Those who believe that humans become angels when they die have a distorted idea about the nature of humanity and angels. Humans are physical beings with a spiritual soul, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Angels are spiritual beings (Hebrews 1:14) who can only become physical if God ordains that their work requires it. Humans are born with a sin nature and sin throughout their lives. Because of this, God arranged a plan of redemption that angels can't even understand (1 Peter 1:12). Although the Bible doesn't specifically state this, it appears that the angels were given one chance to sin. One-third took that opportunity and are condemned to hell for eternity (Matthew 25:45-46).
Angels are similar to humans in some ways. They were created by God (Colossians 1:15-17). They have intelligence (2 Corinthians 11:3), emotion (Revelation 12:17), and will (Jude 6). They are meant to praise God (Luke 2:13), serve God (Revelation 22:9), and work for His kingdom (Acts 8:26). When they need a physical representation, they often appear human (Daniel 8:15), although not always (Ezekiel 1:5-11). And they know the Scriptures (James 2:19; Revelation 12:12).
At no point does the Bible indicate that humans become angels after death. At death, the body and soul of a human are separated. The soul of the believer goes to be with Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:6-8), and the soul of the unbeliever goes to a place of torment (Luke 16:22-23). At the end times, believers (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) will receive new, glorified bodies and spend eternity in paradise (Revelation 21:1). Unbelievers (Revelation 20:11-15) will be judged and cast into the lake of fire. No work as an angel is mentioned.
God created humans and angels as different beings for different purposes. Occasionally, our paths cross as we work together for the kingdom of God. In heaven, we will glorify God with the angels, but we will never become them.
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