COVERING CHERUBS: WHO ARE THEY?

There have always been two Covering Cherubim in God’s government, which are two witnesses. It is a well-known fact that Lucifer used to be a Covering Cherub until he turned against the very thing he used to protect—God’s law. When he left his high post in God’s government the position became vacant and someone else had to take over his post.

There are only three angelic beings who are named in the Bible: Lucifer, Gabriel, and Michael. This study is not meant to show or prove that Michael is Jesus. We assume that most everyone who is reading this has already come to that conclusion.

Our aim here is to identify who the two Covering Cherubim were. Who was the Covering Cherub along with Lucifer? Who filled his post when he defected, or was his position left vacant? Is there a Covering Cherub that has never been named, having remained anonymous all along? Or is there evidence that Michael is a Covering Cherub, and was so all along?

We hope this study is a blessing to you. Ozzie and Denice Grant

COVERING CHERUB: DESCRIPTION IN THE SANCTUARY

Moses describes the two Covering Cherubim in Exodus chapter twenty five:

And thou shalt make two Cherubim of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the Cherubim on the two ends thereof. And the Cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the Cherubim be (Exodus 25:18-20, emphasis added).

As their position in the Most Holy Place atop the mercy seat implies, Covering Cherubim are protectors of God’s law. The Hebrew word for “covering” is sâ kak, which means:

A primitive root; properly to entwine as a screen; by implication to fence in, cover over, (figuratively) protect: – cover, defence, defend, hedge in, join together, set, shut up (Strong’s Concordance).

The wings of the Covering Cherubim entwining “as a screen” symbolize that together they fence in, cover, protect, defend, and hedge in the mercy seat—God’s throne of mercy. The mercy seat was the lid of the ark which contained God’s law of agape love—the law of unconditional love, grace, mercy.

Covering Cherubim are light bearers. They are the chief beings who reveal God’s character, principles, and purposes for the universe. They are messengers of God: they are sent directly by God as messengers on special missions to relay specific messages. It is well known that the position of the Covering Cherub is the highest position in the angelic hierarchy. And it is also well known that the Covering Cherubim stand in the presence of God. All of this is confirmed in the following statements quoted from the SDA Bible Commentary and Desire of Ages:

Ezekiel 28:14 (SDABC4): 14. Anointed cherub. The original position of Satan is illustrated by the cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat in the Jewish Temple. Lucifer, the Covering Cherub, stood in the light of the presence of God. He was the highest of all created beings, and foremost in revealing (MESSENGER, MESSAGE) God’s purposes to the universe (see DA 758, emphasis added)

But even as a sinner, man was in a different position from that of Satan. Lucifer in heaven had sinned in the light of God’s glory. To him as to no other created being was given a revelation of God’s love (THE LAW). Understanding the character of God (THE LAW) knowing His goodness, Satan chose to follow his own selfish, independent will. This choice was final… DA 761.5, emphasis added).

As we look at the Biblical passages concerning the Covering Cherubim we will always see one or more of these descriptive words identifying their office: “sent,” “sent by God,” “stand in the presence of God,” “angel,” (which also means messenger),” “messenger,” “message,” “angel of the Lord.”

The questions we want to explore here are (not necessarily in this order):

1. Who served as Covering Cherub with Lucifer?
2. Was Michael, whom we understand to be the Son of God, ever a Covering Cherub?

3. Did anyone replace Lucifer as Covering Cherub, and if so, who was it?

GABRIEL

We begin by studying the angel Gabriel, because by studying him we will be able to answer all of these questions, which will soon become apparent.

Gabriel is mentioned by name four times in the Bible, and each time, he is playing the role of a messenger who has been sent directly by God to a human being in order to relay a specific message. The first mention of his name is in the Book of Daniel:

1. And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision (Daniel 8:15-16, emphasis added).

Here we see a “man” sending Gabriel to make Daniel “understand the vision.” It is well accepted that this “man” was Michael—Jesus; this will become apparent shortly. Michael, who also is God, sent Gabriel to relay a specific message to Daniel: “Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.”

In Daniel chapter nine Gabriel is again mentioned by name, as he is sent to talk to Daniel a second time:

2. And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding (Daniel 9:20-22, emphasis added).

Gabriel was “caused to fly swiftly,” that is, immediately, as soon as Daniel prayed. He was sent to “inform” Daniel, to give him “skill and understanding” regarding the vision. Again, he is acting as one who is sent by God as a messenger.

Gabriel is mentioned by name a third time, now in the NT:

3. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth…And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings (Luke 1:5, 11-19, emphasis added).

Gabriel, the Covering Cherub, is again sent from God to relay a message, this time to Zacharias. Gabriel came to give Zacharias a message from God as one who stood in the presence of God. Only the Covering Cherubim stood in the “presence of God” as is made clear by the sanctuary in the desert (they were positioned in the Most Holy Place—a representation of God’s throne room) and also by Gabriel’s own words to Zacharias, as shown above.

Notice the following, using the code words that give away the office of Covering Cherub:

To the question of Zacharias, the angel said, “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings.” Five hundred years before, Gabriel had made known to Daniel the prophetic period which was to extend to the coming of Christ. The knowledge that the end of this period was near had moved Zacharias to pray for the Messiah’s advent. Now the very messenger through whom the prophecy was given had come to announce its fulfillment (DA 98.4, emphasis added).

Gabriel stands in the presence of God, he is sent by God, and he is the messenger of God. All these descriptions classify him as a Covering Cherub.

The last time Gabriel is mentioned by name in the Bible is when he was sent from God to tell Mary that she would conceive a Son by the Holy Spirit:

4. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God (Luke 1:26-30, emphasis added).

Again, Gabriel is acting as messenger of God and he is sent by God. Here, God sent him to speak to Mary, just as He had sent him to speak to Daniel and Zacharias, and then later to John at Patmos:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John (Revelation 1:1, emphasis added).

Gabriel is mentioned other times, but not by name. He is referred to as “the angel of the Lord.” Each time he appears he has a message. He was sent to Joseph, for instance, as “the angel of the Lord:”

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying (message): Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost…Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife (Matthew 1:20, 24, emphasis added).

And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying (MESSAGE), Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him…But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt (with a message telling him to go back to the land of Israel) (Matthew 2:13, 19, emphasis added).

Gabriel had appeared to Zacharias as “the angel of the Lord” as we have already seen. It was as “the angel of the Lord” who had rolled back the stone of Jesus’ tomb, and then sat on it. It was as “the angel of the Lord” who had appeared to the shepherds in the field announcing the birth of Jesus:

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:9-11, emphasis added).

It was Gabriel, “the angel of the Lord” who opened the prison doors for the disciples:

But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life (Acts 5:19-20, emphasis added).

It was Gabriel who spoke to Philip:

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert (Acts 8:26, emphasis added).

And again, it was Gabriel who took Peter out of prison:

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands… And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews (Acts 12:7, 11, emphasis added).

It was Gabriel who gave the command to remove God’s protection (as implied by the word “smote” in the context of the wrath of God) from Herod when he had trespassed the boundaries of God’s jurisdiction, leaving Herod unprotected from the Destroyer, who then took his life:

And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost (Acts 12:21-23, emphasis added).

From all this evidence there is no question that Gabriel is a Covering Cherub. He is “sent by God,” he “stands in the presence of God,” he is an “angel,” he is a “messenger,” he always has a “message,” and he is called “the angel of the Lord.”

Gabriel’s position as a Covering Cherub is well documented and the evidence is clearly displayed in the Bible. And since there is so much clear evidence surrounding him, we can use him as a model, a template, a pattern to certify whether or not Michael was also a Covering Cherub.

GABRIEL'S PARTNER

If we go back to Daniel chapter ten, we will see that Gabriel does not work alone. It is here that confusion has crept in. Who worked alongside Lucifer, who worked alongside Gabriel, who was the second messenger before and after Lucifer’s fall, and who filled Lucifer’s vacant position of Covering Cherub?

In Daniel chapter ten we will see that there is someone who works alongside Gabriel after Lucifer’s fall. In this chapter Daniel sees Christ in a vision and there is no strength left in him:

Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground (Daniel 10:5-9, emphasis added).

Then Gabriel comes to Daniel as one who is sent to strengthen him:

And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words (Daniel 10:10-12, emphasis added).

Next, Gabriel makes a very significant statement. Notice how he gives a very important clue in this puzzle:

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia (Daniel 10:13, emphasis added).

Gabriel says that Michael is one of the chief princes. It is important that we understand what this means. Did Gabriel mean that Michael is “one of the chief princes” meaning He is one out of many chief princes in the heavenly realm, or did he mean that he is one out two chief princes? Notice the Hebrew word for “chief:”

ri’shô n ri’shô n—From H7221; first, in place, time or rank (as adjective or noun): – ancestor, (that were) before (-time), beginning, eldest, first, fore [-father] (- most), former (thing), of old time, past.

“Chief” here means having the first or highest position, the highest rank. What about the word “prince?”

sar—From H8323; a head person (of any rank or class): – captain (that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper, lord, ([-task-]) master, prince (-ipal), ruler, steward.

“Prince” means “head person” of any rank or class. This same Hebrew word was translated in the Book of Joshua as the word “captain:”

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so (Joshua 5:13-14, emphasis added).

In the Book of Joshua this angel is none else but Michael, for He told Joshua to take his sandal off saying “for the place where you stand is holy”—and Joshua worshipped Him. Michael here is characterized as “captain of the host of the LORD.” He is at the head of the vast heavenly array of angels. This would not make it appear as if what Gabriel had said about Michael means that He was a chief prince among many others—He is chief prince of the others. As Gabriel continues talking to Daniel, he himself explains what he means by the words “one of the chief princes:”

Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince (Daniel 10:14-21, emphasis added).

Gabriel’s last statement is highly significant: “there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.” Michael, “one of the chief princes” is one out of two: only He and Gabriel are involved in this mission. The Jewish Publication Society Old Testament says it like this:

nevertheless, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. There is no one standing with me against them except Mikha’el your prince (emphasis added).

Michael is one of the chief princes. If He is one of them then there must be others. Gabriel says there is no one else working with him but Michael. Then Gabriel must also be “one of the chief princes,” and “one of the chief princes” must mean one out of two. Gabriel and Michael work together, they have the same status or rank, that of “chief prince.”

This corroborated by the following, which states that Gabriel is “the angel who stands next in honor to the Son of God:”

The words of the angel, “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God,” show that he holds a position of high honor in the heavenly courts. When he came with a message to Daniel, he said, “There is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael [Christ] your Prince.” Daniel 10:21. Of Gabriel the Saviour speaks in the Revelation, saying that “He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John.” Revelation 1:1. And to John the angel declared, “I am a fellow servant with thee and with thy brethren the prophets.” Revelation 22:9, R. V. Wonderful thought—that the angel who stands next in honor to the Son of God is the one chosen to open the purposes of God to sinful men (DA 99.1, emphasis added).

The SDA commentary states:

Daniel 10:21 (SDABC4): None that holdeth. This phrase may also be translated, “there is no one who exerts himself.” This cannot be taken to mean that all were oblivious of the struggle except the two heavenly beings mentioned here. “The controversy was one in which all heaven was interested” (PK 571). The probable meaning of the passage is that Christ and Gabriel assumed the special work of contending with the hosts of Satan who attempted to secure control of the empires of this earth (emphasis added).

Christ and Gabriel assumed the special work of contending with the hosts of Satan who attempted to secure control of the empires of this earth because Christ and Gabriel shared the same status or rank.

Is Gabriel a Covering Cherub? Yes, absolutely he is! Gabriel’s words “I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God” clearly show that he is a Covering Cherub. Since there are two Covering Cherubim, whoever works alongside Gabriel must also be a Covering Cherub. Who works next to, alongside Gabriel? Michael does. Is Gabriel ever shown to work alongside any other angel? No. Who then holds the position of Covering Cherub along with Gabriel? Michael does.

WHO WAS LUCIFER'S PARTNER?

It has been argued that Gabriel was the second Covering Cherub along with Lucifer, not Michael. Next we will see if Gabriel was always a Covering Cherub, that is, if he and Lucifer were Covering Cherubim together before Lucifer’s rebellion.

In Luke we are told that an angel “from heaven,” that is, an angel sent directly by or from God, came to strengthen Jesus at Gethsemane:

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:41-44, emphasis added).

Earlier we have shown that Gabriel told Zacharias that he “stands in the presence of God.” Gabriel is the only angel who has ever claimed this. But the same has been claimed about Lucifer, the former Covering Cherub:

Lucifer, the Covering Cherub, stood in the light of the presence of God. He was the highest of all created beings, and foremost in revealing God’s purposes to the universe (see DA 758, emphasis added).

And speaking of him, the prophet Ezekiel wrote that he was “on the holy mountain of God:”

You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you (Ezekiel 28: 14-15).

Thus, we can safely assume that it was the Covering Cherub Gabriel who was sent to strengthen Jesus in His terrible ordeal in Gethsemane. But notice something very important; this angel who came to strengthen Jesus could not have been a Covering Cherub prior to Lucifer’s rebellion:

Angels had longed to bring relief to the divine sufferer, but this might not be. No way of escape was found for the Son of God. In this awful crisis, when everything was at stake, when the mysterious cup trembled in the hand of the sufferer, the heavens opened, a light shone forth amid the stormy darkness of the crisis hour, and the mighty angel who stands in God’s presence, occupying the position from which Satan fell, came to the side of Christ. The angel came not to take the cup from Christ’s hand, but to strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of the Father’s love. He came to give power to the divine-human suppliant. He pointed Him to the open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would be saved as the result of His sufferings. He assured Him that His Father is greater and more powerful than Satan, that His death would result in the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High. He told Him that He would see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would see a multitude of the human race saved, eternally saved (DA 693.3, emphasis added).

The angel who was sent to strengthen Jesus was “occupying the position from which Satan fell.” He had been chosen by God to replace Lucifer. This clearly means that Gabriel took over the position Lucifer vacated, which also means that he never was a Covering Cherub alongside Lucifer prior to the latter’s rebellion. Gabriel and Lucifer were never Covering Cherubim together.

The SDA commentary confirms this position:

Daniel 8:16 (SDABC4): 16. Gabriel. In the OT the name Gabriel occurs only here and in ch. 9:21. The NT reports the appearance of this heavenly being to announce the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11–20), again to announce to Mary the birth of the Messiah (Luke 1:26–33). The angelic visitor declared of himself, “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19). Gabriel occupies the position from which Satan fell (see DA 693; cf. DA 99). Gabriel was also the bearer of the prophetic messages to John (Rev. 1:1; cf. DA 99). See on Luke 1:19 (Emphasis added).

In view of these statements, then, Gabriel clearly could not have been the original Covering Cherub alongside Lucifer.

WHO THEN, WAS COVERING CHERUB ALONGSIDE LUCIFER?

Gabriel’s words to Daniel were clear: “there is none that holds with me in these things but Michael.” Michael was the only One his equal in the sense that they shared the same position, and if Gabriel held the position of Covering Cherub, then Michael had to hold the same position. Michael was Covering Cherub with Gabriel, and if so, He was also Covering Cherub with Lucifer, because Michael would not have been newly instituted to work with Gabriel: He was Covering Cherub all along because He had never left or vacated His post.

Jesus was God incarnate, God made a messenger to man; Michael was God made angel—God made messenger to angels, to man, and to the rest of the universe. Michael the archangel was the Covering Cherub that was always there, before and after Lucifer, because Michael was eternal, Michael was God.

NEXT TO CHRIST

There is yet another angle from which we can look at this. Gabriel was

“the angel next in rank to the Son of God:”

It was Gabriel, the angel next in rank to the Son of God, who came with the divine message to Daniel. It was Gabriel, “His angel,” whom Christ sent to open the future to the beloved John; and a blessing is pronounced on those who read and hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things written therein. Revelation 1:3. – {DA 234.2} (emphasis added).

The statement that Gabriel was the angel next in rank to the Son of God confirms all we have stated so far. Notice how the same remark is made about Christ and Lucifer:

Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, “son of the morning,” was first of the Covering Cherubim, holy and undefiled. He stood in the presence of the great Creator, and the ceaseless beams of glory enshrouding the eternal God rested upon him. “Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering…. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:12-15. PP 35.1 (emphasis added).

Gabriel was “the angel next in rank to the Son of God” and Lucifer also was “next to Christ.” Does the word “next” here means “after,” or does it mean “alongside,” as in side by side?

The above quote seems to indicate the latter, because first it says that Lucifer was “next to Christ” and then it says that Lucifer was “first of the Covering Cherubim.” If “next to Christ” should be interpreted in terms of vertical hierarchy, then it could not be said that Lucifer “was first of the Covering Cherubim.” That would be a contradiction. The only way this can make sense then, is if “next to Christ” means a horizontal, sideways, shoulder to shoulder arrangement; it does not mean that Lucifer was lower than Christ. This is confirmed by the statement that Lucifer “had been most honored of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven.”

Now here is another puzzle. How could Lucifer be higher than Christ, who was the Son of God, who was the Creator of all things?

The question we must ask ourselves is this: is it typical of Christ to take the lowest place? Is it typical of Him, who is God, to elevate others above Himself? Or is it typical of Him to put Himself first and above others? A few Bible verses immediately come to mind, and they settle this question:

When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted (Luke 14:8-11, emphasis added).

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:3-8, emphasis added).

God’s character does not change. He was the same in heaven as He was here on earth. Given this unchanging principle, we could rewrite the above words in bold like this:

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of angel, or Covering Cherub.

Lucifer and Christ had worked alongside each other, next to each other, just as Gabriel and Michael worked together after Lucifer left his post as Covering Cherub. Gabriel replaced Lucifer, but Michael, Christ, remained the one constant in the office of Covering Cherub.

MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

In the Book of Jude Michael is called an “archangel.” According to Strong’s Dictionary an archangel is:

Archaggelos-From G757 and G32; a chief angel: – archangel.

In the Book of Jude we find this chief angel disputing over the body of Moses:

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee (Jude 1:9).

Nowhere in the Old Testament do we hear about this dispute over Moses’ body. We do read however, that there was no cause for Moses’ death:

And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended (Deuteromy 34:4-9).

What happened to Moses? The record is clear: even though he was one hundred and twenty years old, whoever recorded his death made a point of stressing the fact that his eyesight was still good and his natural life force had not abated in any way. In other words, Moses was fit and in perfect health. So then what happened to him? How did he die? What or who caused his death? Had Satan killed him? Because now in the Book of Jude Satan is claiming Moses for his death domain, not wanting Michael to resurrect him. Why would Satan claim Moses’ body? Could it be that it was because Moses had sinned by misrepresenting Christ when he struck the rock twice?

And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into his mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:48-52).

And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin (Numbers 27:12-14).

Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them (Numbers 20:1-13).

Satan wanted to hold Moses in the grave. Jesus/Michael came to resurrect Moses and Satan was trying to block Him. Satan was disputing Jesus/Michael’s right to resurrect Moses, but Jesus/Michael the archangel does not bring a railing accusation against Satan. He simply says: “the Lord rebuke thee.” This language is reminiscent of another conversation between Satan and the angel of the Lord:

And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire (Zechariah 3:1-2)?

Here we see the angel of the Lord rebuking Satan again, and it is clear that this angel is “the Lord.” The Lord speaks of Himself in the third person just as He spoke in Jude. Thus when Michael the archangel says to Lucifer “the Lord rebuke thee,” He is talking about Himself. Michael—the Lord—is the One who is rebuking Satan over the body of Moses.

That Moses was resurrected there can be no doubt, because the disciples saw Him and Elijah speaking to Jesus at the Mount of transfiguration:

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (Matthew 17:1-5).

Angels do not have the power of the resurrection. Jesus is the only One who claims that ability for Himself:

 

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die (John 11:25-26).

Jesus gives us yet one more clue that He is Michael the archangel, One of the chief princes:

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

The Lord descends from heaven “with the voice of the archangel” and “the dead in Christ” are raised at the sound of His voice. The voice of this archangel has the power to give life to the dead because this angel is really not an angel—He is God. He is one of the two chief princes—Michael, one of the two Covering Cherubim.

CHRIST'S TRUE IDENTITY REVEALED

There is one more thing. It was Lucifer who “had been most honored of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven,” not Michael. How can that be, you may ask? In His characteristic humility, Michael, the Covering Cherub, did not reveal His true position and identity as God until after Satan’s rebellion in Heaven. Please read the following carefully and analytically:

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:1-14)?

What are these verses trying to say to us? Isn’t its main focus the establishment of Jesus as One who is above everyone, including the angels? Of the Son, it says:

  1. God has appointed Him heir of all things
  2. God made the worlds by Him
  3. He is the brightness of God’s glory
  4. He is the express image of God’s person
  5. He upholds all things by the word of His power
  6. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high after having Himself purged our sins

Then Paul goes on to compare Jesus with the angels:

  1. He was made so much better than the angels
  2. He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they
  3. God never said to any of the angels at any time,“Thou art my Son, this day have I
    begotten thee.” But He said it to His Son.
  4. About His Son, God said: I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son.

At this point Paul says something extremely interesting: he says that when God brought His Son into the world He made an announcement to the angels. He said: “And let all the angels of God worship him.” Weren’t the angels of God worshipping Him already from ages past? Why does God command them to worship Him when He brings Him in the world, that is, as He is about to create the world?

Again Paul contrasts Jesus and the angels by showing that God classes the angels as “spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.” But when He speaks about His Son he classes Him as the King: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity.”

Jesus is God; He sits on the throne of the universe ruling it with righteous- ness, which is the scepter or the law of agape love—the law Satan rebelled against. Jesus loved agape, but hated reward and punishment, Lucifer’s moral law of Good and evil. And because He reigns in righteousness, God says about Him:

Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

And then Paul compares Him to the angels one more time:

But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Notice how this exact same scenario is painted in Patriarchs and Prophets:

To dispute the supremacy of the Son of God, thus impeaching the wisdom and love of the Creator, had become the purpose of this prince of angels (LUCIFER). To this object he was about to bend the energies of that master mind, which, next to Christ’s, was first among the hosts of God. But He who would have the will of all His creatures free, left none unguarded to the bewildering sophistry by which rebellion would seek to justify itself. Before the great contest should open, all were to have a clear presentation of His will, whose wisdom and goodness were the spring of all their joy. – {PP 36.1} (emphasis added)

The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings. The Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self- existent One encircled both. About the throne gathered the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng—“ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11.), the most exalted angels, as ministers and subjects, rejoicing in the light that fell upon them from the presence of the Deity. Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven the King declared that none but Christ, the Only Begotten of God, could fully enter into His purposes, and to Him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels of His will. The Son of God had wrought the Father’s will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to Him, as well as to God, their homage and allegiance were due. Christ was still to exercise divine power, in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. But in all this He would not seek power or exaltation for Himself contrary to God’s plan, but would exalt the Father’s glory and execute His purposes of beneficence and love (PP 36.2, emphasis added)

Prior to Satan’s challenging God, the heavenly host knew Christ as the archangel Michael. They did not know what Michael’s true position was, nor “the relation He sustained to all created things.” They didn’t know that Michael “shared the Father’s throne,” they didn’t know that “the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both” Him and the Father.

As the summoned heavenly hosts assembled, God the Father, “the King” declared to the “assembled inhabitants of heaven” that only Michael, not Lucifer, “could fully enter into His purposes,” only Michael could “execute the mighty counsels of His will.” Michael was co-Creator with the Father, having “wrought the Father’s will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven,” in the creation of all those assembled, including Lucifer. Thus the angelic host was given a clear choice: follow the Creator or follow the creature. The mere fact that God had to disclose Michael’s true position as Creator reveals that the angelic host did not know this. All along they had known Michael as an archangel, as a Covering Cherub, in fact they thought Michael was the second of the Covering Cherubim.

“The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings…” “Christ was still to exercise divine power, in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants.” And Paul wrote: “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.’

Certainly this must have come as a shocking revelation to the angels, not to mention Lucifer. Notice their respective reactions:

The angels joyfully acknowledged the supremacy of Christ, and prostrating themselves before Him, poured out their love and adoration. Lucifer bowed with them, but in his heart there was a strange, fierce conflict. Truth, justice, and loyalty were struggling against envy and jealousy. The influence of the holy angels seemed for a time to carry him with them. As songs of praise ascended in melodious strains, swelled by thousands of glad voices, the spirit of evil seemed vanquished; unutterable love thrilled his entire being; his soul went out, in harmony with the sinless worshippers, in love to the Father and the Son. But again he was filled with pride in his own glory. His desire for supremacy returned, and envy of Christ was once more indulged. The high honors conferred upon Lucifer were not appreciated as God’s special gift, and therefore, called forth no gratitude to his Creator. He gloried in his brightness and exaltation and aspired to be equal with God. He was beloved and reverenced by the heavenly host, angels delighted to execute his commands, and he was clothed with wisdom and glory above them all. Yet the Son of God was exalted above him, as one in power and authority with the Father. He shared the Father’s counsels, while Lucifer did not thus enter into the purposes of God. “Why,” questioned this mighty angel, “should Christ have the supremacy? Why is He honored above Lucifer?” – (PP 36.3, emphasis added)

“The angels Joyfully acknowledged the supremacy of Christ” implies that they did not realize the supremacy of Christ prior to this. Lucifer had been honored above everyone, including Michael. Now the Father was elevating Michael above him, and he could not accept this. It was thus that the Covering Cherub turned away from his post, and Gabriel was brought in to replace him.

CORROBORATING EVIDENCE

It has been clearly shown how one can arrive at the conclusion that Michael/Christ is, and always was a Covering Cherub. The evidence is very clear. Jesus was “the Angel of the lord,” “messenger,” “messenger of the covenant.” There are at least fifty instances of the phrases “the angel of the Lord” or “an angel of the Lord” in the OT. We have not studied them all to see which angel it is referring to, but some definitely refer to Jesus. The best known instance is perhaps the one in which Jesus appeared to Moses in the burning bush:

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I (Exodus 3:2-4, emphasis added).

This “angel of the Lord” was clearly Jesus. He is referred to by the same title that the Bible uses to refer to Gabriel, the Covering Cherub that replaced Lucifer.

Furthermore, Jesus would be the One God would send to save the world, because He had a message that would save us. In Isaiah forty two, speaking about His Servant, God says:

Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant? Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable (Isaiah 42:19-21, emphasis added).

Jesus’ message would be that He would “magnify the law and make it honorable.” As a Covering Cherub, whose job is to protect, preserve and defend the law, Christ would reveal and fulfill the law of life—agape love—and in doing so He would declare, make known, reveal, the God of agape love from whom the law emanates:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).

Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10).

O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:25-26).

In Malachi, Jesus is referred to as the “messenger of the covenant,” again magnifying the law of love:

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap (Malachi 3:1-2, emphasis added).

So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28, emphasis added).

So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone (Deuteronomy 4:13, emphasis added).

It is Jesus who is the messenger of God here. It is He who is “the Lord whom ye seek,” it is He who “shall suddenly come to His temple,” it is He who is “the messenger of the covenant,” it is He “whom ye delight in,” and it is He who is “like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap.”

THE ONE “SENT” FROM GOD

JESUS WAS SENT BY GOD

There is another way to show that Michael—the Son of God—was a Covering Cherub. Before we do that, we must reiterate that the Covering Cherubim are messengers of God. They are sent from God with a message to give to someone.

Notice how Jesus consistently talked about Himself as the One who was sent by God:

  1. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me (Matthew 10:40, emphasis added).

  2. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24, emphasis added).

  3. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son (Matthew 21:37, emphasis added).

  4. Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but Him that sent me (Mark 9:37, emphasis added).

  5. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (Luke 4:18, emphasis added).

  1. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent (Luke 4:43, emphasis added).

  2. And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth Him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great (Luke 9:48, emphasis added).

  3. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me (Luke 10:16, emphasis added).

  4. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:17, emphasis added).

  5. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him (John 3:34, emphasis added).

  6. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work (John 4:34, emphasis added).

  7. That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him (John 5:23, emphasis added).

  8. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24, emphasis added).

  9. I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me (John 5:30, emphasis added).

  10. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me (John 5:36, emphasis added).

  11. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape (John 5:37, emphasis added).

 
  1. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not (John 5:38, emphasis added).

  2. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent (John 6:29, emphasis added).

  3. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me (John 6:38, emphasis added).

  4. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day (John 6:39, emphasis added).

  5. And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:40, emphasis added).

  6. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44, emphasis added).

  7. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me (John 6:57, emphasis added).

  8. Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me (John 7:16, emphasis added).

  9. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him (John 7:18, emphasis added).

  10. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not (John 7:28, emphasis added).

  11. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me (John 7:29, emphasis added).

  12. Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a  little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me (John 7:33, emphasis added).

  13. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me (John 8:16, emphasis added).

  14. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me (John 8:18, emphasis added).

  15. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him (John 8:26, emphasis added).

  1. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him (John 8:29, emphasis added).

  2. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me (John 8:42, emphasis added).

  3. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4, emphasis added).

  4. Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? (John 10:36, emphasis added).

  5. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me (John 11:42, emphasis added).

  6. Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me,but on him that sent me (John 12:44, emphasis added).

  7. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me (John 12:45, emphasis added).

  8. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak (John 12:49, emphasis added).

  9. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me (John 13:20, emphasis added).

  10. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me (John 14:24, emphasis added).

  11. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me (John 15:21, emphasis added).

  12. But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou (John 16:5, emphasis added)?

  13. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent (John 17:3, emphasis added).

  1. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world (John 17:18, emphasis added).

  2. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me (John 17:21, emphasis added).

  3. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me (John 17:23, emphasis added).

  4. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me (John 17:25, emphasis added).

  5. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you (John 20:21, emphasis added).

  6. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities (Acts 3:26, emphasis added).

  7. The word which God sent unto the  children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) (Acts 10:36, emphasis added).

  8. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons (Galatians 4:4-5, emphasis added).

  9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins… And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world (1 John 4:9-10, 14, emphasis added).

Was Jesus sent as a messenger from God? Absolutely yes, without a shadow of a doubt. Malachi said that He was the messenger of the covenant. Did Jesus fulfill the pre- requisites for the position of Covering Cherub? Yes, He most certainly did.

Jesus, persistently, insistently, over and over and over again brought this point home: that God sent Him, that He was the One sent from God. Why this over-emphasis on being sent from God? What is Jesus trying to communicate to us? Does Jesus want us to know that He was a Covering Cherub? And if so, why?

“FROM BETWEEN THE TWO CHERUBIM”

There is something extremely important in relation to the two Covering Cherubim: it is between them that God meets with mankind. In Exodus we are told that God meets with us from between the two cherubim:

And the Cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the Cherubim be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two Cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel (Exodus 25:20-22, emphasis added).

God also speaks from between the two Cherubim:

And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two Cherubim: and he spake unto him (Numbers 7:89, emphasis added).

And God dwells between the two Cherubim:

And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the Cherubim (2 Samuel 6:2, emphasis added).

And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the Cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth (2 Kings 19:15, emphasis added).

And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the Cherubim, whose name is called on it (1 Chronicles 13:6, emphasis added).

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the Cherubim, shine forth (Psalm 80:1, emphasis added).

The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the Cherubim; let the earth be moved (Psalm 99:1, emphasis added).

O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the Cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth (Isaiah 37:16, emphasis added).

God meets with us, speaks with, and dwells with us from between the two Cherubim. Why and how does He do that? As a Covering Cherub, Lucifer had been “foremost in revealing God’s purposes to the universe.” It is through the office of the Covering Cherub that God reveals Himself to His created beings. Lucifer and Michael had been God’s spokesmen. When Lucifer turned against God, he did the opposite of what his office required: instead of speaking the truth about God he spread lies about Him. But what he meant for evil, even that, God is able to turn around for good. Because by becoming the antithesis of God, Lucifer reveals God even more. Now God’s character is revealed to the fullest in how He deals with sin and sinners. His grace and His love come to the forefront even more sharply than it did before.

THE POOL OF SILŌÁM

There is another instance in which the word “sent” is used in the New Testament. This once, this word curiously applies to a “well:”

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing (John 9:1-7, emphasis added).

Jesus, the One sent, sent this blind man to wash his eyes in the “Pool of Siloam, (which by interpretation means Sent).”

The pool clearly represents Jesus, the One sent, the well of living water, which removes our blindness and gives back our sight of who God the Father is. It was for this reason that Jesus was sent, to give us back our eyesight regarding God’s character of agape love.

The flowing of the water from the rock in the desert was celebrated by the Israelites, after their establishment in Canaan, with demonstrations of great rejoicing. In the time of Christ this celebration had become a most impressive ceremony. It took place on the occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the people from all the land were assembled at Jerusalem. On each of the seven days of the feast the priests went out with music and the choir of Levites to draw water in a golden vessel from the spring of Siloam. They were followed by multitudes of the worshipers, as many as could get near the stream drinking of it, while the jubilant strains arose, “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3. Then the water drawn by the priests was borne to the temple amid the sounding of trumpets and the solemn chant, “Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.” Psalm 122:2. The water was poured out upon the altar of burnt offering, while songs of praise rang out, the multitudes joining in triumphant chorus with musical instruments and deep-toned trumpets (PP 412.1, emphasis added).

The Saviour made use of this symbolic service to direct the minds of the people to the blessings that He had come to bring them. “In the last day, that great day of the feast,” His voice was heard in tones that rang through the temple courts, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” “This,” said John, “spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.” John 7:37-39. The refreshing water, welling up in a parched and barren land, causing the desert place to blossom, and flowing out to give life to the perishing, is an emblem of the divine grace which Christ alone can bestow, and which is as the living water, purifying, refreshing, and invigorating the soul. He in whom Christ is abiding has within him a never-failing fountain of grace and strength. Jesus cheers the life and brightens the path of all who truly seek Him. His love, received into the heart, will spring up in good works unto eternal life. And not only does it bless the soul in which it springs, but the living stream will flow out in words and deeds of righteousness, to refresh the thirsting around him (PP 412.2, emphasis added).

Adam Clarke’s Commentary explains what the word “Siloam means:”

Siloam – Called also Shiloah, Silos, or Siloa, was a fountain under the walls of Jerusalem, towards the east, between the city and the brook Kidron. Calmet thinks that this was the same with En-rogel, or the fuller’s fountain, which is mentioned in Jos 15:7; Jos 18:16; in 2Sa 17:17; and in 1Ki 1:9. Its waters were collected in a great reservoir for the use of the city; and a stream from it supplied the pool of Bethesda.

By interpretation, Sent – From the Hebrew shalach, he sent: either because it was looked upon as a gift sent from God, for the use of the city; or because its waters were directed or sent by canals or pipes, into different quarters, for the same purpose. Some think there is an allusion here to Gen 49:10; that this fountain was a type of Shiloh, the Christ, the Sent of God; and that it was to direct the man’s mind to the accomplishment of the above prophecy that our Lord sent him to this fountain. This supposition does not appear very solid. The Turks have this fountain still in great veneration, and think the waters of it are good for diseases of the eyes. Lightfoot says that the spring of Siloam discharged itself by a double stream into a twofold pool – the upper was called shiloach – the lower shelach; the one signifying πμ, sent, the latter, fleeces; and that our Lord marked this point so particularly, to inform the blind man that it was not to Shelach, but to Shiloach, that he must go to wash his eyes. These two pools seem to be referred to in Isa 7:23; Isa 22:9.

The SDA Commentary says:

Isaiah 8:4–6 (SDABC4): The waters of Shiloah. This aqueduct flowed from the spring Gihon, in a cave in the eastern hill of Jerusalem, whose waters formed a stream that emptied into the old Pool of Siloam. Later, a tunnel built by Hezekiah (in which the Siloam inscription was found; see Vol. II, opposite p. 65; p. 87) conducted the waters of Gihon to a new Pool of Siloam inside the city. These quiet waters of Shiloah represented the message of assurance against Assyria that was implicit in the name Immanuel, “God with us.” To refuse the gently flowing waters of Shiloah was to refuse the counsel of God. By turning to Assyria for help, Ahaz brought upon Judah “the waters of the river [Euphrates], strong and many,” for “the river,” “the king of Assyria,” would “go over all his banks” and inundate “the breadth of thy land [Judah]” (vs. 7, 8). All this was implicit in the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz, “Speed the spoil, hasten the plunder” (see on v. 1).

And Matthew Henry’s Concordance says:

Concerning the pool of Siloam observe, [1.] That it was supplied with water from mount Zion, so that these were the waters of the sanctuary (Psa 46:4), living waters, which were healing, Eze 47:9. [2.] That the waters of Siloam had of old signified the throne and kingdom of the house of David, pointing at the Messiah (Isa 8:6), and the Jews who refused the waters of Shiloa, Christ’s doctrine and law, and rejoiced in the tradition of the elders. Christ would try this man, whether he would cleave to the waters of Siloam or no. [3.] The evangelist takes notice of the signification of the name, its being interpreted sent. Christ is often called the sent of God, the Messenger of the covenant (Mal 3:1); so that when Christ sent him to the pool of Siloam he did in effect send him to himself; for Christ is all in all to the healing of souls. Christ as a prophet directs us to himself as a priest. Go, wash in the fountain opened, a fountain of life, not a pool.

The pool of Silō á m is symbolic of the office of Michael the Covering Cherub (because it is called “sent”), whom God sent to reveal His “purposes to the universe.” Look again at the SDA Bible Commentary’s entry for “Covering Cherub:”

Ezekiel 28:14 (SDABC4): 14. Anointed cherub. The original position of Satan is illustrated by the cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat in the Jewish Temple. Lucifer, the Covering Cherub, stood in the light of the presence of God. He was the highest of all created beings, and foremost in revealing God’s purposes to the universe (see DA 758) (Emphasis added).

Since Jesus is a Covering Cherub also, we could insert His name into this entry, exchanging it for Lucifer’s name, so that it would read something like this:

Ezekiel 28:14 (SDABC4): 14. Anointed cherub. Michael’s position as Covering Cherub is illustrated by the cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat in the Jewish Temple. Michael, the Covering Cherub, stood and stands still in the light of the presence of God. He is the Creator of all created beings, and foremost in revealing God’s purposes to the universe (see DA 758) (Emphasis added).

CHRIST IN THE “PRESENCE OF GOD”

A Covering Cherub stands in the light of God’s glory, in the very presence of God. Notice how even this language connects Jesus with this role:

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:24, emphasis added).

Christ enters into the holy place not only as a high priest, and He also appears in the presence of God as a Covering Cherub.

THE MESSAGE

If Jesus is one of the two messengers of God, then He would have to have a message to give us. What was Jesus specific message to the human race, and to the rest of the universe? His message is given to us through the apostle John:

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth (1 John 1: 6, emphasis added).

Jesus, God’s true light bearer, gave us a most important message: God is pure light, unmixed with even the most minuscule particle of darkness. The message is that there is emphatically, categorically, absolutely no darkness at all in God. Zilch.

Why this specific message? This won’t mean anything to us unless we know exactly what the Bible means by light and darkness. A few verses should help us understand:

The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined (Isaiah 9:2, emphasis added).

 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men (Joh 1:4, emphasis added).

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12, emphasis added).

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces (Psalm 107:14, emphasis added).

Darkness equals death; light equals life. If God is light in whom there is no darkness at all, then God cannot be involved with death in any way. This means He does not approve of it, He does not cause it, He does not promote it or facilitate it. He does not kill, or teach others to kill, He does not use death threats as a form of manipulation. Darkness and death are the consequences of Satan’s distortions regarding God. Death belongs to his kingdom of darkness. Death, hate, and anger are all part of Satan’s domain of darkness:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire (Matthew 5:21-22).

Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes (1 John 2:8-12).

 

Lucifer is no longer a Covering Cherub for God, but he is still a messenger. But instead of bearing light about God—truth—he is bearing darkness—lies. The message he is bearing is that there is darkness in God. Lucifer has painted God in the most dark picture possible. He portrays God as One who not only is good and loving, but also as One who inflicts death upon His creatures and causes their destruction as a form of punishment. It was to combat such baseless lies that Jesus was sent with this most important message: “God is light in whom there is no darkness at all.”

FALSE LIGHT BEARERS BEAR DARKNESS

Jesus was very emphatic and clear that, especially just before His second coming, many false teachers would come. He said:

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5).

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:11-12).

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:23-24).

We can safely say that false teachers and false prophets are not sent by God. And we can assuredly say that if any messenger contradicts Jesus’ message, then that messenger is a false messenger. Thus we can also say with absolute certainty that if anyone teaches that there is any darkness in God at all, that teacher is a false teacher.

A NEW BREED OF LIGHT BEARERS

God’s love and grace are unfathomable. As Isaiah wrote:

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him (Isaiah 64:4).

Paul rewords this passage this way:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

What has God prepared for those who love Him and His ways, His law of agape love? Notice the message Jesus Himself gave to John regarding the church that will be living just before His second coming:

him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne (Revelation 3:21, emphasis added).

God has prepared a very special place for those who love Him: He will grant them to sit with Him on His throne. What does Jesus mean, that He will grant to sit with Him on His throne to those who overcome? First of all, who are those who overcome?

And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads (Revelation 7:2-3, emphasis added).

Those who overcome are those who are sealed with the seal of the living God: the seal of the God of life, not the mark of the god of death. They have heeded Jesus’ message of life, the message that there is absolutely no darkness in God. They have believed, accepted, and lived God’s law of agape love. They see and understand the wisdom of God’s moral law of unconditional, impartial, self-giving, freedom-giving agape love.

To love God is to love His character. Those who love Him meditate on His ways day and night:

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word (Psalm 119:1-16).

And about them it is written:

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads (Revelation 14:1).

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12).

The hundred and forty four thousand “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” We always understood that to “keep the commandments of God” means live by them, to abide by them. This is very true. But this word “keep” has another very important meaning. Notice how three different lexicons define it:

Strong’s Concordance:

tē reō —From ́ teros (a watch; perhaps akin to G2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from G5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from G2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), that is, to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfil a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain); by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried): – hold fast, keep (-er), (ob-, pre-, re) serve, watch.

Thayer Dictionary:

1) to attend to carefully, take care of
1a) to guard
1b) metaphorically to keep, one in the state in which he is 1c) to observe 1d) to reserve: to undergo something

The Complete Word Study Dictionary:

tē ré ō ; contracted tē rṓ , fut. tē rḗ sō , from tē ró s (n.f.), a warden, guard. To keep an eye on, watch, and hence to guard, keep, obey.

Those who love God have not seen nor heard or even imagined what He has prepared for them. God’s message to Laodicea is: those who overcome Satan’s message of death and darkness will sit on my throne with me. They who overcome will become the new protectors, the new guardians of God’s law. They will attend to it carefully, they will cover the law and will become the new bearers of the light which emanates from God’s throne. They will fence in, cover, protect, defend, and hedge in the mercy seat—God’s throne of mercy founded upon His law of agape love—the law of grace, mercy. They will be a new breed of light bearers of God’s true character because they’re have experienced darkness, but they overcame it. They are highly qualified to be “foremost in revealing God’s purposes to the universe.”

CONCLUSION

The three Covering Cherubim mentioned in the Bible are Lucifer, Gabriel, and Michael. Lucifer used to be “sent by God;” he used to “stand in the presence of God,” he used to be a “messenger” for God, an “angel of the Lord.” When he rebelled, Gabriel replaced him.

Gabriel and Michael also clearly fulfill these prerequisites: they are “sent by God,” they “stand in the presence of God,” they are “messengers” for God, they are called “angel of the Lord,” and they have a “message.” The hundred and forty four thousand will sit on God’s throne with Christ and will protect the law forever more.

Michael is Covering Cherub but that is only one of the many roles He plays. To name just a few, He is also God, Creator, the Bright and Morning Star, High Priest, Kinsman Redeemer, Saviour, Alpha and Omega, Advocate, Mediator, Bridegroom, Good Shepherd, one with God, Messiah, Prophet, the Word, the Rock, the Light of the world, the beginning and the end, the Lamb of God, the One sent, King of kings, Lord of Lords, Emmanuel, God with us. Christ is all in all!