angels are messengers, destroyers, ministers (in the sense of helping) and guardians of men and children.
Angels in the Bible ALWAYS appear as men with no wings or halos, but they are always recognized as angels by the persons they appear to.
I believe most are familiar with these concepts and so will use only a few references.
Messengers--- (Dan 9:21 KJV) Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. (Dan 9:22 KJV) And
he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
Just for fun, this same angel, Gabriel has feelings and can be
surprised--- (Luke 1:18 KJV) And Zacharias said unto the
angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and
my wife well stricken in years. (Luke 1:19 KJV) And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings.
Or in today’s English, What’s
wrong with you, boy? You think I would lie? I am Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God, how can you be dumb enough not
to believe me and ask for a sign? But he catches himself very quickly and goes on--- “You want a sign, boy, you got it!”
(Luke 1:20 KJV) And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
Destroyers--- (2 Ki 19:35 KJV) And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold,
they were all dead corpses. That’s 185,000 men killed in one night.
(Acts 12:23 KJV) And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was
eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
(Rev 9:15 KJV) And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a
year, for to slay the third part of men.
Ministers--- (Mat 4:11 KJV) Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. (Heb
1:13 KJV) But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? (Heb 1:14 KJV) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Guards--- (Job 1:10 KJV) Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath
on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. I don’t think this hedge was made out of bushes and trimmed regularly, this hedge was
manned by angels.
Guardians--- (Mat 18:10 KJV) Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven
their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. This is the verse where we get the concept of “Guardian Angels”
EVIL ANGELS
Evil angels including the devil and his demons hinder, hurt,
destroy, lie, steal, and kill and use/deceive men and women
into doing the same things. Less is known about the devil as he
prefers to remain invisible, blaming and teaching humans to
blame all the bad stuff on God or man. Parasites, especially
when discovered, are never welcomed by the host organism,
and if the host is human, the parasites are killed. Would to
God, the church at least, would wake up to the fact of the devil
as a parasite feeding on the entire human race!
DESTROY
(Job 2:6 KJV) And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is
in thine hand; but save his life. (Job 2:7 KJV) So went
Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job
with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
Notice though in this whole story the devil was limited to only
what he could get permission to do. The devil complained that
the hedge God provided protected Job perfectly. (Job 1:10
KJV) Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about
his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou
hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is
increased in the land.
HINDER--- (Dan 10:12 KJV) Then said he unto me, Fear
not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine
heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God,
thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. (Dan
10:13 KJV) But the prince of the kingdom of Persia
withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of
the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there
with the kings of Persia. It took this angel 3 weeks to get past
the hindrance of the evil angels and give Daniel the answer to
his prayer.
(2 Cor 11:14 KJV) And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light. He will also help and/or
use men to appear as angels of light.
(John 8:44 KJV) Ye are of your father the devil, and the
lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no
truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
(Eph 6:12 KJV) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.
The devil’s final humiliation is as the kings and men of earth
see him as he really is -- (Isa 14:14 KJV) I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isa 14:15 KJV) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the
sides of the pit. (Isa 14:16 KJV)
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
And the final end of the devil and his angels and the men and
women who believed his lies and obeyed him---
Jesus is speaking here---(Mat 25:41 KJV) Then shall he say also
unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: And then Jesus explains why--- (Mat 25:42 KJV) For I was an
hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye
gave me no drink: (Mat 25:43 KJV) I was a stranger, and
ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in
prison, and ye visited me not. (Mat 25:44 KJV)
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in
prison, and did not minister unto thee? (Mat 25:45 KJV)
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did
it not to me.
And so there will be no misunderstanding Jesus adds--- (Mat 25:46 KJV) ...
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
EVIL MEN AND NATURAL MEN
Natural men are Ordinarily limited to one dimension, the
seeable with natural eyes part of the earth and the heavens.
(John 3:3 KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God.
Evil, lazy, and passive men choose their final destiny. They
choose it by their day to day decisions, actions and in-actions.
While the final end of evil men is with the devil and his angels, it is not God’s will! (2 Pet 3:9 KJV)
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The reason for it all, the will of God, the reason God created it all and the final end of Godly men and women is ---
(John 4:23 KJV) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:24 KJV) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
God provides help for those who will receive it. Unfortunately most of those today who are claiming to be gifted are teaching that nobody’s perfect and thus negating the gifts of God---
The reason for our supernatural gifting is to perfect the saints so we can grow up into Him.(Eph 4:11 KJV) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Eph 4:12 KJV) For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Eph 4:13 KJV) Till we all
come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ: (Eph 4:14 KJV) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive; (Eph 4:15 KJV) But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Our Father and Jesus want family that is to be/become one with Him. Jesus prayed for believers to be one with the Godhead. (John 17:15 KJV) I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (John 17:16 KJV) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:17 KJV) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:18 KJV)
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. (John 17:19 KJV) And for their
sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. (John 17:20 KJV) Neither pray I for
these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (John 17:21 KJV) That they all may be
one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast
sent me. (John 17:22 KJV) And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are
one: (John 17:23 KJV) I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
(Eph 5:27 KJV) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. He is coming for this glorious church.
(Rev 3:21 KJV) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit
with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set
down with my Father in his throne. This is an offer to
conquering believers to share God’s throne
(1 Cor 2:9 KJV) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the
things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
That is, for His family, those who love him. And while it is
true that eye has not seen, we can have a taste, a deposit on
heaven in this life. (Eph 1:13 KJV) In whom ye also trusted,
after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Eph 1:14 KJV)
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of
his glory. He loves us so much that He gives us a deposit (that
we can feel and others can see in us) on heaven when we truly
receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Graduates of the school of the Spirit are noticeable even in heaven. (Rev 19:10 KJV) And I fell at his feet to worship
him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of
Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. He is not an angel, yet John the Apostle actually
falls down at his feet to worship him. He is not Jesus because he won't allow John to worship him.
He explains, "I am your fellow servant and of your brothers."
Think how glorious this person must have been.
John the Apostle had seen Jesus Christ in the flesh and in the spirit.
John was a worshipper of God and Jesus Christ. He did not worship just anyone or anything, but this person "a fellow
servant, one of us" is so glorious that the beloved Apostle falls down, to worship him, Wow!
He is in fact one of us "finished" or at least more nearly finished than we are. He is a human who exercised the option.
_______________________________________________________S c r i p t u r e
"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a
building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always
confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent
from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes,
well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the
Lord."
-(2 Corinthians 5:1-8 NKJV)
