Adventist teaching: Yes
Biblical teaching: No
On this subject, it’s important to understand that there are varying views within the “yes” category. The Jehovah’s Witnesses teaching is that Jesus is an angelic, created being and that’s who Michael is. This is a damnable heresy. Jesus is not an angelic being nor created. The Seventh-Day Adventist position is often times wrongfully equated with this one, typically because both parties have narratives around Jesus being the head of an angel army that is at war with Satan and his angelic army—what the Adventist Church calls the Great Controversy.
Some of the Protestant Reformers held to a view of Michael being a second name for Jesus in the Bible, a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ (what’s called a theophany). They didn’t believe Michael was an angelic being, but a title for God the Son who is the Almighty God alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit.
The Seventh-Day Adventist position is informed by their Great Controversy worldview which lands their position somewhere between the Reformers and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. On the one hand they will say He isn’t an angel and “archangel” is a title, not a type of being. On the other hand, their prophetess, Ellen G. White (who they believe was divinely inspired and corrects inaccurate interpretations of scripture), said that Michael is not the Lord but the Lord is the Father, thus distinguishing Michael from being the Almighty. This is consistent with the SDA view of the Godhead where the Father alone is the Almighty. The Reformers absolutely did not affirm this, but that Jesus is completely co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit as the One Lord, the Almighty God. Which is why the SDA view is not in line with what many of the Reformers believed.
One of the central errors the SDA Church makes is conflating Michael the Archangel with The Angel of the LORD who is mentioned throughout the Old Testament. The Angel of the LORD (or the Angel of His Presence) is the pre-incarnate Word, the second Person of the Godhead before incarnating. He is not a creature whereas Michael is. We know the Angel of the LORD is not a mere creature because He is worshiped (Genesis 16:13; Judges 6:22–24) scripture is clear God alone is due (Exodus 34:14; Acts 14:8-18). Jacob also prays to Him, referring to Him as the God who had been his shepherd and delivered him from all harm (Genesis 48:15-6).
This then leads the SDA Church to appeal to any mention of the Angel of the Lord where they then insert Michael the Archangel into the text when the two are not the same.
Jesus is the LORD of all (Isaiah 44:24, Acts 10:36; Colossians 1:16) and since Jude tells us that Michael dared not rebuke Satan but left it to the LORD (Jude 9), that would mean Michael isn’t Jesus but rather a created angelic being with a high level of authority. Jesus rebuked Satan (Zechariah 3:2, Matthew 17:18-20; Mark 8:33) showing He does have the authority to do such a thing.
Furthermore, in Daniel 10:13, we are told that Michael is “one of the chief princes” which would mean there are others of equality to him. As God, Jesus has no equals (Isaiah 46:5). Jesus Christ is God Almighty.
