JOSEPH W. TKACH
May 1988
Dear Friend:
Thank you for your recent inquiry. You asked whether
Michael, the archangel, is the individual who later became Jesus
Christ.
Michael is not Christ. He is the spirit being, "your prince"
(Dan. 10:21; 12:1), sent to serve Israel. Michael and the other
princes over the nations are all subject to Christ, who is
Supreme Ruler under the Father.
The chief princes among God's created spirit beings have
great power and authority over the nations. But what is the limit
of their authority? How far does their authority and power
extend? In Jude 8 and 9 we read: "These filthy dreamers [evil
men] ... despise dominion [authority], and speak evil of
dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the
devil ... about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a
railing accusation, but said, The Lord [Christ -- who is
Michael's superior] rebuke thee."
While evil men have little or no respect for those in
authority, Michael, who is an archangel, showed respect to the
office of authority of Satan the devil. By this scripture we can
see very clearly that MICHAEL DOES NOT HAVE GREATER RANK THAN
SATAN. If he did, he would have given the devil a command -- he
could have done the rebuking himself, instead of saying, "The
Lord rebuke thee." But Christ does have greater rank.
Matthew 4:10 records Christ's statement to Satan: "Get thee
hence, Satan." Christ gave Satan a sharp command. He was in
authority over Satan because He created him as the cherub Lucifer
(Ezek. 28:15). Christ is the One through whom the Father created
all things (Col. 1:15-16; John 1:1-3).
It is obvious that Michael could not have been Christ.
Rather, he is an angelic being who is in authority over other
lesser angelic beings in God's Government. He is one of the
leaders among God's faithful angels.
Thank you for your interest. If you would like additional
information on the subject of angels, write for our free article
entitled "Angels -- Servants of God."
PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT
PASTOR GENERAL