, Michael confronts Satan in a dispute over Moses’ body. (Jude 9) The book of Revelation shows that Michael wars with Satan and his demons and hurls them out of heaven. (Revelation 12:7-9) No other angel is portrayed as having such great power and authority over God’s enemies. It is no wonder, then, that the Bible appropriately refers to Michael as “the archangel,” the prefix “arch” meaning “chief,” or “principal.”
The Controversy Over Michael’s Identity
Christendom’s religions, as well as Judaism and Islam, have conflicting ideas on the subject of angels. Some explanations are vague. For instance, The Anchor Bible Dictionary states: “There may be a single superior angel and/or a small group of archangels (usually four or seven).” According to The Imperial Bible-Dictionary, Michael is the “name of a superhuman being, in regard to whom there have in general been two rival opinions, either that he is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, or that he is one of the so-called seven archangels.”
In Jewish tradition these seven archangels are Gabriel, Jeremiel, Michael, Raguel, Raphael, Sariel, and Uriel. On the other hand, Islam believes in four archangels, namely, Jibril, Mikal, Izrail, and Israfil. Catholicism also believes in four archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. What does the Bible say? Are there several archangels?
The Bible’s Answer
Aside from Michael, no archangel is mentioned in the Bible, nor do the Scriptures use the term “archangel” in the plural. The Bible describes Michael as the archangel, implying that he alone bears that designation. Hence, it is reasonable to conclude that Jehovah God has delegated to one, and only one, of his heavenly creatures full authority over all other angels.
Aside from the Creator himself, only one faithful person is spoken of as having angels under subjection—namely, Jesus Christ. (Matthew 13:41; 16:27; 24:31) The apostle Paul made specific mention of “the Lord Jesus” and “his powerful angels.” (2Â Thessalonians 1:7) And Peter described the resurrected Jesus by saying: “He is at God’s right hand, for he went his way to heaven; and angels and authorities and powers were made subject to him.”—1Â Peter 3:22.
While there is no statement in the Bible that categorically identifies Michael the archangel as Jesus, there is one scripture that links Jesus with the office of archangel. In his letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul prophesied: “The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first.” (1Â Thessalonians 4:16) In this scripture Jesus is described as having assumed his power as God’s Messianic King. Yet, he speaks with “an archangel’s voice.” Note, too, that he has the power to raise the dead.
While on earth as a human, Jesus performed several resurrections. In doing so, he used his voice to utter commanding calls. For example, when resurrecting the dead son of a widow in the city of Nain, he said: “Young man, I say to you, Get up!” (Luke 7:14, 15) Later, just before resurrecting his friend Lazarus, Jesus “cried out with a loud voice: ‘Lazarus, come on out!’” (John 11:43) But on these occasions, Jesus’ voice was the voice of a perfect man.
After his own resurrection, Jesus was raised to a “superior position” in heaven as a spirit creature. (Philippians 2:9) No longer a human, he has the voice of an archangel. So when God’s trumpet sounded the call for “those who are dead in union with Christ” to be raised to heaven, Jesus issued “a commanding call,” this time “with an archangel’s voice.” It is reasonable to conclude that only an archangel would call “with an archangel’s voice.”
Yes, there are other angelic creatures of high rank, such as seraphs and cherubs. (Genesis 3:24; Isaiah 6:2) Yet, the Scriptures point to the resurrected Jesus Christ as the chief of all angels—Michael the archangel.
2007-08-28 13:03:57
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answer #4
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answered by Kiid23 3
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