Part 6 - Archangel Michael: The Warrior & Prince Of The Archangels

Michael the mighty warrior, the Chief angel of the Lord, the deliverer of the faithful; the
guardian prince of Israel, the angel of repentance, the angel of the element of fire.
Archangel of the Covenant, he who overthrows mountains, the chief ruling prince of the
4th heaven.

His mystery name is Sabbathiel, the angel of the east and of the east wind, it is he who
leads souls into eternal light. The Golden legend calls him the angel of the planet
mercury, Barrett's Magus calls him the lord of Sundays, and the ancient Persians call
him Beshter, the sustainer. He is the conqueror of Dobiel, for it was he who defeated
Dobiel the guardian angel of Persia.

Michael originated from the Chaldeans , who at that time, worshiped him as a god. He
was then passed into both Jewish and Arabian lore, where he became one of the most
important angels thenceforth.

He is an angel of multiple ranks and duties, the chief of the archangels, and of the
Virtues, and among the 4 seraphim who guard the throne of the most high, unceasingly
praising his name.

In early Muslim lore it is said that the cherubim were formed from the tears Michael
shed over the sins of the faithful. They say his wings were the color of green emerald,
and had a million faces and mouths and as many tongues. In the legends of the Jews, he
is said to be the angel of insomnia, for it was he who was sent by God to cause the
sleeplessness of the king Ahasuerus who, on the advice of the wicked Haman, had
decreed the annihilation of all the Jews in the kingdom.

In the story of the Egyptians and the Israelites, when the fierce Abezethibod, guardian
angel of the Egyptians led the Egyptian army and their pharaoh to pursue the Israelites,
it was Michael the guardian angel of Israel who led the children of Israel safely across
the red sea.

The two guardians came face to face, and a great battle ensued between them on that
very spot at the red sea, unseen by the eyes of mortals, it was a battle which would
determine the fate of the two tribes. Michael eventually bested Abezethibod, throwing
him and the Egyptian hosts into the red sea, and trapping Abezethibod under a magical
pillar in the deepest part of the sea. And so, the Israelites were saved.

In Persian lore and in the Talmud, there is a similar story of a battle between Dobiel the
guardian angel of Ancient Persia, and Michael, the guardian of Israel. Once upon a time,
after Jerusalem had known peace, the children of Israel began to seek more freedom,
freedom to explore other ways. And so they turned to idolatry and rebelled against god.
Meanwhile in heaven, alongside a few other guardian angels of nations, Dobiel accused
the Israelites of their sins before the throne of God, showing him how they had
renounced him and turned to worshiping other gods. And In anger, God used the
Babylonians as judgement against the Israelites, inspiring King Nebuchadnezzar II to lay
siege and capture Jerusalem and Israel. He turned his back on the children of Israel,
leaving them at the mercy of the Babylonians.

Michael and Gabriel felt great pity at the wanton destruction and killing of the Israelites,
even though he was the guardian of Israel, Michael could do nothing, for it was the will
of the supreme god, and going against it would mean going against the supreme.

It was Gabriel, who acted out pity, trying to convince the Babylonians to drive the
Israelites from Babylon rather than kill them, an action which was quickly opposed by
Dobiel who engaged Gabriel in a duel, emerging victorious.

Following his loss, Gabriel was put into temporary disgrace, and temporarily dismissed
from his duties and positions, duties and positions which were then assumed by Dobiel
for the time being.

But as soon as Dobiel came into office, he began to abuse the authority which had been
given to him, for he started aiding the Persian people at the expense of every other
nation. This corrupted all other guardian angels of Nations, except Michael, for each one
began helping their own people at the expense of other nations.

Seeing that the heavens had been turned into a place of madness and power tussle,
Michael sought to bring an end to this madness. He would thwart the plans of Dobiel,
and defeat him in battle, throwing him out of the heavens and putting an end to the
chaos. And Gabriel would be reinstated into his former positions, for Dobiel had proved
terribly unfit for such a role, abusing the great power which came with it.

Michael's battle prowess and general dexterity were never in doubt, it was he who
overthrew Lucifer the Morningstar when he rebelled, a feat which earned him the title
"Slayer of the dragon," as well as all former heavenly positions which the great Lucifer
once had.

In canonical writings, in the standard texts of the Jews, Michael is said to be the greatest
of all the angels. In non canonical writings however, there is one angel said whose battle
prowess is said to be greater than Michael's.

Who was this angel?