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The Bible Reveals:

The Divine Christ in the Old Testament

by Bob Pickle

1. Christ and the Resurrection
2. Christ and His Kingdom
3. Titles of Michael and Christ in the Book of Daniel
4. Christ Appears; Michael is Mentioned
5. The Divine Angel
6. The Motive for Lucifer's Rebellion
7. The End of It All

Christ, the Archangel, and the Resurrection

Many Christians are not aware of how personally involved Jesus was in the salvation of mankind in Old Testament times. Three points drawn from the New Testament will introduce the subject:

1. Jesus said His own voice will raise the dead (Jn. 5:28).
2. But Paul indicates that the voice of the Archangel will raise the dead (1 Th. 4:16).
3. Jude implies that Michael the Archangel raised up Moses (Jude 9).

This would seem to suggest that the only archangel in the Bible, Michael, whose name means "Who is like God?", is the same person as Christ. 

Arche is a Greek word that means "first in time or place." It is often translated either "beginning" (first in time) or "ruler" (first in place). By putting arche together with angelos, the Greek word for angel, we get the word "archangel." 

It is quite easy to see how Christ can be called the Archangel since He appropriately is the "ruler" of all the angels, though He Himself never has been and never will be an angel, in the normal sense of the word.

Christ and His Kingdom

1. Michael will "stand up," which means "begin to reign" (Dan. 12:1; 8:22, 23; 11:2-4, 20, 21).
2. It is the God of heaven that is to reign, and it is the rock that smites the image that symbolizes this (Dan. 2:34, 44, 45).
3. A rock often symbolizes Christ (i.e., 1 Cor. 10:4).

These three points seem to make Michael, God, and Christ one and the same person. Most Christians believe in the divinity of Christ, so equating Christ and God does not pose any problem as long as there is still made a distinction between God the Father and the Son. But equating Michael with the divine Christ is a new thought to many.

Titles of Michael and Christ in the Book of Daniel

According to Daniel:

1. Michael was "one of the chief princes" (Dan. 10:13).
2. Michael was Daniel's prince (Dan. 10:21).
3. Michael is "the great prince which standeth for" God's people (Dan. 12:1).
4. Christ is the Prince of the host (Dan. 8:11).
5. Christ is the Prince of princes (Dan. 8:25).
6. Christ is the Messiah the Prince (Dan. 9:25).
7. Christ is the Prince of the covenant (Dan. 11:22).

The book of Daniel gives both Michael and Christ very similar titles.

For some Bible students who hold particular views on prophecy, number 7 may seem strange. This identification comes from the similarity of the Hebrew in both Daniel 9 and Daniel 11. Usually the Hebrew word for "prince" in Daniel is sar. However, when speaking of the "Messiah the prince" and the "prince that shall come" who confirms the "covenant" in chapter 9, and the "prince of the covenant" in chapter 11, the Hebrew word is not sar but nagiyd. This suggests that the "Messiah the prince" and the "Prince of the covenant" are one and the same person.

In other words, in both Daniel 9 and Daniel 11 we have a prince, a nagiyd, who is connected with a covenant. Only in these two passages is the word nagiyd found in Daniel. The two individuals must be the same person.

Christ Appears; Michael is Mentioned

The references to Michael by name in the book of Daniel all occur in chapters 10-12 (10:13, 21; 12:1). This was during a vision in which Daniel saw Christ Himself (cf. Dan. 10:5, 6; Rev. 1:13-15).

The Divine Angel

There are many references in the Old Testament to a particular Angel of the Lord being the Lord Himself. (See the paper entitled "An 'Angel' Named Yahweh.") One example of many is the "Angel" that appeared to Moses in the bush. This "Angel" is then called "God" and "LORD" (Ex. 3:2, 4). Would not this divine "Angel" be Michael, or Christ?

The Motive for Lucifer's Rebellion

1. Lucifer determined that he would place his throne above the stars of God (Is. 14:13).
2. Stars represent angels (Rev. 1:20).
3. Lucifer was a covering cherub (Ezek. 28:14, 16).
4. A covering cherub was an angel that stood in the very presence of God, symbolized by the cherubs atop the ark of the covenant (1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; 1 Chr. 13:6; Ps. 80:1; Is. 37:16; Ex. 25:20; 37:9). Since Lucifer was already above all the angels, having the highest place in the courts of heaven, why did he say he wanted to put his throne above all the stars?
5. The one star above Lucifer was Christ, "the bright and morning star" (Rev. 22:16).

Since Christ or Michael was divine and Lucifer was not, Lucifer was jealous. The whole war in heaven started out of Satan's jealousy of Christ. Hence the references in Scripture to Michael often show Michael and Satan in mortal combat (Rev. 12:7; Dan. 10:13; Jude 9).

The End of It All

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Php. 2:10, 11)

Even Satan shall bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, something he has refused to do for thousands of years. The Father will be glorified when Satan bows and admits that the Son is Lord.