Archangel

The word archangel names a rank of angel above the rest. It appears only twice in the New Testament — once in a description of the Lord's descent, once with a single named bearer. The figure who fills out the rank is Michael, identified across Daniel, Jude, and Revelation as a great prince and warrior on Israel's behalf.

The Voice of the Archangel

Paul's description of the parousia opens with a triple sound. "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Th 4:16). The archangel's voice belongs in the same register as the Lord's shout and the divine trumpet — a herald-call attending the descent.

Michael the Archangel

The one figure given the title by name is Michael. In Jude's brief notice he is set in direct contrast with the slanderer: "But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, did not dare bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke you" (Jude 1:9). Even the archangel's encounter with the devil is conducted by deferring judgment to the Lord.

In Daniel he is the great prince who stands for Israel. In Daniel 10 he is "one of the chief princes" who comes to assist the angelic messenger held back by the prince of Persia (Da 10:13), and the only ally named in the heavenly conflict: "there is none who holds with me against these, but Michael your⁺ prince" (Da 10:21). At the end-time crisis Michael himself stands up: "And at that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who stands for the sons of your people; and there will be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people will be delivered, everyone who will be found written in the book" (Da 12:1).

Revelation gathers the same figure into open warfare: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels" (Re 12:7). The Daniel-Jude-Revelation portrait is consistent — Michael as commander of an angelic host, standing for God's people, contending with the adversary, restrained in his own speech but engaged on the field.