On the church year calendar, September 29 is set aside for St. Michael and All Angels. The selected readings for the day are Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3; Revelation 7:7-12; Matthew 18:1-11 or Luke 10: 17-20.
Angels are part of God’s world. The Bible speaks about angels many times in the Old and New Testaments. Two archangels are Michael and Gabriel.
What do we know about Michael?
In Jude v. 9 we read, “But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.'”
Why would Michael have argued about the body of Moses with the devil? The Bible doesn’t explain this verse, but if God’s people had known where Moses body was buried, they might have wanted to worship him or his gravesite.
Michael is not Jesus, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses (The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society–a cult) teach. Michael could not rebuke Satan in the verse above, but in Matthew 4:10 Jesus rebukes Satan. After Satan had tempted Jesus He says, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'”
A cross reference for Jude v. 9 is Daniel 10:13 which says, “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia.” Note that Michael, the archangel, came to help him. The archangel, Michael, helps God’s people.
What do we know about the archangel Gabriel?
Gabriel is God’s messenger. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and later to Joseph. In Matthew 1:20-25, he said to Joseph, “‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”
The New Testament has much more to say about angels. They are part of God’s world. Maybe you, like me, have heard that children have guardian angels. I never knew where that teaching came from and thought it was a myth. Then I read Matthew 18:10. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones [infants, babies, children, or anyone else who is vulnerable and helpless]. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” How do people despise these little ones? Certainly those who commit abortions and those whose support abortion despise the little ones. Join me in praying that they would confess their sins and turn to God for forgiveness. Thankfully, we have a Savior who forgives.
You may remember another story about angels from the Passion story. In Matthew 26:53 Jesus says to his disciples and those trying to arrest him, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” A Roman legion was between 4,000 to 6,000 soldiers. That’s a lot of angels that could have protected Jesus. Jesus knew He did not have to go to the cross, but He also knew that it was the only way to save us from our sins. That was why He came into this sin-torn world. Jesus willingly went to the cross. He continues in verse 54, “But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”
Just before Jesus said this, Peter, trying to protect Jesus and stop the arrest, had drawn his sword and cut off the ear of a slave. Jesus told Peter to put away his sword. Jesus knew He needed to be arrested, suffer for the sins of all people, and die on the cross.
Thankfully, Jesus didn’t stay in the grave. After three days, as He had promised, He rose from the dead. Two angels were in the tomb and spoke to those who saw the empty tomb. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5)
The risen Lord showed Himself to many believers during the 40 days he remained on earth after His resurrection. Then He ascended back into heaven to be with His Father.
Now in heaven, Jesus, the Lamb of God and second person of the Trinity, sits at the right hand of the Father. In Revelation 7:9-12 we read, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'”