Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
• Jude 1:9
So, What / Why was the reason for the dispute ?
What was it about ?
.
Well, go ahead and grab a coffee. I will explain Jude 1:9
The Devil is everyone's adversary and doesn't belong to anyone. He is the rebellious spirit within mankind that holds him in bondage to sin. He is the antichrist spirit that opposes the Kingdom of God. This spirit has always been in the world (
since the fall), was bound at the cross for the sake of the nations, and will be unrestrained in the world as a judgment in the last days. When Christ contends and disputes with the Devil, He contends and disputes with the spirit of false Priests, Teachers, Prophets and Messengers. This is that evil spirit that works in the children of disobedience and is offended in Christ Jesus. When we read that Christ disputed with the Devil, He is contending with mankind that is in opposition to His kingdom. They are those who have this antichrist spirit to resist, obstruct and speak against Christ. The question is, what spirit opposed Christ and denied His office as chief Messenger of the Covenant? Indeed the larger question is, who is the spirit of antichrist?
1st John 4:3
- "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."
According to God's definition of the term, all those who deny Christ as Savior is Antichrist. So what spirit contended with Christ about the body of Moses? Was it a Red supernatural man with horns or was it man with a lawless spirit? The very context of Jude tells us that the word of God is speaking about men who would always gainsay and resist God.
Jude 1:8-10
- "Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
- 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.
- But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves."
This refers to Old Covenant Israel whom Christ called the children of the Devil, and how He opened not His mouth against them (
although He was the chief messenger) when He was reviled, accused, spoken evil against, persecuted and brought before magistrates. Because He came as the suffering servant to confirm the Covenant before many. This language of Christ not rebuking Satan is taken from
Zechariah 3:1-3
- "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?
- Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel."
This prophesies of the coming of Christ and how He would cleanse the Lord's servants by taking away their filthy garments bringing them righteousness. The spirit Satan opposed Christ through the leaders of Old Covenant Israel who did everything in their power to resist Him, His kingdom and reign.
This is that same spirit of Satan that Christ contended with regarding the body of Moses. It was all those with the spirit of disobedience who rejected Him, His kingdom and Covenant revelation and indeed sought to kill Him because of His teachings concerning this Kingdom. The pertinent questions here are, who is Michael the archangel (
Christ, the chief Messenger), when did He contend with the Devil (
at the time of His first advent), what is the significance of the body of Moses (
the Old Testament Covenant), what is Satan's main modus operandi in opposing Christ (
the nature of the Kingdom), what Scriptures support this conclusion (
Zechariah, Revelation 12, Jude and Matthew among others) and what was Christ disputing with the evil spirit and adversary about? It was the same thing the Apostle Paul was disputing with the Judaizers about--the very nature and makeup of the law of Moses, Covenant, Kingdom, Reign and Messiah.
Acts 17:17
- "Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him."
The dispute with antichrist is always about the Kingdom of Christ because it is the spirit that opposes all that Christ stands for. The Kingdom wasn't taken from Israel for nothing, it was taken away "because" they opposed and rejected the Messiah of the Bible as God breathed head of that Kingdom. Every spirit that will not confess that Jesus come in the flesh as the prophesied Messaih and ruler of Israel is that spirit of antichrist. Yes, that's unpalatable to some, but it is a Biblical fact. Moreover, what is also a Biblical fact is that these are the people who Christ contended and disputed with about God's law and Covenant with Israel. In reality it was two houses coming against each other. The body of Moses vs the body of Christ. The Old Covenant vs the New. The Law vs Grace. The carnal/physical vs the Spiritual. Jerusalem of this world or heavenly Jerusalem. The list is endless.
#1. Who is the archangel, Michael - Christ is the chief Messenger of the Covenant, translated arch (chief) and angel (messenger) in the New Testament as found in Revelation chapter 12.
Malachi 3:1
- "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."
The word translated messenger there and speaking of Christ, is the same word translated angel. The title "Michael" illustrates God with us, and is Hebrew meaning "who is God," from [
mi] meaning who, [
ki] meaning because and by extension "is," and [
el] meaning "God." Mi'ki'el the chief Messenger of the Covenant. Michael or God with us is the chief messenger of the covenant, and the [
aggelos] who fought with Him are the Apostles his servant messengers of the congregation. As I said, two houses with only one victorious.
#2. Who is The Devil - The Devil is the adversarial spirit that rules fallen man and opposes the Lord at every turn. This spirit is called by many names, such as Satan, Antichrist, Baal, Serpent, Dragon, etc. The adversarial spirit in man to disobey is the Devil.
1st Peter 5:8
- "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
Just as the king was the adversary when He sought to devour the baby Jesus as soon a it was born, but the wise men warned of the Lord thwarted his plans. The spirit of antichrist reveals himself within men, it's not some supernatural being the stuff that bad exorcist or fallen angel movies are made of. The only exorcism of the evil spirit is through the gospel of Christ via the Holy Spirit that moves that Devil spirit from our person that the spirit of Christ dwell there.
#3. When did Christ or Michael contend or dispute with the Devil - It was at the first advent of Christ, when many messengers were cast out of the Kingdom of Israel, even likened unto stars falling from heaven.
Revelation 12:7-7
- "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."
Revelation chapter 12 makes it clear that this contending took place at the time of Christ's first advent when the devil was casting down the ruling stars (
messengers) of this woman (
Israel) out of the kingdom.
Matthew 23:13
- "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."
Christ understood that these messengers were an adversary to the Kingdom. The heads or messengers of Israel were contending with Christ and shutting up His kingdom against men, and this was what is symbolized as the war in the kingdom of heaven that resulted in the messengers being cast out. The warfare in Jerusalem (Isaiah 40:2) that Christ came to put an end to.
Matthew 11:12
- "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."
It was because of this reason that the child Jesus was born of the woman Israel. That the violence of her warfare (against God) might come to an end and her iniquity might be pardoned. Indeed it was this prophesy in Isaiah that spoke of the end of this violence in the coming of John the Baptist to herald Christ's appearance.
Isaiah 40:2-3
- "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
- The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
The voice of him that was crying in the wilderness was John the Baptist. Christ contended with the Devil when He contended with the messengers of Israel who had the spirit of antichrist. Traditions notwithstamnding, they were the messengers of heaven led by the Dragon, resisting the chief messenger and practicing rebellion in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 23:13
- "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."
This is the dispute. This is the contention. It is not literal heaven these messengers were in, but Revelation illustrates in symbolic imagery the kingdom of heaven on earth. Exactly as Christ's parables of the Kingdom of heaven illustrates vividly. The Dragon attempted to destroy the man child as soon as it was born through the king on earth, not as beast in heaven standing before a pregnant woman floating in space.
Matthew 2:3-4
- "When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
- And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born."
Matthew 2:16
- "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men."
The Serpent within man attempted to destroy the child Christ as soon as it was born--on earth, not as a Dragon in heaven. The Dragon imagery is to illustrate this.
#4. What is the body of Moses - The body of Moses represents the Old Covenant law, just as the body of Christ represents the New Covenant grace. Moses symbolizes the law and Christ symbolizes grace. When Christ contended with (or more accurately opposed) the adversary, it was with regards to Old Covenant Israel. That through Him, Israel was a Spiritual kingdom that was no longer under the law called Moses, but under grace (
the law being dead).
Acts 15:5
- "But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses."
The body of Moses was a house that was to keeping the law. This verse shows there were those even on the church side that supposed that the servants of God had to keep of the law of Moses as necessary to salvation. But under the New Covenant with Israel, the hief Messenger of the Covenant established the end of the law of Moses. i.e., with the coming of the true, the shadow that prefigured it is passed away.
Romans 10:4-5
- "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
- For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them."
Christ contended with the Devil by contending with those messengers of the Old Covenant who to this day continue to insist on salvation by law.
#5. What is the significance of the body of Moses - The same significance as of the body of Christ. It is a Covenant reference signifying the Lord's promise to His people Israel in the Old and New Dispensation. In other words, in the Old Covenant dispensation Moses brought the people of Israel out of bondage of Egypt and led them to the Promised land physically, but only as a "FIGURE," skia or shadow of the true deliverer of Israel. That's why the children of Israel couldn't enter into the Promised land until after Moses had died, for he represented Old Covenant law. i.e., the significance of the body of Moses is its likeness or imagery of the body of Christ.
Acts 7:36-37
- "He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
- This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me; him shall ye hear."
Thus the body of Moses signifies the Old Covenant, and the body of Christ the new Covenant. The old was as the school teacher, the new is the true wherein men may be saved. Indeed, God's word speaks of these two bodies as houses in Hebrews chapter 3. The house of Moses and the house of Christ.
Heb 3:5-6
- "And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
- But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."
Two houses representing the two Covenants with God's people, only one bringing true deliverance to Israel. This is what Christ contended with those Judaizers who opposed Him. Physical bondage against spiritual bondage, physical rest against spiritual rest, physical kingdom against spiritual kingdom, physical reign against spiritual reign, physical Jew against spiritual Jew, physical war and swords against spiritual warfare, etc. These are the things that were (
and still are) in dispute with Israel. And in the end, the builders with the spirit of disobedience lost the kingdom because of that contention or dispute with, and rejection of Christ.
#6. What Scriptures support this conclusion? Actually, all Scripture supports this conclusion. Revelation chapter 12 gives the broad strokes, but throughout the Bible God demonstrates both the continuity and the disconnect between Old Covenant and New, between Law and Grace, between those who are with Him, and those who fight against Him.
Hebrews 8:13
- "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."
The Old Covenant outward appearance of the legal administration was to illustrate our helplessness, but the ruling Jews insisted it is a path to righteousness. Likewise, the nation of Israel, the fabric of the temple, he great stones of Gold and Pearls, the beautiful ornaments of the Priests, etc, all had a glory in them that pointed to the true riches. The Old Testament messengers took offense to any idea of the spiritual nature of Israel and the Kingdom. Much as Dispensationalism today that also oppose the spiritual nature of the Kingdom, Jerusalem, Israel, the Jews, the reign and so on. The point is, the shadow which was the body of Moses is passed away in the establishment of the true in the body of Christ.