The Bible speaks of only one archangel, captain of the hosts of heaven.

Joshua 5:13-15 “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.”

Joshua fell on his face and worshiped the captain of the LORD's host. When John did this before the feet of an angel in the book of Revelation he was warned not to do so. 

“And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”   Revelation 22: 8,9.  

The captain of the LORD's host, then, is no ordinary angel. Who are the LORD's host that he is their captain?  We find the answer in Psalm 103 and 148.

“Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments,
hearkening unto the voice of his word. 
Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts;
ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.” Psalm 103:20,21

“Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.”  Psalm 148:2,3

The hosts of the LORD are the ministering angels of the LORD.
Hebrews 1:14 asks, "Are they not all ministering spirits?"
The captain of the LORD's hosts is the captain of the LORD's angels.
He is also worthy of worship, a holy, divine being who makes the ground on which he stands holy.

No angel has sanctified the ground on which he stood; only in one other story, that of the burning bush, does the ground become holy, and that is because God stood on it.  

“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. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Exodus 3: 4,5

So we have seen clearly from the Bible, that the captain of the host (angels) of the Lord, is not simply a created angel, but is equal in divine nature and authority to God Himself, and worthy of worship. 

Only one being other than God commands worship. 

"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?  6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." Hebrews 1:5,6

God has commanded all the angels to worship His Son, the firstbegotten, for he was "made so much better than the angels...by inheritance" Hebrews 1:4.

Now, let's examine Michael the archangel.

“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 9

The archangel is Michael. Michael is not an archangel, one of several; he is the archangel, the only archangel. It is important to note that archangel is made up of two words: 

                        •  Arch, meaning chief, ruler, captain
                        •  Angel, meaning messenger

The name Michael means “who is like God”, so the phrase “Michael the archangel” means ‘the chief captain of the angels who is like God’. 

In Jude 9, we find Michael contending with the devil when he was about to raise Moses from the dead.  Satan is the one who “had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14), and Jesus Christ is the One that has “the keys of hell and of death” Revelation 1:18.   Christ alone is “the resurrection and the life”  John 11:25. It is “the voice of the Son of God” that raises the dead. John 5:25.

Thus, Jude 9 shows us that Michael is none other than Jesus Christ, because Jesus is the only One who has the right and the power to raise the dead, those who are the prisoners of Satan. 

"For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth [them];
even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." John 5:21  

If Michael is Jesus, why did He say, “the Lord rebuke thee”?   Why did He not rebuke the devil himself?
We find the answer to these questions in Zechariah 3:1, 2.  

“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?”  

As you can see, Zechariah tells us “the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee”. Here we see two Beings called the LORD.   The first “LORD” (Jesus) refrained from rebuking Satan, and instead referred him to the “LORD” (the Father).

It is understandable for the Angel of the LORD, the “Captain of the hosts of the Lord,” who is Jesus Christ the Son of God, to simply let His Father rebuke Satan in Zechariah 3, because this was his practice as Michael when he had to deal with Satan’s objection to resurrecting Moses.

Another verse that sheds more light on the identity of Michael is found in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians: 

“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.  

In this verse Paul tells us that the dead in Christ will rise when they hear the voice or shout of Michael the archangel.   

In John 5:25 Jesus Yeshua Messiah tells us that the dead will rise when they hear the voice of the Son of God. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”      

From these two verses we conclude that the shout, or voice of the archangel, spoken of by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, is none other than the voice of the Son of God. Based on this Biblical evidence, it is very clear that Michael the archangel is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who will raise the dead with His voice. 

Furthermore, the Bible tells us in Daniel 12:1 that Michael the great prince is the One who stands for His people in the time of trouble that precedes the second coming of Christ.  

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands 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.” Daniel 12:1

It is Jesus (Michael, the great prince) who will stand up for God’s people. Jesus has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5; Matt 28:20); His promise extends to all eternity, especially during the “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation”.  

Michael stands up to mark the end of probationary time, the end of judgment. This will be the final end of judgment for the world. An end of judgment for the Jewish nation came at the end of the 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9. The final 70th week was marked by two judgment events. In the midst of the week, after 3 1/2 years of confirming the covenant with many (verse 27), Messiah was cut off and "sacrifice and oblation" ceased with the sacrifice of himself. Then was "the judgment of this world" and "the prince of this world cast out" (John 12:31).

After a second 3 1/2 years, when the covenant was "confirmed unto us by them that heard [him]" (Heb 2:3), Stephen was cut off, stoned as the first Christian martyr. To mark the end of the 70 weeks that were "determined upon thy people" ("cut off" margin), Stephen looked up and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God signifying the end of the Jewish nation’s determined time (Daniel 9:24). At the time of the end Michael will stand up to signal the end of time for this world.

The Son of God is the only Being called an angel in the entire universe who can be worshiped.  But the Son of God is not just an angel, even as he was not just a man when he appeared on earth in the fullness of time as the Son of man. He alone holds the title ‘who is like God’, because the Scriptures tell us He was begotten in the express image of the Father.  

“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” Hebrews 1:3,4

Jesus is the only Being who is the express image of the Father's person.  Nowhere in the Scriptures do we find any other Being described as the “express image” of God the Father. 

Michael is the name that Jesus, the Son of God, had before He was incarnated. He was the Prince of heaven, and Satan was jealous:

 “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. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Revelation 12: 8-11

 Here are some of Christ’s names that pertain to the topic we are studying: 

The Angel of Jehovah
Genesis 22:11.  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham

Repeating a person's name is a signature characteristic of Christ the Messiah. He is most known for his frequent introductory phrase, 'Verily, verily." But he also said, "Martha, Martha" (Luke 10:41), "Simon, Simon" (Luke 22:31), "Eli, Eli" (Matthew 27:46), "Saul, Saul" (Acts 9:4), "Jerusalem, Jerusalem" (Matthew 23:37).

Exodus 3:2  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush
v. 4: God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses

Here again the angel of the LORD employs this repeated name so characteristic of Christ. This happened with several other theophanies.  "Jacob, Jacob" (Genesis 46:2), "Samuel, Samuel" (1 Samuel 3:10).

Gen 22:15,16 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son

The angel of the LORD (YHWH, Jehovah) speaks for the LORD, on behalf of his Father.
The angel of the LORD spoke to Hagar:

Gen 16:7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness
Gen 16:9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress
Gen 16:10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed 
Gen 16:11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child

But look what Hagar says,

Gen 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me

The Angel of God

The angel of God spoke to Jacob.

Gen 31:11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob
Gen 31:13 I am the God of Bethel

Later Jacob wrestled with him.

Gen 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him
Gen 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for *I have seen God face to face"
Hosea 12:4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed

There is only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus - 1 Timothy 2:5
He is also the angel of God, the archangel, the God of Bethel.

Exodus 14:19.  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:  

This verse tells us that the angel of God, the angel of the LORD, was in the cloud that led the camp of Israel through the wilderness (see Numbers 9:16-2).

The Angel of His Presence
Isaiah 63:9.  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.  

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.  

Messiah, the Anointed One, "carried them all the days of old" as they traveled through the wilderness, leading them in the cloud, giving them water from the Rock, feeding them manna, bread from heaven. He saved them and redeemed them; he was their Saviour and Redeemer.  Jacob called him "The Angel which redeemed me from all evil" Gen 48:16. 

Exodus 23:20,21   Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name [is] in him.  

Jesus said, "I am come in my Father's name" (John 5:43)
He has by inheritance received a name greater than the angels (Heb 1:4).
Therefore God has...given him a name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9).

Just because the Bible calls Jesus “the angel of God” does not make Him just an angel. Angel means messenger. In Hebrew the word is "malak." This same word is used in the book of Malachi "my messenger." Messiah is here called "the messenger (malak, angel) of the covenant", "the Lord whom you seek" (Malachi 3:1). “Michael the archangel” is simply another description of Jesus, the Lord.  He is not only referred to as “the Angel of God”, but also as “the captain of the host” (of the angels) and “Michael the Archangel”.

The Bible clearly reveals the identity of Michael. He is Jesus, the One who is like God;  the One who is the express image of God;  and the One who has the form of God (Phil 2:6) and none other than Jesus Christ our Lord. 

King Nebuchadnezzar "answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" Dan 3:25.  Mishael, Hananiah and Azariah walked in the fiery furnace with Jesus Yeshua Michael Messiah the Anointed Son of God.

Now notice what the king says.

Dan 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him,

The Son of God is the Angel of God, the Sent of God, His Messenger, His Mediator, His Servant (Isaiah 42:1), His Fellow (Zechariah 13:7), His Word.

The angel Gabriel (who stands in the presence of God, Luke 1:19) told Daniel,

I will show 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.  Dan 10:21 

Who is the Prince?

Dan 8:11  he magnified himself even to the prince of the host
[the captain of the LORD's host]
Dan 8:25  he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes
Dan 9:27  the Messiah the Prince
Dan 11:22  and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant
Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince
Act 3:15 And killed the Prince of life
Isiah 9:6  the Prince of peace
Rev 1:5 Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth