Jude Series: Jude 9a-The Confrontation Between Michael the Archangel of God and the Devil

Jude 9 But when Michael, the highest ranking archangel, was arguing with the devil, he was disputing over Moses’ body, he absolutely did not dare present a slanderous accusation. In fact, on the contrary, he said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” (Lecturer’s translation)

Jude 9 is composed of a temporal clause which is followed by an emphatic adversative clause.

The former asserts that when Michael, the highest ranking archangel, was arguing with the devil, he was disputing with him over the body of Moses, he absolutely did not dare present a slanderous accusation against him.

The emphatic adversative clause records what Michael said to the devil while arguing and disputing with him over the body of Moses.

It asserts that Michael appealed to the Father that the preincarnate Christ would rebuke the devil.

The temporal clause stands in contrast with the contents of Jude 8.

As we noted in our study of Jude 8, this verse like Jude 4 is describing the unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude’s day and age in the first century A.D. who were rebelling against Rome in order to bring in the kingdom of God on earth.

Jude 8 contains four declarative statements.

The first asserts that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots were defiling their bodies.

The second asserts that they were also rejecting human governmental authority.

The third asserts that they were disrespecting angelic beings.

These three declarative statements form a correlative clause.

The fourth declarative statement presents the reason for this correlative clause and asserts that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots were delusional.

Therefore, a comparison of this temporal clause in Jude 9 with Jude 8 indicates that the contrast is between Michael’s respect for authority and the unregenerate Jewish Zealots who did not respect angelic or human governmental authority.

This temporal clause is comparing two points of time and specifically two events in time, which occur simultaneously with each other.

The first is that of Michael disputing and arguing with the devil over the body of Moses after his death.

The other point of time is that of Michael not making a slanderous accusation against the devil but instead requesting in prayer to the Father that the preincarnate Christ would rebuke the devil.

Therefore, this indicates that “while” or “when” Michael was disputing and arguing with the devil over the body of Moses after his death, he did not make a slanderous accusation against the devil.

Michael is the highest ranking archangel among the elect angels in God’s government.

His responsibility is to protect the nation of Israel from the attacks of the devil according to Daniel 10:13, 21 and 12:1.

In the Hebrew Old Testament, the proper name mî·ḵā·ʾēlis its equivalent and means “who is like God?.”

It poses a rhetorical and negative question, one demanding a negative answer meaning “who is like God? No one!”

This is significant for this angel’s very name and presence stands as a rebuke and refutation to Satan’s boast in Isaiah 14:14b, “I will make myself like the most High,” i.e., “I will be like God.”

The noun archangelos (ἀρχάγγελος), “archangel” refers to an angel who possesses a high rank among the angels in the army of God.

Specifically, it refers to an elect angel or an angel who belongs to the army of God.

Therefore, here it is describing Michael as having a high rank in God’s army.

The articular construction of this word indicates that this word is the best in its class and the only one deserving of the name indicating the extreme of a particular class.

Therefore, this would indicate that Michael is the highest ranking ruling elect angel in God’s government among the elect angels.

“The devil” of course refers to God’s greatest enemy among the fallen angels.

In eternity past before his rebellion, he was the anointed cherub of God who once held the highest rank among the angels (cf. Is. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:11-19).

Sometime in eternity past, he and one third of the angels rebelled against God (Rev. 12:4).

They were all sentenced to the eternal lake of fire according to Matthew 25:41.

However, he presently is the temporary god of this world according to 2 Corinthians 4:4.

He is also presently deceiving the entire world according to Revelation 12:9 and the entire human race is under his power according to 1 John 5:19.

Therefore, we can infer that the Trinity granted Satan and his angels an appeal trial, which is actually human history.

Satan was instrumental in the fall of Adam and Eve because he tempted Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in disobedience to God’s prohibition to not do so.

Consequently, Adam did so as well as a result of his wife’s prompting.

Thus, the entire human race was not only enslaved to sin but also to Satan and his kingdom.

However, the incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ destroyed his works according to 1 John 3:8 as a result of His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

Those sinners who trust in Him as their Savior are delivered from not only eternal condemnation, i.e. the wrath of God but also delivered from enslavement to sin and Satan and his cosmic system.

At His Second Advent, the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride the church will dispossess Satan and his angels from the rulership of the earth and will restore the human race to the rulership over the earth.

God’s plan from the beginning was that Adam and Eve would rule over the works of His hands according to Genesis 1:26-27.

However, they lost this rulership because of their disobedience.

However, Jesus Christ, and His bride, the church will restore the human race to its rightful place as rulers of the earth (Heb. 2:5-9).

The sentence of Satan and his angels to suffer eternal condemnation in the lake of fire will be executed at the end of human history according to Revelation 20:10-15.

Interestingly, the middle voice of the verb diakrinomai (διακρίνομαι) in this temporal clause is a causative middle which is expressing the idea that the actions of the devil caused Michael to enter into the state of disputing with him over the body of Moses.

Correspondingly, the middle voice of the verb dialegomai (διαλέγομαι) is a causative middle which is also expressing the idea that the actions of the devil caused Michael to enter into the state of arguing with him over the body of Moses.

Of course, Moses was chosen by the Lord to lead the Exodus generation out of Egypt.

The Old Testament tells us that Moses was 80 just prior to the Exodus (Exodus 7:7) and was 120 at his death (Deuteronomy 34:7).

His death was in 1406 B.C. because it was at the very end of the wilderness period.

Therefore, his birth date was 1526 B.C.

Like Abraham, Moses was a man of great faith and this he declared openly several times in his life and in fact, Moses is listed in God’s Hall of Fame of Faith Hebrews 11 (11:24-29).

The life of Moses is divided into three equal portions of forty years each (Acts 7:23, 30, 36): (1) Life in Egypt: Moses’ birth, adoption into the home of Pharaoh, and the avenging of his countrymen. (2) Exile in Midian (Arabia): Middle years of Moses' life where he was married, call by God to service, and culminating in his return to Egypt as a prophet of God. (3) In the Wilderness as Leader of Israel: Leader of the nation of Israel involving his leading the Exodus, the journey to Sinai, receiving the Law at Sinai culminating in his death. Stephen gives a brief summary of Moses’ life in Act 7.

Moses was a genius in several areas: (1) Music: Ex. 15; Deut. 32 (2) Literary: Wrote the Pentateuch (3) Administrative: Led 2 million Jews for 40 years (4) Military: He delivered the Egyptian 18th Dynasty from the famous Ethiopian invasion after 3 regular armies had been wiped out. (Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews Chapter 10, paragraph 1) (5) Architectural: He built the “treasure” cities of Egypt.

No other Old Testament figure can compare with Moses.

He is called in Scripture the “servant of the Lord” (Nm. 12:7-8; Deut. 34:5; Josh. 1:1) and he alone spoke “face to face” with the Lord.

Therefore, he is the first and greatest of the prophets because of this fact (Ex. 33:7-23; Nm. 12:7-8; Deut. 34:5; Josh. 1:1).

Moses was the great lawgiver and in fact, the Jews called the Law given to them by God as “the law of Moses” (1 K. 2:3; Neh. 8:1; Mal. 4:4) and he was a man zealous for the Lord (Nm. 16-17) and was described as the “meekest man on earth” (Nm. 12:3).

He interceded on Israel’s behalf when it sinned (Ex. 32:32; Nm. 11:10-15).