612 THE GLORY or CHIST AS GOD -MAI(. and, I am come for thy: words. But the princeof the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but lo, Michael, one, or the first, of the chief princes cameto help me, and I re- mained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to snake thee understand what shall befal thypeople in the latter days. Verse. 20: Then said he, Now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia.:there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince." Here it is very pro- bable that the prince of the kingdom of Persia is one of those fallen angels, principalities and powers of darkness, who by di, vine permission governed the heathen nations, and were wor- shipped amongst them as gods; for the apostle tells the Christians that the Gentiles sacrificed to devils ; 1 Cor. x. 20. all under Satan their sovereign, who is the god of this world, until Christ_ athisresurrection and ascension spoiled these principalities and powers, and dispossessed them of their dominions ; Col. ii. and led them captive; Ps. lxviii. 18. and took the heathenworld for his possession, and intohis own government. It cannot be a good angel, because lie withstood the good angel that was sent to Daniel with a divine commission twenty-one days ; and be- cause the angel who was sent to Daniel went afterwards to fight with this prince of Persia. it is also very probable that Michael is Jesus Christ, be- cansehe iscalledyour prince, that is, the prince of theJews, and one, or the first of the princes, that is, the prime archangel. And in Dan. xii. 1. he is called Michael Me great prince, which atandethfor the childrenof thy people, that is the prince or king of the Jews, for such was Jesus Christ under the ancient disr- pensation ; this was the known character of the Messiah among the Jews ; and as kingof the Jews he was sent into this world, then he came tohis own, yet his own received him not ; John i. 11. What confirms this sentiment is, that in Rev. xii. 7. when there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels, Christ as the head of the good angels, and Satan as the head of the evil angels maintained a war in heaven, that is, in the church, until the great dragon was cast out of the church, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world. Then follows a loud voice in heaven, that is, the church, saying, Now is come salva- tion and strength, and the kingdom of our God and thepower of his Christ, that is the power of Michael prevailed over the dragon, for the accuser of the brethren who accused them be- fore God day and night is cast down by the prevalent inter- * Yet it has been observed that though some of the fathers and our later di. vines speak of several archangels, the scripture uses the word but twice, viz. Jude 9. and 1 Theta. iv. 16. and both times in the singular number. Perhaps ibis Mi- chael, that is, Christ the King of the Jews, is the only archangel, or prince sad head of all angels.
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