The Identity and role of Michael in the narrative of the war in heaven : an exegetical and theological study of Rev. 12:7-12

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the identity and role of Michael in the narrative of the war in heaven in Rev 12:7-12 between Michael and the dra,kwn. The survey on backgrounds indicates that the dra,kwn-combat in Rev 12 reflects the dra,kwn-combat in the OT, especially as depicted in the figurative use of the Hebrew !yNIT;, not the ancient Near Eastern combat myths. Similarly, the name Michael—commonly used in the OT and ancient Near East for humans and exclusively in Daniel for a celestial being—is best understood as a rhetorical interrogative sentence, “Who is like God?” and expresses the incomparability of divinity. In Dan 10:13,21; 12:1, Michael is designated as rf;, “prince,” and exhibits qualities of a divine Being. Since the OT does not use rf; as a standard designation for an angel, there appears to be no biblical basis for the translation of rf; in Dan 10:21 and 12:1 as a;ggeloj, “angel,” by the o’ version of the LXX. This translation, possibly influenced by the LXX of Deut 32:8-9 which suggests the idea of tutelary angels for nations, may have paved the way for later OT apocrypha and pseudepigrapha as well as modern scholars to interpret Michael in Daniel as an angel. The designation of Michael in Jude 9 as a;rcaggeloj, “Archangel,” presents Michael as the Ruler of the angels, not the chief angel. Moreover, the resurrection motif identifies Michael (Dan 12:1-2), the Archangel (1 Thess 4:16; Jude 9), and the Son of God (John 5:25-29) as the same divine Being. Rev 12:7-12, which presents the combat between Michael and the dra,kwn, is placed at the centre of the chapter. Being parenthetic in nature, Rev 12:7-12 indicates that the war in heaven (Rev 12:7-9) is antecedent to the attack of the dra,kwn on the Male Child-Messiah (Rev 12:4b). The link between Rev 12:4a and 12:7-9 identifies the war in heaven as the primeval war (prior to the Cross) in which Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven into the earth. Similarly, the rescue of the Male Child (Rev 12:5) is antecedent to the attack of the dra,kwn on the woman and the rest of her seed (Rev 12:13-13:18). Consequently, the conflict between the Male Child-Messiah and the dra,kwn is central in Rev 12. The patterns that emerge in this study, the fluidity of the use of symbolisms in Rev 12, the antithetic parallelism between Michael “Who is like God?” and the perceived incomparability of the beast from the sea, “Who is like the beast?” (Rev 13:1-4; cf. Rev 19:11-21) point to several conclusions. First, in Rev 12, Michael is the same entity as the Male Child-Messiah, Christ, and the Lamb, and hence, a divine Warrior, not an angel. Second, the narrative of the war in heaven in Rev 12:7-12 is presented in both military and judicial languages. Third, the role of Michael in the narrative of the war in heaven in Rev 12:7-12 is both military and judicial. In His military role, Michael and His angels fought with, defeated, and forced Satan (dra,kwn) and his angels out of heaven. In His judicial role, His death as the Lamb on the cross answered to the legal accusations of Satan (kath,gwr) against the brethren. Fourth, the identity of Michael as a divine Warrior in Rev 12 is consistent with the concept of hw"hy> as a Warrior in the OT. Thus, as a divine Being, Michael appears in Scripture exclusively in conflict settings and plays military and/or judicial roles in the entire course of the cosmic conflict, from its inception in heaven (Rev 12:7) to its consummation when Michael stands up to put it to an end (Dan 12:1-2).