The Seventh-day Adventists teach that Michael the Archangel and Jesus are one and the same. However, some people mistakenly think that the SDA Church is teaching that Jesus is a created angel and therefore not truly divine. But that is not the Seventh-day Adventist position. Instead, they are saying that the Old Testament manifestation of Michael the Archangel was actually the pre-incarnate Christ and that He is not created. They are incorrect in their comparison, but in it, they are not denying the deity of Christ. Still, it is noteworthy how their incorrect interpretation influenced their paraphrase, the “Clear Word Bible.”
| New American Standard Bible | Clear Word Bible | Comment | |
| John 8:58 | Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” | Jesus answered, “Because I existed before Abraham was born.” | This is problematic because the Greek ego eimi literally says, “I am.” The Jews wanted to kill Jesus for saying these words because it was so reflective of Exodus 3:14 where God says his name is “I am” (see later in John 10:30-33 for confirmation of this). The SDA affirm the deity of Christ, but changing this is quite odd and is more in line with the Jehovah’s Witness version than the biblical one. |
| John 10:30 | “I and the Father are one.” | You see, my Father and I are so close, we’re one. | This is a bad rendition because Jesus’ oneness with God is not based on closeness, but on his nature. He is by nature both human and divine. This is called the Hypostatic Union. |
| 1 Thess. 4:16 | For 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. | When Christ descends from heaven as the Archangel, He will give a shout like a trumpet, which is God’s call to the dead, and those who died in Christ will rise first. | The Seventh-day Adventist theology comes shining through in this alteration, which is more commentary than anything else. The SDA church teaches that Jesus is Michael the Archangel; hence, changing the meaning of the text to make it fit their theology. This is not good. Let the Bible speak for itself. |
| Jude 9 | But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” | In contrast to these ungodly men is the Lord Jesus, also called Michael the Archangel, for He is over the entire angelic host. When He was challenged by Satan about His intentions to resurrect Moses, He didn’t come at Satan with a blistering attack, nor did He condemn him with mockery. He simply said, “God rebuke you for claiming Moses’ body.” | This is another example of the Seventh-day Adventist theology governing the paraphrase. Biblically speaking, Jesus is not Michael the Archangel. They are separate, and this combining of them is an error that is reflected in this modification of the text. |
| Rev. 12:7 | And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, | This controversy between God and the dragon began years ago in heaven. God’s Son Michael and the loyal angels fought against the dragon and his angels. | Notice again how the theology that Jesus and Michael the Archangel are one and the same comes out in this verse. That is not what it is saying. |
