Our Father’s Angels

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:17 NASB® 1995

God has a Kingdom, and there are different positions in His Kingdom similar to what is found on this earth. He is the creator of everything; therefore, it is essential to understand that humans did not originally invent the idea of kingdoms, leaders, or servants. In Hebrews chapter one, God outlines what His kingdom leadership looks like:

God after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

For to which of the angels did He ever say, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”?

And again, “I will be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me”?

And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.”

And of the angels He says, “Who makes His angels winds, And His ministers a flame of fire.”

But of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”

And, “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands; They will perish, but You remain; And they all will become old like a garment, And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.”

But to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies A footstool for Your feet”?

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Hebrews 1:1-14 NASB® 1995

We see that God appointed Jesus heir of all things. (Also look at 1 Peter 3:21-22)

Jesus sat down at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1). He became much “better” than the angels. It is important to understand what the word “better” means.

“better”: Lexicon in Biblehub: The word “better” in Hebrews 1:4 is the Greek word kreittōn (2909), which means better, better things, greater
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: stronger, nobler
HELPS Word-studies: kreíttōn 2909 (the comparative form of 2904/krátos, "dominion") – what is better because more fully developed, i.e. in reaching the needed dominion (mastery, dominance); "better" after exerting the power needed to "plant down God's flag of victory."

“angels”: Lexicon in Biblehub: The word “angels” in Greek is angelos (32), which means angel, messenger, in the special sense of angel, a spiritual, heavenly being, attendant upon God and employed as his messenger to men, to make known his purposes

Hebrews 1:6 states that God tells the angels to worship His Son. Hebrews 1:14 states that angels are all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.

“ministering”: Lexicon in Biblehub: The word “ministering” is the Greek word leitourgikos (3010), which means Ministerial, pertaining to service
HELPS Word-studies: leitourgikós 3010 (an adjective, derived from 3011 /leitourgós, "sacred ministry/service to God") – divinely-authorized (service) referring to sacred ministering that performs what is acceptable to the all-holy God.

“service: Lexicon in Biblehub: The word “service” is the Greek word diakonia (1248), which means service, ministry, office, relief, support, attendance (as a servant)
HELPS Word-studies: diakonia 1248 – ministry; active service, done with a willing (voluntary) attitude

These definitions give us an understanding of what the angels are actually doing. We will also look at more scripture to see what angelic ministry looks like. The angels know their place in the kingdom. In Revelation 22:8-9, an angel is speaking to John. The angel says that he is a fellow servant of John.

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.”
Revelation 22:8-9 NASB® 1995

Throughout scripture, we will see the angels are always pointing people back to the truth. This angel is telling John not to worship him but to worship God. We are never to worship angels.

Here is another example of leadership and communication in the Kingdom of God from Revelation 1.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
Revelation 1:1-2 NASB® 1995

In this section of Scripture, we see God communicating with Jesus to share with John. Jesus communicates with John through His angel. In Revelation 1:11, John is told to write to the churches. He starts each letter with, “To the angel of the church”. Here is an example in Revelation 2:1

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
Revelation 2:1 NASB® 1995

The angels are declaring the eternal gospel by speaking to people.

And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”
Revelation 14:6-7 NASB® 1995

The letters to the churches are addressed to the angels of the churches, and the angels deliver the messages to the people. This is why it says those who have ears to hear what the spirit says to the churches.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’
Revelation 2:7 NASB® 1995

Jesus makes this declaration at the end of every church letter: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” He is saying this to the angel of that group of people. We saw from the scriptures the Father has given Jesus authority over all things. Jesus knows His place and rank in the kingdom of God and acknowledges the angels are His Father’s. Jesus communicates with the angels what the will of the Father is. We see in scripture the angels then go tend to the people in line with the will of the Father.

For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.
Matthew 16:27 NASB® 1995

And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24:30-31 NASB® 1995

We see the angels with Jesus carrying out God’s will in making judgments. They speak to the people, those who have ears to hear, which means to be obedient, will overcome sin. Those who don’t have ears to hear, the angels will come forth and take the wicked from among the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
Matthew 13:47-52 NASB® 1995

Here are more scriptures to show the roles angels play in the lives of God’s people.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.
Psalm 34:7 NASB® 1995

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the LORD, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down. “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. “With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation.”
Psalm 91:1-16 NASB® 1995

We must understand that our fight is not against flesh and blood. The angels are not the only ones in battle protecting us. We must do our part. We must learn to fight spiritual beings. The way we do this is by abiding in the Word of God. Ephesians 6 lays this out for us.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Ephesians 6:10-20 NASB® 1995

Learning to live these scriptures is part of living the life in the Kingdom of God. We must become overcomers. We must listen to the Spirits that speak the same language as our Heavenly Father and learn to be obedient to His Word. By doing this, we are becoming one mind and one heart with Him, like His Son’s example to us.

Below are scriptures that describe God’s angels.

Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will.
Psalm 103:20-21 NASB® 1995

Some angels must be stronger than others, which reminds me of how Jesus is described in Hebrews 1:4 as better than angels. This shows us different levels of strength even amongst angels.

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?”
Revelation 5:2 NASB® 1995

“strong”: Lexicon in Biblehub: The word “strong” is the Greek word ischyros (2478), which means strong, mighty, powerful, forcible.
HELPS Word-studies: isxyrós 2478 (an adjective, derived from 2479/isxys, "engaging, combative strength") – mighty, strong. For the believer, 2478 (isxyrós) is God's power "standing by" – ready to unleash itself to bring about His preferred-will, through faith (cf. 2307 /thélēma, 4102 /pístis). This engaging strength is always and immediately available from the Lord, which accomplishes His assignments (cf. 1 Jn 5:4). See 2479 (isxys).

God will take care of His people, and He uses His angels to do it.

Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way. Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?” Then Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there! The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.
Genesis 24:1-7 NASB® 1995

Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den. When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
Daniel 6:16-23 NASB® 1995

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]
Matthew 18:7-11 NASB® 1995

We need to understand God’s will the same way Jesus does. We need to understand that while God protects with His angels, there are times when situations will arise for a bigger purpose.

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”
Matthew 26:52-54 NASB® 1995

Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.

So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.”
Acts 12:1-15 NASB® 1995

Testimony:

One of the most amazing things to me is not that Peter was taken out of jail by an angel, but that the disciples knew Peter’s angel. That it was completely normal to have one of their peers' angels visit. It is amazing to think they would even think it was Peter, so that tells you something about how they could identify them. This is amazing to me!

I have a couple of personal testimonies that are similar to what these believers experienced, with Peter and the angel.

My family experienced being granted freedom during COVID on the island of Crete. We were told it was not possible and that we would be there indefinitely. God had told us in January that we would leave on April 28th, but the government told us absolutely not. Four days before God told us we would leave, we were granted freedom to leave, not because we begged, asked, or sought favor from humans, but because we simply waited. We were patiently waiting for God to give us freedom. Four days before we were to leave, we called the ferry office to ask for permission to enter the boat. They told us to be there at a specific time, and we would ride with essential workers because no one else was allowed on. We rode a ship with only essential workers to get off the island. So, while being granted freedom from prison is an amazing miracle, what stands out to me more is that the people knew Peter's angel.

About a year ago, I had the other part of this amazing story happen to me. I was sound asleep, and I was shaken by a hand. I jumped up in bed and saw a young woman I know. I thought, ‘What is she doing here?’ She started speaking and I realized it was her angel that had come to me. The angel spoke to me and told me to tell her she needs to speak to her father everything God tells her to speak to him. She has to do this so his blood is not on her hands. (Ezekiel 3 lays this out)

It is incredible to walk out the scripture in our own lives and see the same things happen to us as what happened to the people before us.

God, through His angels, gives messages, directions, and feeds people.

“Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces.
Exodus 23:20-24 NASB® 1995

Now the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.’” When the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. So they named that place Bochim; and there they sacrificed to the LORD.
Judges 2:1-5 NASB® 1995

‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the LORD, ‘Utterly curse its inhabitants; Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the warriors.’
Judges 5:23 NASB® 1995

But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’
2 Kings 1:3 NASB® 1995

The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king.
2 Kings 1:15 NASB® 1995

Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.” He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
1 Kings 19:1-8 NASB® 1995

But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Matthew 1:20-25 NASB® 1995

Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Matthew 2:13-15 NASB® 1995

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.
Mark 1:9-13 NASB® 1995

And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Luke 22:39-46 NASB® 1995

So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)
Acts 8:25-26 NASB® 1995

For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.
Acts 27:23-25 NASB® 1995

There are so many more examples for us to learn from in the scriptures. There are hundreds of references and stories about angels in the bible. Not all of them are specifically speaking of angels that are obedient to God; some are comparing men to angels. Here are some Bible references to start with that are in this category: Genesis 16, Genesis 19, all of the book of Zechariah, Acts 7, Acts 10

Angels carry out God’s anger and wrath.

But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. The angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground. The angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me. But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.” Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.
Numbers 22:22-35 NASB® 1995

‘Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, “He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield or throw up a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares the LORD. ‘For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’” Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh. It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.
2 Kings 19:32-37 NASB® 1995

The angels are still doing the same things today; they protect people, separate God’s people from the wicked, and pour out God’s wrath on people.

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.
Revelation 15:1 NASB® 1995

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
Revelation 16:1 NASB® 1995

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
Revelation 21:9 NASB® 1995

Not all angels are sent from God.

Now we are going to look at some verses that stand out from the rest to teach us that not all angels are from God. In this next scripture, Jesus is speaking to people who claim they are His, but they have not loved Him. He addresses them by telling them they will go to where the devil and his angels are. This simple statement helps us understand that the devil has his own angels.

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matthew 25:40-41 NASB® 1995

Paul gives us more understanding of this. He lays out that there are deceitful workmen who are untimely like their father, the Devil/Satan.

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NASB® 1995

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NASB® 1995

To see more about the character of the deceitful workers, read all of 2 Corinthians 11, Jude, 2 Peter 2, and 1 Timothy 6:3-5

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Galatians 1:6-9 NASB® 1995

This is why John tells us we must test the spirits. 1 John 4 says to see if they speak the same language as Jesus in scripture.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
1 John 4:1-3 NASB® 1995

“confess”: Lexicon in Biblehub: This word “confess” is the Greek word homologeō (3670), which means to confess, to acknowledge, to agree. To speak the same language (HDT.)
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: to assent, i.e. Covenant, acknowledge -- con- (pro-)fess, confession is made, give thanks, promise.
HELPS Word-studies: 3670 homologéō (from 3674 /homoú, "together" and 3004 /légō, "speak to a conclusion") – properly, to voice the same conclusion, i.e. agree ("confess"); to profess (confess) because in full agreement; to align with (endorse).
[3670/homologéō ("confess") means to speak the same thing, i.e. "assent, agree with, confess, declare, admit" (Vine, Unger, White, NT, 120).]

We need to understand what John is saying here in 1 John 4. He is saying that the spirits from God will speak the same language Jesus speaks, and Jesus is only speaking what His Heavenly Father tells Him to speak (John 5:19, 12:49). Therefore, if an angel or some person is speaking to a different conclusion than what is in the Word of God, then that spirit or person is not from God.

Scripture also tells us that angels have sinned. Peter and Jude give us some understanding of what has happened to some of them.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
2 Peter 2:4 NASB® 1995

And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
Jude 6 NASB® 1995

Part of our job description, if we overcome sin, is that we will be ruling and reigning with Jesus. This will include judging angels.

Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?
1 Corinthians 6:1-3 NASB® 1995

One last interesting thought to leave you with is this…

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
1 Corinthians 4:9-13 NASB® 1995

We are all to become imitators of God, no matter what role we are to fill in Jesus’ body. I pray that I’m a spectacle to angels and men. I pray that you, reading this, choose to be one too.

References:

Lexicon: Biblehub.com
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: Biblehub.com