I have addressed the JW belief that Michael and Jesus are the same person at:
In this post, I will focus on the name “Michael” (Heb. “who is like El/God?) that is used by JW sources as implicit evidence for this belief.
In the JW publication, Reasoning from the Scriptures, we read the following:
Is Jesus Christ the same person as Michael the archangel?
The name of this Michael appears only five times in the Bible. The glorious spirit person who bears the name is referred to as "one of the chief princes," "the great prince who has charge of your [Daniel's] people," and as "the archangel." (Dan. 10:13; 12:1; Jude 9, RS). Michael means "Who Is Like God?" The name evidently designates Michael as the one who takes the lead in upholding Jehovah's sovereignty and destroying God's enemies. (Reasoning from the Scriptures, p. 218)
It is true that Michael (Heb. מִיכָאֵל) means “who is like God?” However, to claim that such is evidence of identifying Jesus (who is the closest to God the Father) with the person of Michael is fallacious based on the use of a divine name element (theophoric). If one is to argue that, on the basis of the meaning of the name “Michael,” then, if one wishes to be consistent, the prophet Micah (Heb. מִיכָיְהוּ) whose name names “who is like Yah?” is numerically identical to Jesus, too! Of course, such is absurd, as it to claim that the meaning of "Michael" is evidence for identifying Jesus with Michael.
