Michael the Archangel

Christians know of Michael as the archangel who commands the forces of God against the the forces of the dragon in a war in heaven. Ironically, it was God who put the dragon where he can spread evil every night.

The dragon was introduced in the Garden of Eden as Adam and Eve's tempter. We are told that, as punishment, he was cursed above all wild animals. That is where we find him in the image below, at the highest spot in heaven, the North Pole. Every night his body circles around the North Pole as if to be spreading evil wherever he looks. (See Adam and Eve and the Serpent)

¹⁴The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:14-15)

It is not until the second century BCE when Danial introduces Michael as the angelic patron prince of Israel who will save them during a time of trouble.

¹“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book. (Dan. 12:1)

From Daniel's prediction of a time of trouble, Jesus escalates the severity of Daniel's prediction to a "desolating sacrilege," He goes on to predict a great tribulation that has not been seen since the beginning of the world.

¹⁵“So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;
¹⁷let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house;
¹⁸and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle.
¹⁹And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days!
²⁰Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath.
²¹For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. (Matt. 24:15-21)

Finally, according to Revelation, the war takes place. Michael defeats the dragon and his angels and throws them down to earth.

⁷Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
⁸but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
⁹And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Rev. 12:7)

This simple little study of Michael slices through the Bible from beginning to end. It exposes a concept of evil as being propagated by the constellation of a serpent circling around the North Pole. Two thousand years of Christian history, hundreds of years of wars and persecutions, billions of man hours, a fortune of wealth, and millions of written words reduce to this.