Who is Michael the Archangel?

Who is Michael the Archangel, and why do Jehovah's Witnesses say he's Jesus matches one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity hi this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. We would love to hear from you and here's our phone number if you have a question it's 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. Our phone lines will be open for the next 25 minutes or so. So now is your time to call you can also post your question on her Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts can watch us live on YouTube and messages that white course you can always email us a question. Here's the address it's questions@corechristianity.com.

Let's go to Gary who is calling in from Omaha, Nebraska Gary what your question for Pastor Israel. My question is November 1983. We had a baby girl and she lived for seven weeks and she passed away Christmas morning at 6 AM on the 25th of 1983 question I have is that about this so many times over the years when my wife and I get to heaven to be with the Lord will our daughter still be seven weeks old, or will she be 37 as number of years since she passed away. Gary thank you for that question and you know that I mean it's a it's very good question and one that I don't know that the Bible speaks very clearly to in terms of, you know, when we when we die.

Are we that age forever. What does it look like what we know in the new creation were going to receive new bodies.

Glorified bodies were going to be raised but were not told you to be 2136 or that kind of a thing. One thing that we do know is that were going to exist in perfect love and imperfect knowledge. I think of what the apostle Paul said in first Corinthians chapter 13 where he's highlighting the preeminence of love. He says in verse eight love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. As for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

But when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away when I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child when I became a man I gave up childish ways.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face-to-face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Your precious baby girl has that that full knowledge through the division of Christ in the presence of the Lord and and again we don't know how old were going to be what what that's going to look like exactly, but working to have perfect knowledge and perfect love and and you do have that hope that anticipation of of being reunited with her through Christ in his goodness he think of you know what what David said in in first Samuel chapter 12 regarding the death of his infant child in his neck and come back to me but I'm to go to him and and what a reunion that will be in perfect love and imperfect knowledge. Gary thank you so much for your question. May the Lord bless you. Thanks Gary so much and thanks for being a regular lister here at core Christianity. We would love to hear from you. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, pick up your phone right now.

Call us at 833. The core let's go to Jeffrey in St. Louis, Missouri Jeffrey what your question for Israel. Thank you for taking my call. First Corinthians 118, but the word of God as those who are perishing are the ones that are perishing. These are the ones that they don't understand that I don't understand what were the ones that are perishing. Okay, so what will Paul is highlighting here in first Corinthians is just the foolishness of the gospel and how it's rejected by Jews and Greeks alike for different reasons, but that's one of the things the heat you can highlight as he continues for the war. The cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God for it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart where is the one who is wise. Where is the scribe. Where is the debater of this age has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world. For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom it please God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe for Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

What what's being highlighted here is simply the fact that the message of the cross. When you think about that. What was the cross in the ancient world. It was this instrument of torture, of suffering of death, many people when they heard the preaching of the cross with what Christians were were doing in the first two centuries adjust.this is outrageous, your God, it was crucified. That's that's folly.

That's foolishness.

But the foolishness of God. If you will, is wiser than the wisdom of man, it's through the message of the cross that we are redeemed and in Paul's highlighting here is the foolishness of that message into one of the this ancient piece of graffiti that was discovered some years ago near the Palatine Hill Hill in Rome and it's this this picture of a man being crucified with the head of a donkey and another man right next to it bowing down before this crucified immediate supposed to be an image of Christ. It's a blasphemous image but another man bowing down before it, and there's this there's this writing beneath it says this man is worshiping his God it was, it was the pagan world's attempted to mock Christianity and Christians because they worship the crucified God.

What could be more more outrageous he was crucified.

This the symbol of shame, and yet the eternal son of the eternal son of God when he hung on the cross sanctified the cross. He made it no longer an instrument of terror in death but an instrument of of life is through the cross that we have life, and it's that message of the cross that gives us life and it's that message that so many people today, rejected, and in those days were rejecting. They just thought it was foolish and so that's really what Paul is getting at their Jeffrey appreciate your your question and may God give us grace to cling to the foolishness of the message of the cross because that's where the power is a man. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, one of the ways you can ask a question is by leaving us a voicemail. You can call us 24 hours a day at this number and leave your voicemail question. It's 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. There's a voicemail that came in from one of our listeners named Terry Bolano scored 16 talks about the voice of an archangel and the trumpet call of God to another religion. The Jehovah's Witness believe that the voice of the archangel eventually Michael that Jesus Christ is Michael can you help me with that understanding. Yeah so you have an archangel mentioned in that passage in first Thessalonians chapter 4 is not is not called Michael there, but Michael is referred to as an archangel in other places you think of Jude chapter 1 verse nine also the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 12 verse seven talks about this great war in heaven, and Michael is like this. This warrior angel that the title archangel for the highlights that there are these ranks among the Angels and so he imagined. Michael is the sort of angelic general doing battle against that the evil angels did that, the demons, the fallen angels.

You also see references to Michael in in the book of Daniel sort of line up with this, but the question is, and I've heard Jehovah's Witnesses say this as well is Jesus Michael the Archangel.

While there are two passages of Scripture that make it absolutely clear that Jesus is not Michael the Archangel, one is in the book of Hebrews actually early in the book of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 1 and the whole point of the book of Hebrews is is focusing on the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Jesus is better than the old covenant and the Mosaic law, then the Levitical priesthood and even than the angels he's better than the Angeles. What's the point in Hebrews chapter 1 verse five says for to which of the angels did God ever say you are my son, today I have begotten you. Or, again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son, and again when he brings the firstborn into the world. He says let all God's angels worship him of the angels. He says he makes his angels wins in his ministers a flame of fire, but of the son he says your throne. Oh God is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God's anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. This is a by the way, just a great text to go to when you're having conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses because it highlights one that Jesus is not an angel. He's not a created being. He sees the eternal son of God and the angels of God worship him will that's not true of.

That's not true of Michael. Michael is a created being. He's an angel on archangel, but he's he's distinct from different from Jesus, who is that the second person of the holy Trinity. So that's one passage that you can go to to help explain this this view and and teach the truth regarding who Jesus is. The other one that I was thinking of his in Colossians chapter 1. What's interesting about this text in Colossians chapter 1 is actually few if you look at the Jehovah's Witness Bible is called the New World translation of the Bible is not a very good translation of the Scriptures.

They actually change this text a little bit. The Colossians chapter 1 verse 16 says by him. That is by Jesus.

All things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him.

Now that reference to drones and dominions, rulers or authorities that it's a reference to the angelic realm.

The angels were created by Jesus and for Jesus. Now in the Jehovah's Witness Bible.

They add they add a word there. They say by him all and then in in parentheses or in brackets. They put other things were created, but that's just this is not faithful to the Greek text of Colossians chapter 1 verse 16 because the word other is not there and so is how they explain away, essentially, that the clear teaching of Scripture. But those are two passages of Scripture Colossians 1 and Hebrews 1 that make it absolutely clear that Jesus is not an angel. He's not Michael the Archangel, he's greater than the angels he's the eternal son of God and all the angels worship him. Thanks that question right! Israel, and of course it's very important for all of us to know the Bible well enough that when were talking to someone over there involved in a cult that we can respond to them.

So were not you have in the butt will pull over our eyes by their interpretation of the Bible absolutely, and I know many of us have had those conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses because they go door-to-door and I'm sure you had that bill. You probably had the experience that I don't and so being able to open up the Scriptures and and reason with people say, look, this is what the Bible actually teaches in replete with people you need to understand who Jesus really is because if you get this wrong. There is that it's it's trouble. It's, it's, you can be saved if you don't understand who Christ is and what he's done for you. I meant you're listening to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez's would like to invite you to join what we call our inner core. That is a group of people who faithfully support this program that allows to be on the air every day.

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If you believe it's that's something that helps you to grow spiritually. What you consider that we don't receive any money from the government or from any particular church or denomination. Where were bill play commercials here. We just depend on people like you to keep the show on the air and it will tumble bit about joining the inner core. Yeah, I mean this is one of the ways you can support us in our mission. If you've been blessed by core, Christianity may what we want to do is open the Scriptures every day and help you understand the Bible better in particular those core doctrines that the church really needs to recover them. It's it's imperative that the church recovers these core doctrines and so if if you've been helped in that and and you'd like to support us. Would you join the inner courts a monthly donation of $25 or more. We send our inner core members.

A number of exclusive goodies throughout the year and in when you join you get a copy of the book written by Dr. Michael Horton, a professor I had in seminary called core Christianity, which is just a wonderful introduction to those core doctrines that we love to talk about on this program and so please prayerfully consider joining the inner core is how you do it you go to our website. Core, Christianity.com/inner core just all one word core, Christianity.com/inner core. To learn more about joining that exclusive group of people who believe strongly in what we do here at core Christianity wears a phone number if you have a question for pastor aid really got about 10 minutes left of the program. Here's the number 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 and let's go to Lisa in Missouri. Lisa what your question for Israel my questionnaire.

I ran her all at about abortion. She believed that it's okay abortion because the babies not born yet and it doesn't have so I don't know.

I mean, it sounds to me like she's just assuming that we get souls the moment we come out of the the birth canal by that just there's nothing to to support that.

Probably the better with of saying this is that of the moment were conceived. We have a soul. It is very clear to me in the Scripture that even even children babies in in the womb have a soul, and one text that I would point your your friend to is Luke chapter 1 verse 41, when Elizabeth is in the presence of the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist in her womb leaps. It's really this kind of this neat story of a wife.

Philippe will because he's in the presence of Mary, but really, in the presence of Jesus was in Mary's womb. It's as if baby John the Baptist in the womb is able to recognize the presence of his Savior, Jesus, and if he didn't have a soul that wouldn't be possible and so we were not this sort of, you know, this piecemeal thing that were together at these different times. You know that when God makes us more room were created, formed in the womb. We have we have a soul there and so that's a great passage of Scripture that you can go to and in discussions with your friend Lisa and I don't know you know what your friends background is. Maybe this is something that is a very sensitive topic for her specifically and it will, and we know that there's grace for people who have had abortions that the gospel is big enough that the blood of Jesus is potent enough to forgive all sins. And so we want to be gracious in our discussions while also emphasizing that the, the value of human life, the dignity of human life as Scripture does and so God bless you and in your conversations with your friendly send thank you for giving us a call. Thanks much, Lisa. Thank you for caring about your friend enough to have those difficult conversations and extend God's grace and mercy to her go back to the phones left.

Daniel is on the line from St. Louis, Missouri Nathaniel what your question, I can hear you brother lecture question mark all creditors and their orange tree roots came to 70 A.D. that that was the second coming, which I was telling them probably quite ready major statements about his coming that he would be coming bodily like you are dangerously unit of gallery you sign judicial restraint: upper goal come back when he came in a knowledgeable Gentile on all guides. I disagree with that loss. I would disagree with with with your friend.

So yes that the full predators view which which argues that the second coming already took place in 70 A.D. when when Jerusalem was judgment but as you said, the UB pointed to the right text. I thinking in the early chapters of acts acts chapter 1 where the Angels I look at this same Jesus coming back just like you saw him go on another which is to be a bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ and everyone is going to know when it happened, is not to be something that happens in secret or something. The people they got dinner without it. I know I'm not sure know people are going to be sure, and so I did Jesus talk about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. yeah, I think you did in places like Matthew chapter 24, but we have to be careful that we don't read everything is already having happened.

There the second coming is going to be contemporaneous with the means and have the same time as the final judgment, the resurrection of the dead, the life of the world to come when he comes all that is going to happen and that hasn't happened yet and that's very clear to me and so I would disagree with your friend. I think you're on the right track, and you're pointing to the right passages of Scripture, the same ones I would point to if I was having a discussion with him, so thanks that question with annual it would be getting a lot of calls about this predators view or any reason for that. Do you think April this during this day and age you know we've been doing a lot of calls lately just about end times and I think you know people look around themselves and in they start to wonder we know are we living in the end it already happened that kind of a thing and so there are a lot of discussions that that are happening right now and I think that's reflected in in the calls we've been getting back to the phones we have Marcus from Norman, Oklahoma Marcus what your question for pastor. Israel will be an afternoon. My question also refers to end times a great delusion and are we going there, yes, are you referring to what we see in second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 11. Let me just let me just read that second Thessalonians chapter 2 moment start in verse nine the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false in order that they may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Okay so were talking and in one since the context or in second Thessalonians 2 were were were talking about the antichrist were talking about the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as well. What you get a lot of that in first and second Thessalonians, but the point here is that there is going to be this great apostasy.

This great delusion where people turn from the gospel reject the gospel. They don't want the truth, and because they don't want the truth, God confirms them in that state of of unbelief, of rejecting the gospel, that's a strong delusion. You see similar language in Romans chapter 1, you know that that the hardening of the heart, the darkening of the mind is it so what this executed by me and it is a terrifying reality is white you do when when when we hear the gospel preached that when work. We are sensing the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we turn to the Lord.

Today is the day of salvation and what these people would do so just continually turn away. They wanted nothing to do with it. And so God gave them this this great delusion to believe that which was false and that coincides with the appearance of the that the man of sin the antichrist as he sometimes called who is going to be destroyed at the second coming when God the son brings relief to the church and to his saints. Now the question is are we going there will the reality is we do see the spirit of the antichrist already at work all over the world and John talked about that in first John yeah there is, it does it does seem like there is this great blindness that so many people have them. The apostle Paul talked about this when writing to Timothy thing in the latter days. Many will depart from the fate, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons. First Timothy chapter 4 verse one and so this is again part of the reason why think were getting a lot of these questions related to the end times. Here's what we need to focus on though.

It's not trying to determine the identity of the antichrist, its fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Christ growing in holiness, growing a love for him growing in hospitality and in life within the local church, the body sharing the gospel with the people around us who we know and love then so you know, no one knows.

Jesus says, according to Matthew 24 the day or the hour. I does seem at times and and and this is been the case throughout the history of the church there there there moments in history people to go, boy.

It's right around the corner and saw you know I think I think we might feel that way but we just need to know.

It could happen. Christ could come back at any time. We have to be ready and the way were ready is by fixing our eyes on him and resting in his gospel, and so appreciate your question brother and thank you for that.

By the way, we have a great Bible study on the book of Revelation. If you'd like to check that out. Just go to core Christianity.com/revelation to a study on that very are some sometimes confusing book but very important book in God's word wears a quick question for you as we close a drill. This is some from Jacqueline. She says I know Jesus is sinless, but please help me understand his being angry, yet not sinning when he was cleansing the temple as told in all the Gospels yeah yeah really simple so anger isn't always a sin.

There are sinful kinds of anger certainly and gotten were called to be angry and not sin. When should we be angry what one was Jesus angry.

He was angry when the worship of God was being corrupted the religious leaders in his day were turning the house of God the temple into a place for for making money and you see those kinds of abuses and in churches, even today, that should make us angry when the word of God in the worship of God is being corrupted.

We should be upset, but that shouldn't lead us to sin.

So there okay things to be angry about in Jesus certainly was. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers and the menu or call us at 1-833-843-2673.

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