In this post, I am going to show a quick way of refuting the belief of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other Arians, that Jesus is the archangel Michael. I will be using the book of Hebrews to make my case against this false, heretical view.

According to the inspired author, Christ is the exact representation of God’s infinite Being:

“He is the reflection of God’s glory and the EXACT REPRESENTATION of his VERY BEING, and he sustains all things by the word OF HIS POWER. And after he had made a purification for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3 New World Translation (NWT)

Now compare that with the following Psalms:

“THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU AMONG THE GODS, O Jehovah, There are no works like yours. All the nations that you made Will come and bow down before you, O Jehovah, And they will give glory to your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; YOU ARE GOD, YOU ALONE.” Psalm 86:8-10 NWT

“The heavens praise your marvels, O Jehovah, Yes, your faithfulness in the congregation of the holy ones. For who in the skies can compare to Jehovah? WHO AMONG THE SONS OF GOD IS LIKE JEHOVAH? God is held in awe in the council of holy ones; He is grand and awe-inspiring to all who are around him. O Jehovah God of armies, Who is mighty like you, O Jah? Your faithfulness surrounds you.” Psalm 89:5-8 NWT

Since Jesus is said to be the EXACT representation of God’s infinite, uncreated Being, and since NONE of the heavenly beings resemble Jehovah, and not a single one of them can do the works that Jehovah does in the way Jehovah does them, nor are they capable of sustaining all things by the word of their power, this shows that Jesus cannot possibly be a mere spirit creature named Michael.

After all, Jehovah’s Being is uncreated and infinite. Moreover, characteristics such omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience are essential aspects of God’s very own Being. As such, no finite temporal creature can be the EXACT imprint/copy of Jehovah’s Being.

This is precisely why the Psalms plainly state that there is no god like Jah. And yet Jesus IS EXACTLY LIKE JEHOVAH, proving that he is no mere creature.

That’s not all. In Hebrews 1:6, the inspired writer cites Deuteronomy 32:43. Note what that specific verse says:

“And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let ALL God’s angels worship him.’” New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Pay careful attention to the fact that God commands ALL (not some, not most) of his angels to worship his Firstborn.

And here is the rendering of Deuteronomy 32:43 as reflected in the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) and the Greek version:

“Praise, O heavens, his people, worship him, ALL YOU GODS! For he will avenge the blood of his children, and take vengeance on his adversaries; he will repay those who hate him, and cleanse the land for his people.” NRSV

“Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let ALL the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.” LXX

Now this places the Arians in quite a dilemma.

Since the original context of this Old Testament citation is about the gods/angels of God worshiping Jehovah, which is then applied to Jesus in Hebrews, this means that Jesus CANNOT be a mere angelic creature, and therefore CANNOT be the archangel Michael.

Here is a break down of the logic behind my argument in order to bring out with the implication of these texts more clearly:

1. ALL the gods/angels of God are commanded to worship Jehovah.
2. Michael is one of these gods/sons of God, and is therefore included in this command to worship Jehovah.
3. Hebrews 1:6 applies this to the Son, meaning that it is the Son whom ALL the angels must worship.
4. Since the original context clearly affirms that Michael is among those commanded to worship Jehovah, this proves that Jesus IS NOT the archangel Michael, but must be the very God whom Michael and the rest of the host are commanded to worship.

Biblically, exegetically, there is simply no way of getting around the force of these texts.

In fact, this is precisely what Hebrews goes on to affirm, namely, that Jesus is Jehovah God Incarnate:

“But of the Son he says, ‘YOUR throne, O God (ho Theos), is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of YOUR kingdom.’… And, ‘In the beginning, Lord [the Son], YOU founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of YOUR hands; they will perish, but YOU remain; they will all wear out like clothing; like a cloak YOU will roll them up, and like clothing they will be changed. But YOU are the same, and YOUR years will never end.’” Hebrews 1:8a, 10–12 NRSV

Here, the author has taken the following Psalm, which glorifies Jehovah as the unchanging Creator and Sustainer of all creation,

“Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, And let my cry come unto thee… But thou, O Jehovah, wilt abide for ever; And thy memorial name unto all generations… Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same,” Psalm 102:1, 12, 25-27 American Standard Version (ASV)

And ascribed it to the Son! I.e., the inspired author has the Father himself glorifying the Son as the very Jehovah that David in Psalm 102 magnifies!

So much for the Arian claim that Christ is the archangel Michael.

Further Reading

Is Jesus Christ the Archangel Michael? (https://answeringislam.net/authors/shamoun/jesus_not_michael.html)

The Impossibility and Irrationality of the Arian Position (https://answeringislam.net/authors/shamoun/jesus_arians.html)

 

 

 

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