Aunt Sevvy, is Michael the Archangel also Jesus Christ?
13 January 2025 |
Dear Aunt Sevvy,
Is Michael the Archangel the same as Jesus? I’ve only heard this in the Adventist Church, and I wonder: is it unique to us?
Signed, Curiouser and Curiouser
Dear Curiouser,
The White Estate asserts that “many” non-Adventist Bible scholars equate Michael with Christ—but Aunty has heard it only from Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) and Adventists. (There’s a difference, by the way: Adventists say that Michael was just the name of Jesus before he came to earth, while the JWs say that the archangel became Jesus for awhile on earth, and afterwards went back to being Michael the Archangel again.)
Adventists believe this because—as is usually the case—Ellen White implies it. Here are two instances.
In Daniel 10 an angel tells Daniel that he had sought additional help for Daniel’s crisis and “Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.” Ellen White interprets it thus: “Christ himself came to Gabriel’s aid” (Prophets and Kings, p.572).
In Jude 1:9 the writer makes a cryptic reference to “the archangel Michael… disputing with the devil about the body of Moses.” Ellen White responds,
“Satan the tempter had claimed the body of Moses because of his sin; but Christ the Saviour brought him forth from the grave” (Desire of Ages, p.421).
Is that enough to equate the two figures? Aunty is dubious—especially in light of the following passage from Hebrews, which says something quite different:
“For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father’?” (Hebrews 1:5).
Does it really matter very much? Probably not in itself. But it does speak to whom we take as the final authority. If we Adventists believe in sola scriptura, why do we always defend Ellen White’s interpretation even if it contradicts the Bible? In this case, it seems unnecessary to take her word above the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Aunt Sevvy
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