About the Archangels Michael and Gabriel

Archangels Michael and Gabriel are celebrated at the dedication day in my native village, Lapusna. I have found useful to write this article and to present what God says in the Scriptures about them, because there are many people that don’t know about these archangels, that are the chiefs of the angels. Archangel means the chief of the angels, and the word angel is translated as messenger, i.e the one that comes to send a message.

Michael – the prince and the protector of Israel

Archangel Michael is metioned for the first time in the Holy Scriptures in the book of the prophet Daniel. In the third year of Cyrus, the king of Persia (536 b.C) Daniel had a revelation from God, that was informing him of a great conflict. Because of this, the prophet had been mourning for three entire weeks. After these three weeks had passed an angel came and told him:

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. (Daniel 10:13)(NASB)

The angel presents the things of the spiritual world, that of the angels and he says that the kingdom of Persia has a prince that was withstanding him to bring the message to Daniel. On the other hand, Michael, one of the chief princes, came and helped him to make it possible to bring the message to Daniel. He did so, because Michael is the protector of Israel, as the angel that came to Daniel said at the end of his message:

However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince. (Daniel 10:21)(NASB)

In the last chapter of the book that has his name, the prophet Daniel presents the events that will happen to the people of Israel to the ends of the times and when he speaks about the great distress that will come upon this nation he says:

Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise and there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. (Daniel 12:1)(NASB)

The author of the Epistle of Jude relates to us about another event where Archangel Michael was implied, at the death of Moses, the great leader of the people of Israel, that brought them out of the slavery of Egypt.

But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 9)(NASB)

The 12th chapter of the book of Revelation relates the persecutions and the sufferings that the people of Israel has to endure from the devil, that here is called the dragon. When the dragon went to follow the people of Israel, archangel Michael had a great involvement in the war that was in heaven.

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. (Revelation 12:7–8)(NASB)

These were the passages from the Bible that mention the Archangel Michael and that present directly as a protector of the people of Israel. This was his mission and responsability before God and it was so until the last events of the history of humanity on this earth. He is the protector of the people of Israel. But what is your attitude towards the people of Israel?

To my great surprise I have found out that a good community of Jews, that had a synagogue too, lived in my native village before the second world war. When I tried to find out more, I got to know that during the war almost all these Jews were shot on the plain of the village. They were condemned by Antonescu’s governement, that was loyal to Hitler, but those who executed the order were some men from our village. People still remember them. When I was interested, I found out that the fate of the killers was awful. And that happens to everyone who stretches forth the hand against Jews, the people of God, whose protector is the Archangel Michael.

Gabriel – the messenger of salvation

There are only two mentions of the name Gabriel in the Scriptures and both of them are found in the same chapter 1 of the Gopel of Luke. The first time we meet him when he came to the priest Zacharia to tell him about the birth of John the Baptist. And because Zacharia had some doubts in regards with the message received from Gabriel, the angel told him:

I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” (The Gospel of Like 1:19–20)(NASB)

The angel Gabriel was also the one who informed Mary of the birth of Jesus Christ. And this was so:

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (The Gospel of Luke 1:26–33)(NASB)

Have you believed the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you born again? The angel Gabriel came for this. If you are not saved, you don’t have a reason to celebrate him. Firstly understand the message of the Gospel, believe in Jesus Christ, whom the angel had announced and enter a covenant with the Savior.

As I have promised, tommorow I will come with an article where I will answer the question “How to be protected against the pressure of sexual immorality that is around?”

Translated by Djugostran Felicia