The idea of becoming angels after we die is a common belief in movies, songs, and popular culture. People often say things like, “Heaven gained another angel,” or “She’s watching over me now as an angel.” But what does the Bible really say? Will believers become angels when they go to heaven? Will we have wings and halos? Will we sing and float on clouds forever?

Let us turn to Scripture and examine what Jesus taught about our future state in heaven and whether we will be like the angels.

What Did Jesus Say About This?

Jesus answered a question from the Sadducees about the resurrection in Matthew 22:30:

“For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”

This verse is often misunderstood. Jesus did not say we will become angels. He said that in one specific way, we will be like angels. That specific way is in regard to marriage. Angels do not marry or procreate, and resurrected humans in heaven will not either.

So, the comparison is limited. We will not turn into angels, but we will be like them in terms of our eternal, unmarried state in heaven.

Do We Become Angels?

The Bible never teaches that humans become angels. Angels and human beings are completely different creations.

• Angels were created as spiritual beings who serve God and minister to people.

  “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)

• Humans were made in the image of God, with physical bodies and souls.

  “So God created man in his own image...” (Genesis 1:27)

In eternity, the saved will receive glorified bodies, but will remain human. We will be transformed, but not into angels.

“We shall all be changed... and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

How Will We Be Like Angels?

The Bible says we will be “equal unto the angels” in certain ways:

“Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God...” (Luke 20:36)

So in what ways will we be like angels?

1. We will not die
   We will have eternal life, never facing death again.

2. We will not marry or bear children
   Marriage will no longer be a part of our life. Earthly relationships will be transformed in the presence of God.

3. We will live in God’s presence
   Like the angels, we will behold the face of God and worship Him continually (Revelation 22:4).

4. We will be holy and without sin
   Just as angels do the will of God in heaven, we too will be perfected and no longer wrestle with sin (1 John 3:2).

How Will We Be Different from Angels?

Despite these similarities, we will still be distinct from angels in many important ways:

1. We are redeemed by Christ
   Angels do not experience salvation. Only humans are redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

   “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood...” (Revelation 5:9)

2. We will judge angels
   Scripture tells us that believers will one day sit in judgment over angels.

   “Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3)

3. We will have glorified bodies
   Angels are spirit beings (Hebrews 1:14). Resurrected humans will have glorified, incorruptible bodies, like the risen body of Christ.

   “We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
   “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body...” (Philippians 3:21)

Will We Have Wings?

There is no biblical evidence that resurrected believers will have wings. Angels sometimes appear with wings (like the seraphim in Isaiah 6), but wings are not universally attributed to all angels either.

Jesus, after His resurrection, had a glorified body that could appear in locked rooms, ascend into heaven, and yet eat food and be touched (Luke 24:39-43; John 20:19-29). Our bodies will be like His, not limited by mortality or corruption, but still recognizable as human.

We will not become angels when we go to heaven. We will be far more redeemed, resurrected, glorified human beings who forever dwell in the presence of our Savior. In some ways, we will be like angels, eternal, sinless, and no longer married, but our identity as children of God, bought by the blood of Christ, remains unique.

So when someone says, “He became an angel,” kindly remind them: God made something even more glorious for us. We are not turning into angels, we are being made like Christ.

“And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1 Corinthians 15:49)