The Seventh-day Adventists – Part 2: Christ as the Archangel Michael
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III discusses in this lecture the belief of the Seventh-day Adventists that the Lord Christ is the angel Michael; and he presents their evidences then replies to them with biblical and theological foundation.
Main idea:
The Adventists confuse between the Lord appearing sometimes in the form of an angel and Christ being an angel by essence, and they used verses and historical references and their sect’s books to support this idea.
Theological distinction:
His Holiness clarifies the difference between the Lord appearing in the form of an angel and Christ being a created angel, and he cites texts that distinguish Christ from the angels and confirm His divinity and superiority over them (such as Hebrews and Philippians).
Practical and intellectual arguments:
He mentions that angels are created and limited and therefore cannot be a redeemer who offered an unlimited atonement, and he explains how denying that affects the doctrine of the Trinity and diminishes the status of the Son.
The Sabbath and the fourth commandment:
The Pope also addresses the issue of Sabbath sanctification among the Adventists and distinguishes between the spirit of the commandment and its literality, explaining that Christ is Lord of the Sabbath and that applying the commandment in the New Testament requires a spiritual understanding not a rigid literalism.
Spiritual and educational dimension (from a Coptic Orthodox faith perspective):
The topic links the identity of Christ to the nature of redemption and divinity and theology. Orthodox teaching calls to preserve the mystery of the Trinity and the dignity of the Son and interprets the commandments within the spirit of salvation not as an imprisoned ritual restraint.
Conclusion and inference:
His Holiness urges believers to distinguish between symbolic divine manifestations and the theological reality of Christ, and calls to reject teachings that diminish the Son’s divinity or turn him into a created being like the angels, while maintaining an understanding of the spirit of the commandments in our spiritual life.
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