4- Is Jesus the Archangel Michael?
"Because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first." (1 Thessalonians 4:16, NWT)
Jehovah's Witnesses understand this Bible passage to mean that the Lord Jesus himself speaks with the voice of an archangel, i.e. that he is an archangel. In fact the name of the archangel Michael means "Who is like God?", and this is interpreted as further confirmation, as well as Revelation 12:7:
"And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled."
The Watchtower taught about Jesus' identity:
"Is this Michael the resurrected, glorified and enthroned Jesus Christ? Yes. [...]
"Before 2 B.C. God’s only-begotten Son in heaven was called Michael, this name meaning “Who is like God?” [...]
"On earth it was not even hinted at that he had been Michael in heaven and “one of the chief princes.” [...]
"When he died as the man Jesus Christ and was resurrected and went back to heaven, what was his proper name? [...] He resumed his heavenly name Michael."
(Watchtower 1960 3/15 pp. 184-188)
"The Bible evidence unmistakably establishes that this heavenly prince Michael is God’s Son who descended from heaven to become the man Jesus Christ on earth and who returned to heaven after his resurrection from the dead and sat down at his heavenly Father’s right hand."
(Watchtower 1960 4/1 p. 217)
If Jesus really is the archangel Michael under a different name, clear biblical evidence must be found. This is important because "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". (Romans 10:13) Whoever calls on the false name ... will not be saved, but is in fact idolatrous.
Therefore, let us first clarify the question:
Is Jesus an Angel?
The Letter to the Hebrews answers this question so clearly that we would like to quote the entire chapter 1 here:
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;
they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,
like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”
And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrews chapter 1; ESV)
No angel is reported in the Bible to have created anything and "uphold all things by his powerful word".
No angel is said to have been appointed heir over all things.
No angel is said to be worshipped.
On the contrary: the Bible here calls upon ALL angels to worship Jesus.
And not only them, but "EVERY creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth and on the sea" should honour Jesus (the Lamb) just as much as his Father JHWH God. (Revelation 5:13)
Conclusion: Jesus is Not an Angel!
So he can't be the archangel Michael either.
Jesus is Not a Creature!
Jesus was not created, but was begotten and born out of God.
He is described in the Bible as the only-born, first-born (Greek "monogenes"). The expression also means: the only one of his kind, the only copy.
And What About the Archangels?
God's Word gives us insight into the heavenly order of spirit creatures. There are several archangels or "angel princes" of God, but also the demonic opposite side is similarly organised, because a "angel prince of the Persian Empire" is mentioned, who opposed God's angel and tried to stop him. Michael is described as one of the highest prince angels. (Daniel 10:13) So, there seem to be several high prince angels, and this is further proof that Jesus cannot be one of them because the Bible states that He is the only one of this nature, "monogenes".
Each of the angelic princes seems to have "his angels" among them, just as human armies are structured. Proof: "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, ..." (Revelation 12:12)
Archangel Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel with their angelsIn contrast, Revelation 19 announces that Jesus will not only lead one angelic army, but ALL the angelic armies of heaven in battle:
"...he is called by the name The Word of God. Also, the armies in heaven [plural !!] were following him on white horses, and they were clothed in white, clean, fine linen." (Revelation 19:13b, 14)
How do you think our mighty King Jesus Christ feels when he is wrongly identified and equated with the angelic prince Michael, one of his subordinates, whom he himself helped to create?
The archangel Michael is to Jesus what the chief of armies Joab was to King David.
And how is the above-mentioned verse from 1 Thessalonians 4 to be understood?
Compare for yourself how other Bible translations reproduce verse 16:
www.bibleserver.com
Here is a reproduction of the New International Reader´s Version:
"The Lord himself will come down from heaven.
- We will hear a loud command.
- We will hear the voice of the leader of the angels.
- We will hear a blast from God's trumpet. ..."
The three accompaniments to the descent of Christ will be the loud command, the voice of an angel prince and the trumpet of God, just as a herald announces the appearance of the King with shouts and trumpet blows – but the shouting herald is not the King himself!
Unbiased Bible reading thus shows that Jesus is not a creature, not an angel, nor the archangel Michael, but the only begotten Son of God, His image, the exact imprint of His nature.
This leads us right to the next question: "5- Is Jesus God?"