Regarding Insults

Too often there is hatred, insulting, and vitriol in theological debates online. We are not Christ, who was given authority to judge the hearts of men. (Jn. 5:22-30) Nor are we a prophet speaking by divine revelation to a group of serial-murdering Ba'al prophets. (1 Kings 18) 

We are instead a mortal humans professing to be Christian and there are specific commands for how Christians should act when defending their faith, "with meekness and fear," (1Pet. 3:15) "a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Col. 3:12).

"The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." — 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Sarcastic and bitter quips are not 'being gentle towards all'. If someone is incapable of having a civil discussion then there is no point in having a dialogue with them about Christ. 

Monolatry

There are many instances in the Hebrew Bible where the plural אֱלֹהִים is used with reference to individual persons, such as Solomon, (Psa. 45:6) Dagon, (1Sam. 5:7) and Marduk, (Dan. 1:2) in which cases there is no hint of a plurality of persons within the figures mentioned. Aside from the majestic plural just described, אֱלֹהִים may also signify a plurality of spirit-beings such as angels, or generally persons in authority, As in Exod. 22:28; cf. Acts 23:5 and also Deut. 5:7; 6:14; 8:19; 10:17; Psa. 82:1, 6; 136:2; 138:1. and Harris listed many applications of the noun אל to creatures as follows,

Murray J. Harris: “Human rulers or judges, regarded as divine representatives or as bearers of divine authority and majesty (Exod. 21:6; 22:8 (cf. 1 Sam. 2:25); Judg. 5:8; Psalm 82:1, 6) b. Spiritual or heavenly beings, including God (Gen. 1:27) and angels (Psalm 8:6 (Engl. V. 5)) (...) (Ps. 97:7; 138:1 (95:3)) d. Heathen gods with their images (Exod. 20:23; Jer. 16:20) (...) both אל, (meaning ‘god’) and אֱלֹהִים (meaning ‘gods’), have extended or ‘irregular’ applications to angels or to persons who represent on earth divine power, judgment, or majesty.” —  Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1992), p. 24, 26.

Harris documented, there are many occasions in the Old Testament where Israelite prophets, kings, judges, and the like are called “god(s).” (Gen. 23:6; Exod. 7:1; 15:11; 18:11; 21:6; 22:8; Deut. 10:17; Josh. 22:22; Psa. 8:5; 82:1, 6; 97:7; 138:1.) In other words, the Biblical terms translated “god(s)” might be used as honorific titles, to signify "divine representatives or as bearers of divine authority and majesty." (M. Harris, Jesus as God, p. 24.) There is also a more specific application of the term, the prophet David wrote that humankind was “made a little lower than God,” (NASB.) or more properly rendered “lower than gods.” (Psa. 8:5, ERV) These “gods” mentioned by David, are identified as “angels” by Paul when he quotes the passage as “a little lower than the angels.” (Heb. 2:9) Therefore, in reference to their nature, David called angels “gods.” The term “gods” has an ontological connotation in Psa. 8:5, because it is put in contrast with human nature, and it means something akin to “spirits,” “spiritual beings,” or “godlike beings.” 

Philo of Alexandria a prominent representative of Hellenistic Judaism in the first century who Eusebius calls the ambassador of the Jews to the Roman government, wrote various commentaries on the Torah. Philo discussed the extended use of θεός and equivalent terms in the Greek versions of the Old Testament. Three citations are of particular interest here: 

“Has he [Moses] not also enjoyed an even greater communion with the Father and Creator of the universe, being thought unworthy of being called by the same appellation? For he was also called the god and king of the whole nation [Exod. 4:16; Deut. 33:5].” — De Vita Mosis 1.158. 

“And any one must be content to whom it has been allowed to use the privilege of blessing. And to be able also to procure good for others belongs to a greater and more perfect soul, and is the profession of one who is really inspired by God, which he who has attained to may reasonably be called God.” — De Mutatione Nominum 128. 

“There is one true God only: but they who are called Gods, by an abuse of language, are numerous; on which account the holy scripture on the present occasion indicates that it is the true God that is meant by the use of the article, the expression being, "I am the God (ὁ Θεός);" but when the word is used incorrectly, it is put without the article, the expression being, "He who  was seen by thee in the place," not of the God (του̃ Θεου̃), but simply "of God" (Θεου̃); and what he here calls God is his most ancient Word (λογός), not having any superstitious regard to the position of the names, but only proposing one end to himself, namely, to give a true account of the matter; for in other passages the sacred historian, when he considered whether there really was any name belonging to the living God, showed that he knew that there was none properly belonging to him; but that whatever appellation any one may give him, will be an abuse of terms; for the living God is not of a nature to be described, but only to be.” — De Somniis 1.229-1.230.

Psa. 97:7 exhorts “Worship him, all you gods,” and here as well, these “gods” are identified by angels when this passage is quoted by Paul, in Heb. 1:6 “all God's angels worship him.” (It is also worthwhile to compare Heb. 1:6 with the Septuagint of Psa. 97:7 (96:7), from which it is obvious that both the author of Hebrews and the LXX translators understood these “gods” to be angels.) Modern readers are often unaware of this usage of the term “god(s)” and if it were commonly known it would do away with a great deal of confusion. 

Edward Burton: "The Arians professed to believe that Jesus Christ is God: they even called him very God of very God: but then they used the term God in a different sense, when applied to the Son, from what it bears, when applied to the Father. They believed that there was a time, when the Son did not exist: they believed him to have been created by the Father: and by this twofold meaning of the term God, they avoided the charge of holding a plurality of Gods."  — Testimonies of the Ante-Nicene Fathers to the Doctrine of the Trinity and of the Divinity of the Holy Ghost (England: Oxford University Press, 1831, p. iv.

 

The Arians indulged in this ambiguity in their arguments. According to most translations, angels are referred to as “Sons of God” five times in the Hebrew Bible, (Gen. 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7.) and this language has more significance than identifying Jehovah God as the Father of the angels by virtue of his being their creator, Gesenius explained,

“There is another use of בֶן־ or בְנֵי to denote membership in a guild or society (or of a tribe, and any definite class). Thus בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ (commonly translated ‘sons of God’) Gn 6:2, 4, Jb 1:6, 2:1, 38:8 (...) properly means not sons of god(s) but beings of the class of אֱלֹהִים֙ (gods).” — W. Gesenius, Hebrew Grammar, p. 428.

This conclusion of Gesenius is supported by comparing these passages in the Hebrew Bible with the Septuagint, (The Septuagint or LXX is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible which was composed sometime during the reign of Ptolemy by Jewish scholars. The purpose of the translation was to provide a version of the Hebrew Bible that Greek-speaking Proselytes could readily understand. Hebrew was nearly a dead language by the time of the apostles, and it was necessary for the Jews to have a Greek translation of their scriptures. The Septuagint is the translation of the Scriptures that the apostles quote most frequently in their writings, around seventy percent of the time they have preferred the Septuagint over other translations of the Hebrew Bible. The “Septuagint” in so named because the extant historical accounts attribute the translation to seventy Jewish scholars, the Latin numeral for seventy is septuaginta, which is represented as LXX in Roman numerals.) where these “gods” or “sons of God” are often said to be “angels (ἄγγελοι (an·gel·oi)).” (Gen. 6:4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Psa. 8:5; 97:7 (96:7).) Of further interest are occurrences in which the term generally signifies power, even being applied to inanimate objects or abstract nouns. (Gen. 30:8; 31:29; 1Sam. 14:15; Ezek. 32:21; Psa. 36:6.) In the Greek tradition, θεὸς (the·os) had a broad application, to Zeus, (Herodotus, The Histories, II, 13, § 3.) his blood-descendants, (Herod., Hist.., II., 7, § 1; 43, § 1, 2, 3, 4.) pagan deities in general, (Homer, The Iliad, I., Line 544.) and exalted or deified humans. (Herod., Hist., I., 65, § 3.

“Whether one examines the Jewish or the Gentile use of the term θεὸς up to the end of the first century A.D., there is an occasional application of the term to human beings who perform divine functions or display divine characteristics.” — Murray J. Harris, Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1992, p. 270.

In light of these facts, it is clear that New Testament authors and their contemporaries in Judaism took no issue calling righteous creatures “god” or “gods,” in the sense of their being divine representatives, or spiritual beings, Parkhurst commented that θεὸς is “applied personally” and “spoken of magistrates. John x. 34, 35. Comp. Ps. lxxxii. 6.” (John Parkhurst, A Greek and English Lexicon to the New Testament (London: Printed by Thomas Davison, Whitefriars, 1829), p. 300.) 

Glory of an Only-Begotten

 

"The Evangelist will have had in mind the glory of the Christ which the witnesses saw in the signs he performed (e.g., 2:11), in his being lifted up on the cross (19:35), and in the Easter resurrection (20:24–29). It was a revelation of glory such as could proceed alone from the “μονογενής from the Father,” – Beasley-Murray, George R. (Word Biblical Commentary 36, 2002), p. 14.

The glory of the Messiah motivated the words of Isaiah 53:1. There is mention of glory δοξα in the LXX of the suffering servant song Isa. 52:14 which is perhaps the reference of John 12:41 otherwise it is Isaiah 6:1-8 which also uses the term. 

To the Father is reserved the title "God of peace" (Rom. 15:33; 16:20; Phil. 4:9; 1Thess. 5:23; Heb. 13:20) while Jesus Christ is the "Lord of peace." (2Thess. 3:16) Similarly, the Father is the "God of glory" (Ps. 29:3; Ac. 7:2) The Son is the "Lord of glory." (1 Cor. 2:7) The Son is typically Lord and the Father is typically God per 1 Cor. 8:6. The Son reflecting the glory of the Father.  

Michael the Archangel

Many Protestant scholars have identified Jesus Christ with Michael the Archangel, without seeing any contradiction between this affirmation and the doctrine of the Trinity, among them, Calvin,  [John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Daniel, Lecture Sixty-Five.]  Wesley, [John Wesley, Explanatory Notes, On Daniel 12:1.]  Spurgeon, [Charles Spurgeon, Sermon: The Angelic Life, Nov. 22, 1868.]  and Lange. [John Peter Lange, Lange's Commentary (1874), on Rev. 12:1-12.]  The commentary of the popular Geneva Bible (1599) as well commented that many statements given in the book of Daniel are possible indicators of identity between Michael and Jesus Christ.  Interestingly the first century Jewish author Philo taught that the divine Word was an “archangel,”

"And even if there be not as yet any one worthy to be called a son of God, nevertheless let him labor earnestly to be adorned according to his first-born Word, the eldest of his angels, and the great archangel of many names, for he is called, the authority, and the name of God, and the Word, and man according to God's image and he who sees Israel." (De confusione linguarum 1:145)

 

The title “archangel” (ἀρχαγγέλος) means “chief angel” or “chief of the angels,” and is associated only with Michael, and Jesus Christ. Michael is explicitly called “the archangel,” (Jude 1:9) and in the absence of any scriptural references to “archangels” in the plural, the use of the definite article, “the archangel”, suggests that Michael is the only archangel. In the Deuterocanon and the DSS there are multiple archangels. There is no reason to assume Paul thought there was only one archangel. The prophet Daniel also closely associates the actions of Michael with resurrection,

 

“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” (Dan. 12:1-2)

 

Here the archangel is associated with resurrection and judgment. He is also described as the “great prince” who guards the people of God. This passage from Daniel greatly impressed Calvin, who wrote in his lectures,

 

“As we stated yesterday, Michael may mean an angel; but I embrace the opinion of those who refer this to the person of Christ, because it suits the subject best to represent him as standing forward for the defense of his elect people.” [John Calvin, Commentary on Daniel, Vol. II. (1561), Chapter 12, Lecture 65.]

 

Michael the archangel is named mentioned first in Daniel 10:13 which describes him as “one of the chief princes.” Later in Dan. 10:20 a demon is called as “the prince of Persia,” and another demon is called “the prince of Greece.” This is the most powerful evidence for the authenticity of Deut. 32:8 as it is recorded in the LXX, “When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.” Likewise, the DSS reads that God “set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the gods.” According to this passage, after the event at Babel described in Gen. 11:7 the nations of mankind were each given an angelic overseer, and each of these “princes” evidently rebelled with the exception of Michael, who is said to the Prince of Israel. (Dan. 10:21; 12:1) There are also texts in the New Testament which clearly give Christ the title “angel,” Gieschen wrote the following,

 

“Although “angel” is not a significant title of Christ in the NT, neither is it without some overt use; see Gal. 4.14; Rev 10.1; 14.14-15; 20.1. … Galatians 4.14 is the one place in the Pauline corpus where there is an overt reference to Jesus as God’s Angel. There Paul makes the curious claim that the Christians he had visited and now is writing to had welcomed him “as God’s Angel, as Christ Jesus.” [Charles Gieschen, Angelomorphic Christology: Antecedents & Early Evidence (Netherlands: Koninklyke Brill, 1998), pp. 4, 315.]

 

The Father often uses righteous spirit creatures to interact with his people. The same is true for the Hebrew equivalent, מַלְאַ֧ךְ is used throughout the Hebrew Bible with the same significance, for this reason Hilary wrote, “The title of Angel informs us of His office, not of His nature. I have prophetic evidence for this explanation; Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire." [Hilary, On the Trinity, V. §11.] These serving spirits are often called “angels” in scripture, the English word “angel” is derived from the Greek ἀγγέλος and means “messenger, envoy, one sent.” [Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, Neva F. Mille, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Canada: Trafford Publishing, 2005), pp. 31.]