But it can also refer to the kind of worship given to God alone. This word can refer to simple bowing or a showing a sign of respect to someone in authority. The Greek word in Hebrews 1:6 that Jehovah’s Witnesses translate “obeisance” is proskuneo. They do not describe the kind of worship one would give to God. These instances of obeisance merely describe paying solemn respect to someone. In Exodus 18:7, Moses made obeisance to his father-in-law, Jethro and in 1 Kings 1:16, Bathsheba bowed before King David. Obeisance means to bow down in respect for another person. Since Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is Michael the Archangel, their New World Translation of the Bible avoids the situation of angels worshipping another angel by rendering this passage, “And let all of God’s angels do obeisance to him.” For to what angel did God ever say, ‘Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee’? Or again, ‘I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son’? And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, ‘ Let all God’s angels worship him’” (emphasis added).Īngels don’t worship other angels they worship only God. In fact, the Bible explicitly teaches that Jesus is superior to all the angels, including the archangels.īecome as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs. If Jesus is an archangel, and Michael is the only archangel, doesn’t it follow that Jesus and Michael are the same person? No, because calling Michael the archangel in Jude 1:9 no more proves that Michael is the only archangel anymore than calling Sonic the Hedgehog proves he is the only hedgehog. Hence, it is reasonable to conclude that Jehovah God has delegated to one, and only one, of his heavenly creatures full authority over all other angels” ( Who is Michael the Archangel?, 2002). According to one of their magazines, “The Bible describes Michael as the archangel, implying that he alone bears that designation. The Witnesses believe Jesus is the highest or most glorious of God’s creatures and, since they consider archangels to be the highest of the angels, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus must be an archangel. Jehovah’s Witnesses also believe that, before he became a man, Jesus was Michael the Archangel, and ever since his ascension into heaven Jesus has resumed the name of Michael. As a result, Jehovah’s Witnesses pray only to Jehovah and never to the Son. However, the Son is still a creation of the Father, and so he is not the “true God,” or he is not the “almighty God.” Jehovah’s Witnesses say those titles belong only to Jehovah, not Jesus. This Son has the same “spirit nature” as his Father, which makes him “a God” or “a mighty God.” According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jehovah created a “Son” and it was through this Son that he created the rest of the world. The central belief of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that there is one God, and his name is Jehovah.
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