Most people don't know this, but Jehovah's witnesses don't believe that Jesus is God; they are not orthodox Trinitarian Christians. They are the spiritual descendants of the Arians, but they take Arian theology one step further. They believe Jesus to be Michael the Archangel. Here, I will try to prove that Jesus is God and reply to some common arguments against His divinity.
Jehovah's Witnesses back up their claim that Jesus is Michael the Archangel by quoting from 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Jude 9.
"For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16
"But when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" - Jude 9
They say that since Jesus will come "with the archangel's call" and that the word "archangel" is never used in the plural in the bible, then Jesus must be Michael the Archangel. First of all, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says AN archangel, not THE archangel, implying that there is more than one archangel. Secondly, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 should be interpreted as meaning that an archangel will announce Jesus' coming, not that Jesus Himself is an archangel.
Actually, the biblical evidence goes against the Jehovah's Witnesses.
"Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made 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 his Father, and he will be my 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 servants flames of fire.' But of the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter 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, 'In the beginning, Lord, 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.' But 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 not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" - Hebrews 1:1-14
This passage contains many insights as to the Son's superiority over the angels:
� "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." Not only is Jesus Himself superior to the angels (consequently, He cannot be Michael the Archangel), but His name is also superior to 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 his Father, and he will be my Son'?" None of the angels is God's Son.
� "Let all God's angels worship him." The angels worship Jesus. If Jesus were merely an angel, then God would be commanding them to commit idolatry.
� "But of the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever�" The Son is even called God!
� "In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands." Notice that Jesus is called "Lord." While this may not seem so important now, it will be in the next passage we look at.
"But when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" - Jude 9
Jehovah's Witnesses say that Jesus, or Michael the Archangel, created all other creatures and is superior to them. However, Michael does not dare "bring a condemnation of slander" against Satan. Why? Presumably because he is not powerful enough. If Michael is superior to all other creatures, then why would he not dare to rebuke Satan, a creature who is inferior to him? Next, Michael says, "The Lord rebuke you!" But, who is the Lord? Remember that quote from Hebrews 1:1-14 that I said would be important later on? Well, here's where it's important. Jesus is the Lord, and Michael calls upon the Lord to rebuke Satan.
Jehovah's Witnesses use a few verses to try and prove that Jesus is inferior to God.
"You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I." - John 14:28
"Jesus said to her, 'Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" - John 20:17
"But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 11:3
"When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all." - 1 Corinthians 15:28
At first glance, these verses may seem convincing; they seem to clearly state that Jesus is inferior to the Father. However, we must remember that Jesus is also equated with God in Scripture (we will look at these verses later on), so we must be able to harmonize these seemingly conflicting passages. Most Christians agree that to interpret vague or unclear Scripture passages, we should look to other, clearer passages for an explanation.
"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited�" - Philippians 2:5-6
Here, Paul tells us that Jesus, though God ("in the form of God"), did not boast about being divine. Being humble, it's not surprise that Jesus referred to Himself as seemingly less than God; Peter did the same in 1 Peter 5:1 (he calls himself an elder, even though he is more - he is an apostle).
Also, being the Head of the Trinity, the Father is "greater" than Jesus in the order of Divine Persons - He was begotten by the Father. However, this does not mean that the Father is superior to Jesus in essence. A human father begets a human son who, while inferior to him in position, is equal in essence; they are both equal as human beings. While this is not a 100% perfect analogy, it does get the point across.
A third explanation relies upon the Incarnation and Jesus' two natures. While Jesus' divine nature is equal to the Father, His human nature is created and inferior to the Father and His divine nature.
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;" - Colossians 1:15
According to Jehovah's Witnesses, this verse proves that Jesus was created, therefore proving that He is inferior to God. However, they miss a few important points when interpreting this passage. First, the Greek preposition translated as "of" (firstborn OF all creation) can also be translated as "over," which would render the passage "the firstborn OVER all creation," meaning that Jesus is above creation, not part of it. Secondly, the next two verses disprove the interpretation of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
"For in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together." - 1 Colossians 1:16-17
Jehovah's Witnesses say that after God created Jesus, Jesus created everything else, but this passage contradicts them. It says that Jesus created things, and Jesus is before all things. It even goes one step further to say that Jesus holds all things together.
Could Trinitarian Christians be right? Is Jesus REALLY God? Let's take a look at what the bible says.
I. What Jesus Said
� "Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am." - John 8:58
Here, Jesus identifies Himself with God by referring to Himself as "I am," which is the translation of Yahweh, the Old Testament name for God.
� "The Father and I are one." - John 10:30
II. What Others Said
� "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God." - John 1:1
� "For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the Sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God." - John 5:18
� "Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!'" - John 20:28
� "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God�" - Philippians 2:5-6
� "While we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." - Titus 2:13
� "To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and savior Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:1
III. Qualities Shared By God And Jesus
Worshipped by angels
"And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'" - Hebrews 1:6
"And Ezra said, 'You are the Lord�and the host of heaven worships you." - Nehemiah 9:6
Unchanging
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." - Hebrews 13:8
"For I, the Lord, do not change." - Malachi 3:6
All-Knowing
"He said to him the third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' And he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep." - John 21:17
"For God�knows everything." - 1 John 3:20
Lord of lords
"And the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings�" - Revelation 17:14
"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords�" - Deuteronomy 10:17
IV. Prayer
According to Jehovah's Witnesses, we can pray only to Jehovah (God). However, in Acts 7:59, Stephen prays to Jesus to receive his soul when he is stoned.
"While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'
So, either Stephen was blaspheming by praying to Jesus when filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:55), or there's nothing wrong with praying to Jesus. Now, this doesn't necessarily prove that Jesus is God, because we Catholics pray to saints, but for Christians (including Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses) who don't pray to saints, this proves that Jesus is God.
