And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No but I am the commander of the army of the L ord. When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand.

The commander of Yahweh’s armyĪn individual identified as the commander of Yahweh’s army appeared to Joshua before the conquest began: This angel is the same as Yahweh and yet different, suggesting that he is, in fact, the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God who would take on flesh as Jesus of Nazareth. Some think that the angel of the L ord is merely Yahweh’s representative, but the connection is closer (e.g. Yahweh’s name is his very identity (Isa 30:27–28 Ps 20:1), “another way of referring to himself” (p. This can be seen when one understands the importance that Yahweh’s “name is in him” (Ex 23:20–22). According to Heiser, “this figure is actually Yahweh himself in the visible form of a man” (p. “The angel of the L ord” is the most referenced angel in the Bible. In other words, Michael is a special guardian over Israel, much like the other divine “princes” that ruled over other nations (Dan 10:13 Ps 82 Deut 32:8–9). Rather, he is “the great prince who has charge of your people ” (Dan 12:1). In both Daniel (Dan 8:16, 9:21) and Luke (Luke 1:19, 26), Gabriel functions as an interpreter and messenger to Daniel and Mary.Ĭontrary to popular belief, Michael is not identified as the commander of Yahweh’s army. There was much speculation in the Second Temple period about these angels, their ranks, and achievements. If this view is correct, then archangels are the high-level sons of God and “princes” in Daniel who were assigned oversight of the nations. The number of archangels in these texts is not certain, ranging from four to seven. Jewish texts like 1 Enoch associated “archangels” with the more numerous “sons of God” and “watchers.” First Enoch also names additional archangels, like Raphael and Phanuel. Our identification of Gabriel as an archangel is due to non-canonical Second Temple Jewish literature. Technically, only Michael is called an archangel in the Bible (Jude 1:9). Michael is identified as “one of the chief princes” (Dan 10:13). Michael Heiser’s Angels, we will consider archangels in the Bible, like Michael-and some other important angels you might not be aware of. Some even believe Michael was the pre-incarnate Jesus. Given that only two angels are explicitly named in Scripture (Michael and Gabriel), it is unsurprising that they have garnered a lot of attention, speculation, and reverence throughout the centuries-in both religious tradition and popular media.

This is a post by guest author Lindsay Kennedy. Facebook Twitter Reddit Pinterest Email LinkedIn

Angels michael heiser