THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL CONTENDS
THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL CONTENDS FOR A CHILD OF GOD
Sunday, December 9, 2012, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
As most of you know, Mark West had a near death or death experience Friday, December 7, 2012. Mark is recovering and the prognosis is that he will have full recovery.
However, Mark will have a story to tell us. He told me today, or wrote on a paper since he can’t speak, that he will personally share his story. He gave me permission to tell his story today.
Mark wrote on a piece of paper that he saw the archangel, Michael. He wrote several times, “gorgeous – gorgeous—brilliant”. Then Mark made a pantomime with his fists that Michael was very powerful and strong.
Mark wrote that he was in “the tunnel”. When he saw this glorious figure, his first thought was, “this is the light at the end of the tunnel”. (We have all read of near death or death experiences where people went through a tunnel of death and Jesus was the light at the end of the tunnel.) However, the glorious figure identified himself as the arch-angel, Michael. He spoke to Mark or conveyed to him, “It is not time yet, turn around and go back”.
Kimberly understood her father to say he thought this occurred while he was in the ambulance on the way to Del Rio. Family and friends including Mark’s son, John, his father, brother, and nephew were all deer hunting one hour from any hospital. Three of the men did C.P.R. on him in the back of a pick-up until they met the ambulance about 15 minutes outside of Del Rio.
The doctor at the hospital in Del Rio told the men to gather around him before sending him on life-flight to San Antonio. The doctor didn’t give them much hope that Mark would be alive by the time he arrived in S.A; also, to notify the family to gather.
John notified his mother of the seriousness of the situation. Sonya, Kimberly, Ashley and I left Houston about 11:30 p.m. headed to San Antonio. We sent out prayer requests to the church and to our friends on the internet.
By the time we reached San Antonio, Mark had begun to stabilize.
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Due to Mark’s limited ability to communicate his meeting with Michael, I don’t know everything that transpired.
However, using the Word of God, I do know that Michael is one of the chief, or the first archangel who is described as the one who stands in time of conflict for the children of God.
Daniel 12:1: “”At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your people…”
We have all understood that Michael is the archangel for Israel. This is true. However, the Hebrew word for “children” in this verse is “ben”. This means son, grandson, child or member of a group.
We are all Sons of God, therefore the archangel Michael stands for all who are born again as children of God.
In chapter 10, Daniel was mourning, fasting and praying. The Lord Jesus appeared to Daniel with a vision with the purposes of making known to Daniel what shall befall your people (Israel and/or Spiritual Israel) in the latter days (Vs. 14). The Lord spoke these words concerning Michael:
Daniel 10: 12-14: “Fear not Daniel; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to chasten yourself before your God, your words were heard, I have come for your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.”
Then again in the same vision the Lord spoke of Michael:
Daniel 10:20-21: “Know you wherefore I come to you” 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. I will show you that which is noted in the scripture of truth; and there is none that holds with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”
Then Jude writes that Michael the archangel contended and disputed with the devil about the body of Moses.
Jude 1:9: “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.”
Until Mark West is able to tell us the full story of his encounter with Michael, due to these scriptures, I believe we can safely assume that the archangel, Michael came and contended for Mark’s life and resisted “death” to save Mark’s life.
As we have studied in the Book of Revelation, Death and Hell are spiritual powers that ride on a pale horse.
Rev. 6: 7-8: “When he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse; and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him…”
The pale horse was a livid, corpse-like color translated as green. Two riders are named. Death and Hell ride the green horse. The Holy Writ states one horse with two riders.
Then Death and Hell are again mentioned in Revelation 20. An angel coming from the first heaven, gave the Apostle John a vision of the thousand year reign of Christ and then a vision of the Great White Throne Judgment which follows after the Millennium.
1 Cor. 15:26:“The last enemy that will be abolished is death.” The gospel message proclaims Christ as the “death of death, and hell’s destruction”.
In Rev. 19:20, the subordinate powers of the beast and false prophet as well as most of the subordinate powers of evil have been cast into the Lake of Fire. Only Satan; Gog and Magog; Death and Hell remain to be dealt with.
In Rev. 20: 1-3, Satan is thrown into the abyss and bound for a thousand years.
Rev. 20: 7-8: “When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.”
In Ezekiel 38:1, the powers and principalities of Gog and Magog are geographically regional. However, here these demonic powers are not just regional, but will have international power during this time. Gog and Magog here are symbolic of all world powers opposed to God.
However, our story today is not about Gog and Magog, but about “Death and Hell”.
Rev. 20: 12-13: “I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged; every one of them according to their deeds. Death and Hades were thrown in to the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”
We are saved by Grace, but at the Great White Throne Judgment, we will be judged by our deeds.
2 Tim 1:10: “But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
1 Cor. 15:20-27: “Now Christ is risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; that are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. He has put all things under His feet.”
Death followed sin and Hell or Hades was the holding tank for those who died as a result of sin.
Rev. 20:15: “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Those who have not received Jesus as their Savior, committed apostasy and worshipped the image of the beast have no place in the book of life. The dead who stand before the throne include all mankind except those who were at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Those are seated on thrones and ruling with Christ.
O may we stand before the Lamb
When earth and seas are fled;
And hear the Judge pronounce our names
With blessings on our head!
I am sure in the days of recovery that are ahead for Mark West, the Lord will speak to him showing Mark why He so graciously extended his life.
Jack and Anna Marie Sheffield came to the hospital to pray for Mark. When Jack was praying, he spoke, “Angels were helping the men to do C.P.R. on you. Angels were doing the C.P.R. When you get up from here, you are going to start preaching.”
At the time Jack prayed, Mark had not yet told us his story of meeting the archangel, Michael.
Since the encounter happened in what we understand to be the tunnel of death, I have to believe that Michael was sent by the Lord to contend with and dispute death for Mark’s life and the salvation of his eternal soul. I have to believe that the prayers of the saints, like Daniel’s prayers released the power of Heaven to intervene for Mark.
Satan thought he had a lien on Moses’ body because Moses had committed murder. However, the Lord has all power in heaven and earth over life and death. Death thought he had a lien on Mark West’s body. Michael was sent to stand, contend and dispute death for this child of God.
I have sat at the death bed of people and witnessed their spirit leaving their body at least 15 minutes prior to them stopping breathing. I believe Mark’s spirit left his body, but was sent back to extend his life.
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. – This is the story as related to me in part by Mark West, John West, James West and Jason West. Sonya, Ashley, Kimberly and I were eyewitnesses of these events as they were told to