The word "angel" means messenger. Angels are God's heavenly messengers or servants (Heb. 1:13-14) created by God before the earth began (Job. 38:47). The Bible speaks of both good and evil angels. But it states that all angels originally were created good and holy - devoted to God's purposes (Gen. 1:31). Because they did have freedom of choice, many angels joined satan's rebellion against God. By rejecting the privilege of being God's servants, they lost their purpose and place in heaven. The demons described in the New Testament are in the same category as these fallen angels.
The Bible speaks of a host, or very large number, of good angels, though the names of only two are mentioned in Scripture: Michael and Gabriel. The Bible also mentions that there are divisions and ranks among the host of angels that serve God and His purposes. For example, Michael is called an archangel (literally "leading angel"). There are serophs and cherubim. There are angels with authority and control over certain areas or things. There are countless numbers of angelic spirits serving God as He wills.
As spiritual beings, good angels praise God, do His will, come freely into His presence, are in submission to Christ, are in a certain way superior to humans and dwell in heaven. They do not marry, will never die and must not be worshiped. Yet they appear in human form, usually as young men.
In obedience to God's command, angels carry out many activities on earth. They had a unique role in revealing God's law to Moses (Acts 7:38). But above all, they serve in Christ's mission to restore people's relationships with God. They serve in the best interests of God's people and observe the life of Christians in the church. They deliver messages from God, bring answers to prayer and sometimes interpret or help individuals understand prophetic dreams and visions. Angels also strengthen and assist God's people in difficult times, protect those who honor God and hate evil and punish God's enemies. The Bible describes angels fighting against demonic powers, rejoicing when even one sinner surrenders his or her life to God and carrying those who know God to heaven after death.
During the events of the end times, the war will become more fierce between Michael with the good angels and satan with his demons. The Bible says that angels will come with Christ when He returns, and they will be present at the judgment of the entire human race.
The Angel of the Lord is sometimes referred to as "the angel of God". This is a unique angel who appears in both the Old Testament and New Testament. The first mention comes as he appears to Hagar in the desert (Gen. 16:7). Other appearances involved such people as Abraham, Jacob, Moses, all the Israelites during their exodus from slavery in Egypt, and later at Bokim (Judges 2:1-4), Baalm, Joshua, Gideon, David, Elijah, Daniel, and Joseph.
The angel of the Lord carried out several tasks similar to those of angels in general. Sometimes he brought messages from the Lord to his people. At other times, God sent His angel to provide for the needs of His people, to protect them from danger and on occasion to destroy their enemies. When God's people were very rebellious, His angel could be sent to destroy them (2 Sam. 24:16-17).
The identity of the angel of the Lord has been debated because of the way he often addressed people. Note the following: In Judges 2:1, the angel of the Lord says, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said I will never break my covenant with you." When compared with other Bible passages describing the same event, these actions were the things done by God Himself. God was the One who promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their descendants would inherit the land of Canaan and that His covenant with them would be everlasting. It was God who brought the Israelities out of Egypt and into the promised land.
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Joshua, Joshua fell down and worshiped him (Jos. 5:14). Such a response has led many to believe that this angel was a physical appearance of the Lord God Himself. Otherwise, the angel would have told Joshua not to worship him as he did when he appeared in other times. Perhaps a clearer hint of the angels' identity was when the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush and said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Ex. 3:6).
Because the angel of the Lord is so closely identified with God Himself, and because he appeared in human form, some consider him to be an appearance of the eternal Christ - the second person of the Trinity - prior to Jesus Christ coming to earth in human form through the virgin birth.
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