It's a popular Adventist doctrine and was taught by Ellen G. White, the prophetess of the Seventh Day Adventist sect. The SDA no longer officially believes that doctrine and it's difficult getting them to even admit they ever believed it. Mrs. White, however, supposedly learned that Jesus was the premortal Michael from her revelatory experiences. In their Clear Word Bible (1994), Mrs. White's teaching made its way into the commentary of Jude 1:9.
First is the scripture from the King James Version:
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. (KJV)
The Clear Word Bible is a version designed to add prophetic interpretation in commentary form:
In contrast to these ungodly men is the Lord Jesus Christ, also called Michael, the archangel in charge of the entire angelic host. When He was challenged by Satan about His intentions to resurrect Moses, He didn't come against Satan with a blistering attack nor did he belittle him. He simply said, 'God rejects your claim to his body. (Clear Word Bible)
Actually, no one knows what the contest with Satan regarding the body of Moses was about, but this is but one account where the Jesus-Michael doctrine was taught. Jack Blanko, onetime dean of Religion at the Southern Adventist University, undoubtedly knew of Mrs. White's teaching and incorporated it into his commentary:
"Michael, or Christ, with the angels that buried Moses...." (Jude 9, Spiritual Gifts, IV a, p. 158)
"And before the context closed Christ Himself came to Gabriel's aid — Gabriel declares 'But lo, Michael, one of the Chief Princes came to help me." (Daniel 10:13, Prophets & Kings, p.572)
"There is none that holdeth with me in these things but Michael (Christ) your prince." (Desire of Ages, p.99)
"Moses passed under the dominion of death — but Christ the Savior brought him forth from the grave." (Jude 9, ibid 379)
That said, they presently deny the doctrine and with good reason. And it would be inaccurate to say that the SDA believe that doctrine today as I've seen in a number of anti-SDA materials. How they can reconcile the teaching with Mrs. White's teachings, however, is another matter. In 1957 the SDA taught: "We believe that the term 'Michael' is but one of the many titles applied to the Son of God, the second person of the Godhead. But such a view does not in any way conflict with our belief in His full deity and eternal pre-existence, nor does it in the least disparage His person and work." (Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C., 1957. Chapter 8 "Christ, and Michael the Archangel".)
Today they officially deny the teaching, but a number of stalwarts in the church probably hang onto the doctrine. Mrs. White lived in the late 1800s and unless it originally came from William Miller, it's possible that she was the originator of the doctrine.
