Why do Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus and Michael are the same person?

Answer 1

Because this is what The Bible seems to indicate contextually and is a reasonable conclustion to come to according to several sources:

**"It is even itself probable that the Leader of the hosts of light (in Rev. 12:7-9) will be no other than the Captain of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.... Above all, the prophecies of Daniel, in which the name Michael first occurs, may be said to decide the point."-- An Exposition of the Bible, publ. in Hartford, CT, 1910

** MICHAEL 1. The name of a super-human being, Da. x.13, 21; xii.1; Jude 9; Re. xii.7, [ ...] this being whom Daniel saw is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God....To deny that the Angel of the Lord is the Son of God is to introduce confusion into the whole of the record of God's dealings with his ancient people; if, on the contrary, we affirm their identity, when the supposition that he and Michael are one and the same is the simplest and most natural imaginable.- Fairbairn's Imperial Standard Bible Encyclopedia 1957

**"There seems good reason for regarding Michael as the Messiah. Such was the opinion of the best among the ancient Jews.... With this all the Bible representations of Michael agree." -- Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature [William L. Alexander]

**"So exalted are the position and offices ascribed to Michael, that many think the Messiah is meant."-- International Bible Dictionary -- Illustrated (Protestant)

** "Da 12:1 12:1 ...God will send his angel [...] Michael, that is, Christ Jesus the head of angels." Geneva Study Bible

Answer 2

This is a matter of belief, and belief varies from person to person, and group to group within Christianity. Jehovah is an English translation for Yahweh, an early Judahite name for God. The majority view among Christians is that Jesus and God the Father (Jehovah), along with the Holy Spirit, are three persons in one God - the holy Trinity.

Answer 3

Actually if you do the research, it may surprise you that some other 'Protestant' religions teach that Jesus is Michael. -- Only they don't make mention of it, because their members would be upset.

John Calvin, a leader of the Protestant movement, taught that Jesus was Michael.

Even the "Nelson Study Bible, NKJV" states that: "In the OT the expression "the angel of the LORD" [Jehovah] refers to Jesus." So if the angel of the LORD is Jesus, surely he would be the archangel, or 'chief angel'.

Archangel literally translates as "Chief Messenger"

The title "The Word" literally means "Chief Spokesman"

Thus the title "archangel" and "the Word", literally mean the same thing.

The Chief Spokesman was with God 'in the Beginning.' So if Christ is the 'angel of the LORD'. Then Jesus and Michael are the same being, just as Peter and Cephas are the same person.

Jacob and Israel are the same being.

Same being, different roles.