Is Jesus Christ the Archangel Michael?

Is Jesus Christ the Archangel Michael?

Nearly every theological heresy begins with the misconception of the nature of God and the Jehovah’s Witnesses are no exception. One of the false teachings propagated by the Watchtower Society is that Jesus Christ, before His incarnation was Michael the archangel.

In other words, they teach that Jesus, the first Being created by Jehovah, was Michael in His prehuman state, then became a perfect human being while on earth, died and returned to heaven as Michael the archangel.

“there is Scriptural evidence for concluding that Michael was the name of Jesus Christ before he left heaven and after his return.” The Watchtower May 15, 1969, p. 307

“‘Michael the great prince’ is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.” The Watchtower December 15, 1984, p. 29

“By retaining the name Jesus after his resurrection (Acts 9:5), the ‘Word’ shows that he is identical with the Son of God on earth. His resuming his heavenly name Michael and his title (or, name) ‘The Word of God’ (Rev. 19:13) ties him in with his prehuman existence.” Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 1152

Scriptures relating to Michael:

Daniel 10:13 says,

“Michael, one of the chief

princes, came to help me,

for I had been left alone

there with the Kings of Persia.”

Biblical point being made:

Michael is only one of several

other “chief princes.” He is not unique.

Is this Jesus Christ:

Jesus is never called “Chief

Prince” in the Bible. It is not

one of His titles. However,

He is called “King of kings” and “Lord of lords”

Scriptures relating to Michael:

Daniel 10:21 says, “But I

will tell you what is noted in

the Scripture of Truth. (No

one upholds me against

these, except Michael your

prince.”

Biblical point being made:

Michael is portrayed as "your prince" - that is, the "prince" for the exiled nation of Israel,

who fights for them. This battle is between angelic forces.

Is this Jesus Christ:

Jesus does have angelic forces with Him when He fights (Matt. 25:31), but He is never referred

to as the "Prince" of these forces,

rather He is identified as " the King" (Matt. 25:34, 40)

Scriptures relating to Michael:

Daniel 12:1 says, "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince

who stands watch over the sons of your people"

Biblical point being made:

Michael is here portrayed as a " great prince" - who stands guard

over Israel-obviously a guardian angel.

Is this Jesus Christ:

Jesus is never called a "great prince" in the Bible, nor a guardian.

Scriptures relating to Michael:

1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, " The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,

with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God,

and the dead in Christ will rise first."

Biblical point being made:

The Lord Himself descends.

"with" shouting
"with" the voice of the archangel
"with" the trumpet of God.

Is this Jesus Christ:

The Lord Jesus is identified.

All things are "with" Christ:" a shout,"

" the voice of the archangel," and "the trumpet of God."

If this verse is saying that Jesus is an archangel because

the voice of the archangel is with Him, then we must also say

that Jesus is "a shout," and "a trumpet"!

Scriptures relating to Michael:

Jude 9 says, " 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!"

Biblical point being made:

Michael is an archangel. The New American Standard Concordance, p.1636, list the meaning of "archangel" as a "chief angel" This agrees with Daniel 10:13.
Michael did not dare to rebuke satan.
Michael spoke of "the Lord" (Kurios in Greek) rebuking satan.

Is this Jesus Christ:

Jesus is not a "Chief angel", nor is He a "chief over the angels."
Whereas Michael did not have the power to rebuke the devil, Jesus rebuked him many times (Matt. 17:18 ; Mark 9:25 ; etc.) Therefore Jesus is not Michael.
Michael referred to "the Lord" as seperate from himself. "The Lord" is a New Testament reference to Jesus and an old testament reference to YHWH.

Where in the Daniel 10 and 12 verses are there any explicit statements that Michael is Jesus Christ?

If Jesus Christ is the first and highest of all created beings, as the Watchtower Society teaches, and if Jesus was Michael in His prehuman state, then why is Michael called “one of the chief princes” in Daniel 10:13?

Hebrews 1:5, 6 says, “For to which of the angels did [God] ever say: ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten you’? And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son’? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’”

If no angel can be called God’s son and if Jesus is in fact the Son of God (Matthew 8:29; 14:33; 26:63-64; 27:43, 54; Mark 1:1; 3:11; 15:39), then doesn’t this prove that Jesus cannot be the archangel Michael?

Is Jesus Christ the Archangel Michael?

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Doesn’t this verse mean that Jesus could not have been Michael in His prehuman state, and then became a perfect human being while on earth, died and returned to heaven as Michael the archangel?

1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

To interpret Scripture consistently, if Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that this verse proves that Jesus is Michael because of the “voice of the archangel”, then, again, to be consistent, doesn’t it also prove that Jesus is God because of the “trumpet of God”?

In order to demonstrate that Jesus was a created being, i.e., the archangel Michael, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society try to use Colossians 1:15 as their proof text.

Colossians 1:15 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

The word firstborn [Greek: prototokos] means “pre-eminent or first in rank”. In Hebrew culture, the “firstborn” was the son in the family who was in the pre-eminent position and not necessarily the one chronologically born first.

For example, in Genesis 41:50-51, Ephraim was physically born after Manasseh yet Ephraim was the “firstborn” or pre-eminent according to Jeremiah 31:9

Again, David was the last child born to Jesse (1 Samuel 16:10-11) but God says in Psalm 89:20, 27 that He “will make him My firstborn”, in other words, His pre-eminent.

The word protoktisis means “first created” but that word is never used of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

Why would Paul not use the very specific word protoktisis meaning “first created” when referring to Jesus Christ to bolster the Watchtower position?

Why would Paul use the very specific word prototokos meaning “foremost, pre-eminent or first in rank” when referring to Jesus Christ?

An apt example would be the word prime [Latin: primus] meaning “first”. The Prime Minister is not the “first minister” in England but he is the most pre-eminent in position or the first in rank.

Is Jesus Christ the Archangel Michael?

Conclusion

Obviously, in order for the Jehovah’s Witnesses to claim that Jesus Christ is Michael the archangel means they are guilty of “eisegesis” or “reading into” the Scriptures instead of “exegesis” or “taking or drawing out” the meaning from the text.

Angels are created beings and are therefore not to be worshipped (Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9). The Bible says that only God is to be worshipped yet time and time again we see Jesus being worshipped in the New Testament (Matthew 2:11; 8:2; 9:18; 15:25; 28:9; 28:17; John 9:38; 20:28; Hebrews 1:6) and these people are never rebuked by Jesus – you have to ask yourself why?

Even the apostle Thomas who called Jesus, “The Lord of me and the God of me” was not rebuked by Jesus but was instead commended when Jesus replied “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:28)

Perhaps the best proof text to demonstrate that Michael the Archangel and Jesus are not the same person is found in Jude 9. The Lord Jesus would not have to call on the name of anyone else in order to rebuke the devil because the Lord Jesus is God in flesh. However, we see that Michael the Archangel said, "The Lord rebuke you," thereby demonstrating that he is not the Lord.

Jesus Christ, we must conclude from the Scriptures, is not the archangel Michael and thus we end with our first premise that nearly every theological heresy begins with the misconception of the nature of God and the Jehovah’s Witnesses are no exception.

WHO IS JESUS?
Numerous titles and attributes of Jehovah found in the Hebrew Scriptures are applied directly to Jesus in the Christian Greek Scriptures.

Jehovah knows “all things.” (1 John 3:20; Psalm 147:5) Jesus knows “all things.” (John 16:30)

Jehovah is the only one who knows the hearts of all men. (1 Kings 8:39; Jeremiah 17:9-10) Jesus knows the hearts of all men. (John 2:24-25; Rev. 2:18, 23)

Jehovah is our sanctifier. (Exodus 31:13) Jesus sanctifies us. (Hebrews 10:10)

Jehovah is our peace. (Judges 6:23) Jesus is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14)

Jehovah is our righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:6) Jesus is our righteousness. ( 1 Corinthians 1:30)

Jehovah is our healer. (Exodus 15:26) Jesus heals us. (Acts 9:34)
Jehovah God dwells in us. (2 Corinthians 6:16) Jesus is in us. (Romans 8:10)2.
Jehovah is the giver of life who will not allow His people to be “snatched” out of His hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39) Jesus is the giver of life who will not allow His people to be “snatched” out of His hand. (John 10:28)
Jehovah’s voice is “like the roar of rushing waters.” (Ezekiel 43:2) Jesus’ “voice was like the sound of rushing waters.” (Revelation 1:15)
Jehovah is present everywhere. (Proverbs 15:3; Jeremiah 23:24; I Kings 8:27) Jesus is omnipresent. (John 1:48; Matthew 18:20; 28:20)
Jehovah’s nature does not change. (Malachi 3:6) Jesus’ nature does not change. (Hebrews 13:8)3.
Jehovah is the only God we are to “serve.”
(2 Kings 17:35) Jesus is to be served. (Col. 3:24)
Jehovah is the only God to be “worshipped.” (Exodus 34:14) Jesus receives the same honor and “worship” that the Father receives. (John 5:23; Revelation 5:11-14 compare with Rev. 4:10-11)4.No angel can receive “worship.” (Revelation 22:8-9)
Jehovah the Lord is to be set apart as holy. (Isaiah 8:12b-13) Jesus as Jehovah is to be set apart as holy. (1 Peter 3:14b-15a)5.
Jehovah’s glory is not to be given to another.
(Isaiah 42:8) Jesus shares Jehovah’s glory. (Jn. 17:5)
God’s name is Jehovah (or Yahweh–YHWH). (Isaiah 42:8) Jesus has Jehovah’s name. (John 17:11; John 16:14-15)
Jehovah is the only God to be mentioned in prayer. (Exodus 23:13) Christians are to pray to Jesus.6.
(John 14:14)
Calling upon Jehovah (Joel 2:32) is the same as calling upon Jesus. (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:9-13)7.
Jehovah “the true God” is called “eternal life.” (1 John 5:20) Jesus is called “the eternal life.” (1 John 1:2)
Jehovah is the “mighty God.” (Jeremiah 32:17-18; Isaiah 10:20-21) Jesus is the “mighty God”
(Isaiah 9:6) who is “Almighty.” (Revelation 1:7-8)8. THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD. (1 Timothy 1:17; Isaiah 44:8)
Jehovah is an “everlasting light.” (Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 60:19-20) Jesus is the light of men and the everlasting light of the future city. (John 1:4-9; Revelation 21:23)
Jehovah is “the first and the last.” (Isaiah 44:6; 48:12) Jesus is the “first and the last.”
(Revelation 1:17-18; 22:12-13, 20)
Jehovah is the “Alpha and the Omega.” (Revelation 1:8; Revelation 21:6-7) Jesus is the “Alpha and the Omega.” (Revelation 22:12-13, 20)
Jehovah’s title is “the Holy One.” (Isaiah 47:4) Jesus is “the Holy One.” (Acts 3:14; John 6:69)
Jehovah is the “stumbling stone” of Israel.
(Isaiah 8:13-15) Jesus is the “stumbling stone” of Israel. (1 Peter 2:6-8)
John the Baptist was to prepare the way for Jehovah. (Isaiah 40:3) The Jehovah who came was Jesus.
(Mark 1:1-4; John 1:6-7, 23)
Jehovah is the one who was “pierced.” (Zechariah 12:10)9. Jesus is the pierced Jehovah. (John 19:34; Revelation 1:7-8)
The Jehovah who was sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:13) is Jesus. (Matthew 27:2-6)
Jehovah is Lord of the elements. (Psalm 89:8-9) Jesus is Lord of the elements. (Matthew 8:26-27; John 2:7-9)
Jehovah is the great Judge who gives life to whom he wishes and who renders to each man “according” to his “deeds.” (Psalm 98:9; Deuteronomy 32:39; Jeremiah 17:9-10) Jesus is the only judge who gives life to whom he wishes and renders to each man “according” to his “deeds.” (John 5:21-22; Revelation 2:18, 23)
Jehovah is the only one who can forgive sins. (Mark 2:7; Daniel 9:9) Jesus forgives sins. (Mark 2:10-11; Luke 24:46-47)
Jehovah is the great “shepherd” who leads his people to “the spring of the water of life.” (Psalm 23:1-2; Revelation 21:6-7) Jesus as the “shepherd” of His people, leads them “to springs of the water of life.” (John 10:11-18; Revelation 7:17) THERE IS ONLY ONE SHEPHERD –John 10:16.
Jehovah is “Lord of Lords.” (Deuteronomy 10:17) Jesus is “Lord of Lords.” (Revelation 17:14; 19:16) The Father is Lord of all. (Matthew 11:25;
Acts 17:24) Jesus is “Lord of all.” (Acts 10:36) THERE IS ONLY ONE LORD. (Jude 4)
Jehovah is the Savior. (Isaiah 45:21-22) Jesus is the Savior. (Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1) THERE IS ONLY ONE SAVIOR. (Isaiah 43:11)
Jehovah created the universe. (Psalm 102:25-27) Jesus created the universe. (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-19;10. Hebrews 1:10-12).11. THERE IS ONLY ONE CREATOR. (Isaiah 44:24)
Isaiah saw Jehovah. (Isaiah 6:1-5) The Jehovah that Isaiah saw was Jesus. (John 12:41)

Could it be that Jehovah gave Jesus all these qualities, and therefore, Jesus is a “lesser God” under Jehovah? No! For Jehovah declares:

“For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me.”—Isaiah 46:9

“You are My witnesses…Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.…there is no savior besides Me.”—Isaiah 43:10-11

Jesus
Michael
Authority to rebuke Satan: Mark 8:33
Cannot rebuke Satan: Jude 9
Exclusively God’s Son: Hebrews 1:5
Has an inferior name: Hebrews 1:4
Receives worship and God’s future Kingdom: Hebrews 1:6; Matthew 28:17-18
Rejects worship; Not given God’s Kingdom: Revelation 22:8-9; Hebrews 2:5