“Jesus is not Almighty God; he is Michael the Archangel, God's first creation. John 1:1 in our New World Translation says 'the Word was a god'.”

The 30-second answer

Scripture forbids worshiping angels, yet God commands all His angels to worship the Son—because Jesus is not an angel but God the Son, who became flesh.

💡 Ask them back“In Hebrews 1:5, God asks: 'To which of the angels did He ever say, You are My Son?' And in verse 6, your New World Translation says the angels are to 'do obeisance to him.' The Greek word there is proskuneō—the same word the NWT translates 'worship' in Revelation 22:9, where the angel says, 'Worship God!' If Jesus is Michael, why would God command all His angels to give an angel the very honor that angel refused?”

⚠️ What not to sayDon't claim their Bible says what it doesn't—quote the NWT accurately ("do obeisance"), then show the underlying Greek word. Don't get bogged down in Greek grammar you can't back up.

📖 The full defense

Jesus Is Worshiped by Angels and Men:
In Revelation 22:8-9, when John falls down to worship an angel, the angel stops him: "See that you do not do that... Worship God!" Yet in Matthew 28:9, Luke 24:52, and Hebrews 1:6, Jesus receives proskuneō—the same Greek word. The New World Translation renders Hebrews 1:6 "do obeisance to him," but it translates the very same word "worship" in Revelation 22:9 and wherever it is directed to God. In Revelation 5:13-14, every creature in heaven and on earth gives the Lamb the same blessing, honor, and glory as the One who sits on the throne.

Jesus Is Not an Angel:
"To which of the angels did He ever say: 'You are My Son'?" (Hebrews 1:5). The answer is none—so the Son is not an angel. The Father even addresses the Son as God: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever" (Hebrews 1:8). Michael "dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" (Jude 9), while Jesus rebuked Satan and demons by His own authority (Matthew 4:10; Mark 9:25). Daniel calls Michael "one of the chief princes" (Daniel 10:13)—Jesus is not "one of" anything; He is the only begotten Son (John 3:16).

John 1:1 — "a god"?:
If the Word was "a god," then there are two gods: Jehovah and a lesser god. But Jehovah says, "Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me" (Isaiah 43:10). Either Jesus is the true God or a false one. And the NWT itself renders theos without the article as "God" elsewhere in the same chapter (John 1:6, 12, 13, 18).

John 8:58 - "I AM":
Jesus declared: "Before Abraham was, I AM" (Ego Eimi). The Jewish leaders instantly picked up stones to execute Him for blasphemy because they understood He was claiming the divine Name of God from Exodus 3:14 ("I AM WHO I AM").

Thomas Called Jesus "My Lord and My God":
In John 20:28, Thomas looked at Jesus and said: "My Lord and my God!" (Ho Kurios mou kai ho Theos mou). His words echo Psalm 35:23 (LXX 34:23), where the psalmist cries out to Jehovah, "my God and my Lord." Jesus did NOT correct him; He commended him!

Who is the Alpha and Omega?:
In Revelation 1:8, Jehovah God says: "I am the Alpha and the Omega."
In Revelation 22:12-13, 16, Jesus says: "Behold, I am coming quickly... I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last... I, Jesus, have sent My angel."
In Revelation 1:17-18, the "First and the Last" is the One who "was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore"—and Isaiah 44:6 says Jehovah is "the First and... the Last."

✝️ Scripture anchors (NKJV)

Hebrews 1:6, 8

“Let all the angels of God worship Him... But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom."”

John 20:28

“And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"”

Revelation 22:13, 16

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last... I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things.”

🔁 If they push back…

The comeback you are most likely to hear next — and a reply that keeps the conversation moving toward Jesus.

They say“Proskuneō doesn't always mean worship. People "did obeisance" to kings and masters (Matthew 18:26). The angels are only honoring Jesus as God's chief representative.”

You can sayTrue—the word can mean bowing before a human superior, so context decides. Hebrews 1 is contrasting the Son with all the angels, and in verse 8 the Father calls the Son "God" with an everlasting throne. In Revelation 5:13-14 the Lamb receives the very same praise as the One on the throne. And when John gave an angel proskuneō, he was stopped: "Worship God!" Angels refuse it—Jesus accepts it.

They say“1 Thessalonians 4:16 says Jesus descends "with the voice of an archangel." So Jesus is the archangel Michael.”

You can sayThe same verse says He comes "with the trumpet of God"—does that make Jesus God? You can't take one phrase literally and not the other. The verse describes the sounds accompanying His return, not His identity. And Hebrews 1:5 asks, "To which of the angels did He ever say, You are My Son?" The answer is none.

They say“In Revelation 22 the speaker changes. It's Jehovah who says "I am the Alpha and the Omega" in verse 13, and Jesus who speaks in verse 16.”

You can sayLook at verse 12: "Behold, I am coming quickly." Who is coming? Verse 20 answers: "Surely I am coming quickly... Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" And in Revelation 1:17-18, "the First and the Last" is the one who "was dead"—Jehovah the Father never died. Isaiah 44:6 gives that title to Jehovah alone.

🕊️ Pentecostal key — the Spirit on the streetWitnesses are taught to distrust outside literature and rely on the Watchtower's interpretation, so pray against deception and for open eyes (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). Love them, ask gentle, piercing questions from their own Bible, and let the Holy Spirit reveal Jesus.