Daniel 10:13
Daniel 10:1313However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.
JWs identify Michael as Jesus in his pre-human existence — the chief angel through whom Jehovah accomplishes great works, including speaking to Daniel and contending with the spiritual prince of Persia. grounds the JW Christology in which Jesus is the highest of created beings, exalted above other angels but subordinate to Jehovah.
Read the verse carefully. Michael is described as "ONE of the foremost princes" — the partitive language places him within a class of senior angelic beings, not above all of them. He arrives to help the angel speaking with Daniel; that helper is dispatched, not consulted. Pair this with the angelic vocation in ("ministering spirits sent out to render service"), Daniel 10's delay (the helper-angel was held up for 21 days — an angel cannot break through hostile spiritual opposition unaided), and Jude 9 (Michael does not even rebuke Satan on his own authority but says "May Jehovah rebuke you"). Now compare the Son: he forgives sins on his own authority (), volunteers his life of his own initiative (), and is worshipped by all the angels (). Michael is sent; the Son sends. Michael is one of the foremost princes; the Son is "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being" (). The doorstep insight: is the strongest text JWs have for the Michael-is-Jesus identification, and on its own grammar it places Michael within the angelic order rather than above it. The Son cannot be one of a class of foremost princes if he is the eternal Word who created them (; ).