Question from a reader:

I have a question regarding your powerful book Safely Home. You mentioned a line, indicating to me that you believe Michael the Archangel has a twin, Satan:

At the Lion’s nod, Michael raised his mighty sword and brought it down upon the great dragon. His muscles bulging at the strain, Michael picked up his evil twin and cast the writhing beast into a great pit. The mauler of men, the hunter of women, the predator of children, the persecutor of the righteous shrieked in terror. The vast army of heaven’s warriors cheered.

This is concerning, as angels in the Bible do not have brothers. Did I misunderstand your terminology? Please clarify. Thank you!

Answer from Randy Alcorn:

I was not speaking literally. As you point out, angels are not biological humans. “Twins” simply means an equal opposite in this case. Lucifer was the highest of God’s created angels, and because Michael took over in his absence, he would be perhaps the second highest. But now they would be equal opposites: Lucifer, head of the evil angels and Michael head of the righteous angels. This is what I mean when I say twin. 

Here is the first and second dictionary definition of twin. Note that the second definition is just as legitimate as the first, even if it is not as common:

1: either of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy

2: one of two persons or things closely related to or resembling each other

In the same sense, there are many people I routinely call brother, and others I call sister. With only two exceptions, I am not talking about a literal sister or brother; rather, I am talking about a brother or sister in Christ. The use of twin in the figurative sense is similar—it is not referring to biology, but resemblance.

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