The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible

by Michael S. Heiser

Theodotian’s Greek text of Daniel. Michael is also called an archangel in Jude 9. The term refers to one who outranks other angels (i.e., has ruling authority over them; see J. W. van Henten, “Archangel,” in Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, 2nd ed. (ed. Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, and Pieter W. van der Horst; Leiden; Boston; Cologne; Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge: Brill; Eerdmans, 1999], 80–82). But Michael is not the only archangel. First Thess 4:16 lacks the definite article before archangelou. That passage also distinguishes the term from the returning Jesus. In chapters 16–18 I discuss the evidence for the concept of a Godhead in the Old Testament—the evidence for two Yahweh figures in various passages who were interchangeable yet distinct. The second Yahweh is visible and embodied in human form. The most telling evidence is that of the Angel of Yahweh, in whom resided the very presence of Yahweh (the “name”). The motifs associated with this second Yahweh in human form lay the groundwork for the incarnation of Yahweh as Jesus. I raise the issue of this content here because I do not consider Michael to be this second Yahweh figure. Briefly, I reject this equation for the following reasons. Michael is referred to as the prince of Israel (Dan 10:21; 12:1) and one of an unidentified number of “chief princes” (Dan 10:13). These statements must inform our reading of Dan 8:11, where the little horn of Daniel’s vision “became great, even as great as the Princ...