Answering the Jehovah's Witnesses (Part 8)

I'm about to wrap up this series of articles, whether it's today with "Part 8" or at some point in the very near future. To read the entire series, click here and follow the links through the series.

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16,

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."

Paul indicates that Jesus, during what we call His "final return," will descend "with the voice of an archangel." The Jehovah's Witnesses use this to prove that the voice is Jesus' own, making Him an archangel. After all, if He was God, Paul would have said that Jesus would descend "with the voice of God," right?

But notice that other noises will accompany Jesus' return. There will be a "shout" as well as the "trumpet of God." So how will this work? Will Jesus shout first, then call out with His angelic voice, and finally blow God's trumpet? Will that be the sequence? Should this be our conclusion? What will be the difference between Jesus' shout and "the voice of an archangel?" Hmmm.

I would answer by saying that it's unnecessary to assume that Jesus Himself will be the source of all three sounds. In other words, Paul simply writes that Jesus will return with these sounds - that these sounds will accompany His return.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, the point is made that Jesus will "be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels." Isn't it more reasonable to conclude that "the voice of an archangel" is actually the voice of one of these angels - rather than to conclude that Jesus is an angel (when that is never taught in scripture)?

Even the trumpet blast, so to speak, will likely be "blown" by an angel, or angels. In Matthew 24:31, even though Jesus was talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, He stated that "He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet." And in Revelation 9:14, we see yet another angel with a trumpet.

Again, all I'm saying is that it's unnecessary to conclude, based on 1 Thessalonians 4:16 that Jesus is an angel simply because He will return "with the voice of an archangel." All this means is that when Jesus returns, angels and archangels (at least one) will be with Him. A trumpet will be blown. There will be a shout. It will be a loud and unmistakeable event.