Question:
In your last post, “The First Born of Every Creature,” you stated that Jesus Christ became “an angel with angels.” Where did you get that from? Wouldn’t calling Jesus an angel lessen his divinity?
Answer:
We know that teaching that Jesus was “an angel with angels” is foreign to many Christians. That doesn’t lessen the truth of that statement, however. It is because of the limited understanding of an angel’s role that many deem Jesus’ being referred to as an angel is out of place and downright erroneous.
We won’t spend a great deal of time upon the role of an angel, but we will look at one point. In his letter to the Hebrews, the Apostle Paul said of angels, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). The primary role of an angel is to minister to the “heirs of salvation.” Jesus Christ testified that he came “not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). In the light of the preceding fact, it is not out of place to refer to Christ as an angel, for an angel is a minister.
Yet, as stated by the inquirer, “Wouldn’t calling Jesus an angel lessen his divinity?” No, far from it. To understand that, we must look into another misunderstood topic, that of Michael the archangel.
Who Michael the archangel is can be understood by a simple study of the Scriptures. In Revelation 12:7, we read, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.” (Revelation 12:7). That the “dragon” represents Satan is clear from verses 8 and 9, but Michael remains to be revealed. Note, however, that the angels were divided into two camps—either Satan’s or Michael’s; and that division is kept consistent throughout Scripture (See Revelation 12:7, 9; Matthew 25:41; Job 4:17-18; Matthew 13:41; 16:27; 24:31; Mark 13:27; etc.). Looking deeper into that point alone will give the humble student an understanding of just who Michael is.
It should be understood that the name “Michael” means “who is like God.” That meaning does not pose a question but instead makes a statement. There is only one in all of the Bible who is like God. The Scriptures reveal that the one who is like God is Jesus Christ (See John 1:1-3, 14; 14:7-9; Hebrews 1:1-3, etc.).
Jude mentions Michael as “contending with the devil… about the body of Moses.” (See Jude 1:9) In that verse, he is referred to as the “archangel.” The word “archangel,” from the Greek archaggelos, means chief of the angels. The angel Gabriel in the book of Daniel refers to Michael as “one of the chief princes,” or as Young’s Literal Translation puts it, “first of the chief heads.” (See Daniel 10:13). That designation is the Hebrew equivalent of archangel. Later in the chapter, Gabriel again references Michael, but this time as Daniel’s “prince.” (See Daniel 10:21). Michael, “the great prince,” is also referred to throughout the book of Daniel as “the prince of the covenant,” “prince of the host,” “Prince of princes,” and “the Messiah the Prince.” (See Daniel 12:1; 11:22; 8:11, 25; 9:25). Clearly, Michael is no ordinary angel with a high position.
Thus far, we have seen that:
- The angels in heaven belong to Michael.
- The name Michael points to the One who is like God—Jesus Christ.
- Michael is the “Prince of princes,” “Messiah the Prince.”
Suppose that wasn’t enough to convince you that Michael the archangel is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In that case, the Apostle Paul states that “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). The voice of the archangel is that which raises the dead in Christ. Now, compare that with the testimony of Jesus in John chapter five:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:25-29).
Clearly then, the voice of the archangel, Michael, is the voice of the Son of God.
But how can Christ be called an angel? Jesus is described as an angel throughout the Scriptures. The angel that went before the children of Israel was the Lord Jesus Christ. (See Exodus 23:20-23; 14:19; 32:34; 33:2, 14; Numbers 20:16; Joshua 5:13-15; Acts 7:37-38).
The record states that Joshua was by Jericho, and that “he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.” Joshua 5:13-15.
That was not the first time “the captain of the LORD’S host” appeared before man. When we compare Joshua’s account with Moses’, the truth shines forth clear as day. In Exodus, we read:
“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” (Exodus 3:1-6).
The “angel of the LORD” that told Moses to “put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” was the same “captain of the LORD’S host” who told Joshua to do the same. Exodus’ account distinctly states that “the angel of the LORD” was “God,” the very God whose name is “I AM.” (See Exodus 3:13-14). That is the name that Jesus appropriated as his own in John 8:58 when he said, “Before Abraham was, I am.”
Referring to Jesus as an angel doesn’t destroy his divinity; instead, it acknowledges his role as the leader of the angelic host and the minister of man. And Paul was clear to distinguish between Christ being referred to as an angel and that of the heavenly host:
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:1-14).
Referring to Jesus as the archangel does not mean that He is the first of the angels, for He is not an angel, but, as we read above, is above them (v. 4). It means that He is the chief or prince of the angels, just as an archbishop is the head of the bishops. Christ is the commander of the angels (Rev. 19:19-14). He created the angels (Col. 1:16). And yet he, like an angel, ministers to humanity.
