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This article is a follow-up to an article I originally wrote twenty-one years ago in February of 1997 called "Nostradamus: Prophet of God or Messenger of Satan?". In that article, I urge my readers to exercise caution, and to use Wisdom and Spiritual Discernment, whenever they come across information where a certain person -- such as self-proclaimed, modern-day psychics and gurus -- make claims which seem to contradict the Holy Scriptures. Sadly, it seems that not everyone has taken my words to heart. Thus, I have been motivated to write this current article.

Some time ago, I received an email from a certain person who became convinced that the 16th century French physician and mystic, Michel Nostradamus, is specifically mentioned in the Scriptures by name. Because of this mistake, he also became deceived by other New Age concepts as well. It is my earnest hope, that through this article, I will help this person -- as well as anyone else who may think like him -- to put this issue in its proper perspective. For those of you who may believe as this person does, allow me to simply say that once you accept the Scriptural truth which I will be presenting in this article, I believe that everything else will begin to fall into its proper place, and your understanding will be cleared up. At least that is my hope.

The so-called "scriptural evidence" which this person used in order to try to substantiate his claim, is found in the Book of Daniel, the twelfth chapter. As you the reader may already know, this chapter concludes a Book which is viewed by many Christians as containing some of the most amazing time-specific prophecies in the entire Bible. It not only includes historical events, such as the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires, but also messianic prophecies as well, such as the timing of the Messiah's Crucifixion. You will find some of my own opinions and speculations regarding this amazing prophetic Book, in other articles which can be found on the Bill's Bible Basics website. At any rate, the verse in question is the following one:

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."


As I already explained, the person who wrote to me became convinced that the Michael who is mentioned in the previous verse is none other than Michel Nostradamus. Well, I wrote back to him and clearly told him that I believe that he is mistaken. He in turn replied to me, and challenged me to prove who this Michael is, if not Nostradamus. In my view, the answer to this question is so clear, so plain in view, and before our very eyes, that I honestly do not see how anyone can possibly miss it. While I do not wish to offend anyone who may embrace this erroneous view regarding Daniel 12:1, I must say that it seems that you have let your guard down, and you have allowed all of this New Age psychobabble concerning astrology and the Nostradamus "prophecies" to cloud your understanding of the Scriptures.

As you the reader may already know from reading some of my articles, I have studied the Book of Daniel in depth. Now, I don't pretend by any means to fully understand it all. Quite to the contrary, I have admitted before that beginning at about the halfway mark in chapter eleven, things become kind of foggy, and I have been baffled for over forty-six years now by the who, where and when of the events which follow. That issue aside, I think we can agree that the Watchers -- or the "iyr" -- who are mentioned in the Daniel prophecies are spiritual entities. We find them mentioned by name in Daniel chapter four, in the following verse:

"This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men."


As I point out in other articles, these Watchers are not human by any means. They are Angelic Messengers. In similar fashion, I think that you the reader will also agree with me when I say that the princes of Greece and Persia, which are mentioned in Daniel chapter ten, are also referring to two demonic spiritual entities who control the governments of those countries. Please consider the following verses where they are briefly discussed by one of the Watchers who has come to Daniel's aid, after the Prophet has been praying and fasting for a period of twenty-one days. It becomes rather obvious, that what is being described for us here, are great battles in the Spirit Realm, and not on our earthly plane of existence:

"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. 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. 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."


Now, concerning Michael and Nostradamus, let us begin to set the record straight. Michael -- who is referred to as "one of the chief princes" in the previous verses, and who came to assist the others -- is also clearly a spiritual entity. He is not human. In fact, the phrase "chief prince" is referring to the fact that he is one of the chief of the Angels. He is in fact an Archangel. In similar fashion, we refer to Jesus as the Prince of Peace. For those of you who may not know it, the name Michael -- Miyka'el when it is transliterated from the original Hebrew -- means "who is like God". So it is clear that Michael is an extremely powerful Archangel. I think that it would even be appropriate to refer to him as a "Warrior Angel" who fights for Daniel's people, as we saw earlier in Daniel 12:1. Allow me to quote that verse for you one more time to refresh your memory:

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."


Allow me to reiterate that the Michael who is mentioned in that verse, is the very same Michael who is mentioned only two chapters earlier. Therefore, it only stands to reason that he must be a spiritual entity. He is an Archangel. He is a Warrior Angel. He is not human by any means; and he is mostly certainly not Michel Nostradamus as this person who wrote to me claimed. This is not the only place in the Holy Scriptures where Michael the Archangel is presented to us as a Warrior Angel. In the Epistle of Jude, we also see him fighting against the Devil for the body of Moses, as we see here:

"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."


Finally, we witness Michael the mighty Archangel leading the battle once again against Satan and his demons in Revelation chapter twelve, as we see here:

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."


It is important that you the reader notice the continuity of the Scriptures. As I have often explained, God's Word will for the most part interpret itself, if we will simply allow it to do so. If we do that, without interjecting our own personal prejudices and preconceived ideas, what we see is that from the Old Testament, all the way up to the closing chapters of the New Testament, we are given a rather clear picture of who Michael is. To reiterate one more time, he is a chief prince of the Angels; meaning, of course, that he is an Archangel. He is a Warrior Angel who fights for Daniel's people; that is, the Jews. After all, at the time that the prophecies were given, Daniel and his companions from Judah were captives in the land of Babylonia.

So to recap a few points, the Michael who is mentioned in Daniel chapter ten, is the same Michael who is likewise mentioned in Daniel chapter twelve, who is also the very same Michael who is mentioned in Revelation chapter twelve. In fact, I would dare say that Revelation 12:7 may be the very fulfillment of Daniel 12:1. This continuity should be as plain as day for those who have ears to hear. To soundly reject this plain Scriptural evidence is, in my view, to purposely invite strong delusion into one's life. It is to place our own understanding above what is clearly stated in God's Word.

Looking at this issue from another perspective, consider the following. The battles mentioned in Daniel chapter ten are spiritual in nature. The battle mentioned in Daniel chapter twelve is also spiritual in nature. The battle for the body of Moses was likewise between spiritual entities. The great battle mentioned in Revelation chapter twelve is obviously spiritual in nature. Revelation chapter twelve says rather plainly that there was war where? In Heaven. In that verse, the word "heaven" is derived from the Greek word "ouranos", after which the planet Uranus is also named. Thayer's Greek English Lexicon states the following concerning "ouranos":

----- Begin Quote -----

1) the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it

-- 1a) the universe, the world

-- 1b) the aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds and the tempests gather, and where thunder and lightning are produced

-- 1c) the sidereal or starry heavens

2) the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings

----- End Quote -----

So again, these are all battles which occur in the Spirit Realm. The Apostle Paul confirms this very same thought for us when he writes the following in his Epistle to the Ephesians:

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."


In that verse, Paul is not referring to politically high places -- that is, to the governments of men -- although we know that spiritual forces most definitely control them. Paul is referring to the very same thing as the Book of Revelation. In fact, it may surprise you to know that the phrase "in high places" is derived from a Greek root word which is a derivation of the word "heaven", as found in Revelation chapter twelve. Please consider the following:

----- Begin Quote -----

epouranios ep-oo-ran'-ee-os

1) existing in heaven

- 1a) things that take place in heaven

- 1b) the heavenly regions

-- 1b1) heaven itself, the abode of God and angels

-- 1b2) the lower heavens, of the stars

-- 1b3) the heavens, of the clouds

-- 1c) the heavenly temple or sanctuary

2) of heavenly origin or nature

----- End Quote -----

So throughout the Bible, from the Old Testament to the end of the New Testament, we see spiritual battles being waged by spiritual entities. In each case, Michael the Archangel -- who is one of the chief princes of these Angels -- is leading the frays. Thus, in order to maintain the continuity of the Scriptures, we cannot say that in Daniel chapter ten, Michael is an Archangel; and in Jude he is an Archangel; and in the Book of Revelation he is an Archangel; and then turn around in Daniel chapter ten and contradict ourselves. We cannot bring everything down to an earthly plane, and say that the Michael mentioned there is not only a mere human, but he is a Kabbalist named Michel Nostradamus; who is a man of questionable Christian standing.

Quite frankly, I find the whole idea ludicrous; and it is sad what some people will do in order to try to force the Scriptures to fit their interpretation, as this person has apparently done. In my view, it is one thing to speculate, as even I sometimes tend to do; but it is quite another to emphatically state that something is so, when it clearly contradicts the Scriptures. This amounts to being a false prophet and a false teacher. At the very least, it clearly demonstrates that someone is seriously misguided in their understanding of God's Word. In the case where this kind of deception is intentional, the Bible offers us some very stern warnings, as we see by the following verses:

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;"


"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"


"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."


"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"


"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein."


On a related note, as I mention in the article entitled "Who Hindered the Antichrist?", it is my current belief that the entity who "withholds" or "lets" -- that is to say, holds back, detains or hinders, from the Greek word "katecho" -- the arrival of the wicked Antichrist, may be none other than Michael the Archangel as well. As we have already seen, he fights all of the other battles in Heaven, so why not this one as well? Granted, this is only speculation on my part, being as the Apostle Paul does not specifically name Michael the Archangel by name. However it does seem obvious to me that Michael would fit the Scriptural precedents which we have already examined.

To even suggest that the individual of whom the Apostle Paul writes is Michel Nostradamus standing up for Daniel's people is simply unacceptable. Paul is clearly describing spiritual entities who have been waging warfare against each other for literally thousands of years. That certainly eliminates one Michel Nostradamus from the prophetic picture, in my view.

So we all need to realize the danger we place ourselves in when we endeavor to force the Scriptures to fit our private interpretation. One deception can lead to another, and if we do not wake up, we will end up in a terribly deceived state. As the Apostle Peter plainly tells us in his second Epistle:

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."


Before concluding this article, I would like to mention one more event which is found in the Old Testament, which may possibly have been another cameo appearance by Michael the Archangel, who is one of the chief princes of the Angels, and one of God's primary warriors. I have shared this story before, but I will leave it for your personal consideration. In the Book of Joshua, we find the following amazing account:

"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? And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so."


It is interesting to note that the word "captain" in the previous verses is derived from the Hebrew word "sar", which, among other things, also means "chief" or "prince". This is the very same word which we saw being used earlier in Daniel 10:21 to describe Michael the Archangel as a prince of his people, that being the Jews. Concerning this word "sar", the Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew Aramaic English Lexicon states the following:

----- Begin Quote -----

sar

1) prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain

- 1a) chieftain, leader

- 1b) vassal, noble, official (under king)

- 1c) captain, general, commander (military)

- 1d) chief, head, overseer (of other official classes)

- 1e) heads, princes (of religious office)

- 1f) elders (of representative leaders of people)

- 1g) merchant-princes (of rank and dignity)

- 1h) patron-angel

- 1i) Ruler of rulers (of God)

- 1j) warden

----- End Quote -----

So, I am really not certain who Joshua saw that day. I had always assumed that it was Jesus making a pre-New Testament cameo appearance. This idea was based on the fact that this strange warrior who suddenly appeared from the Other World to assist Joshua in battle, told Joshua that he was on holy ground, just as Moses was told the very same thing. Please notice that Joshua bowed to the earth in order to worship this entity. Unlike the Angel who appeared to John in the Book of Revelation, who prevented John from worshiping him, this entity in the Book of Joshua did not prohibit Joshua from doing it.

In fact, this "captain of the host of the LORD" appears to have encouraged Joshua to worship him by indicating that he was standing on holy ground. Perhaps it really was Jesus. However, please don't forget that in the set of verses we read earlier from the Book of Daniel, it did seem to refer to the Watchers as "holy ones"; although that could have been a reference to the Son of Man and the "Ancient of Days" who are described for us in Daniel chapter seven. So, I will leave this final Biblical mystery up to you to solve as you feel led.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. Regarding Michel Nostradamus being specifically named in the Bible, it is my hope that the Scriptural evidence I have provided here convinces you otherwise; that is, if you are one who has embraced such an outlandish New Age belief.

If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Elijah: Where Are the True Prophets of God?
Modern False Prophets and Worldly Ecumenism
Nostradamus: Prophet of God or Messenger of Satan?
The Office of Prophets and Teachers
Who Hindered the Antichrist?

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