Let us look at Malachi 3:1, and see together, ok?
Malachi 3:1 KJV - Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:1 KJV with Strong's Numbers/E-Sword - Behold,H2009 I will sendH7971 my messenger,H4397 and he shall prepareH6437 the wayH1870 beforeH6440 me: and the Lord,H113 whomH834 yeH859 seek,H1245 shall suddenlyH6597 comeH935 toH413 his temple,H1964 even the messengerH4397 of the covenant,H1285 whomH834 yeH859 delightH2655 in: behold,H2009 he shall come,H935 saithH559 the LORDH3068 of hosts.H6635
Malachi 3:1 Hebrew Text/E-Sword -
הנני שׁלח מלאכי ופנה־דרך לפני ופתאם יבוא אל־היכלו האדון אשׁר־אתם מבקשׁים ומלאך הברית אשׁר־אתם חפצים הנה־בא אמר יהוה צבאות׃
Malachi 3:1 Hebrew with Strong's Numbers/E-Sword - הנניH2005 שׁלחH7971 מלאכיH4397 ופנהH6437 דרךH1870 לפניH6440 ופתאםH6597 יבואH935 אלH413 היכלוH1964 האדוןH136 אשׁרH834 אתםH859 מבקשׁיםH1245 ומלאךH4397 הבריתH1285 אשׁרH834 אתםH859 חפציםH2655 הנהH2009 באH935 אמרH559 יהוהH3068 צבאות׃H6635
Malachi 3:1 Transliterated Hebrew from QBible- hin'niy sholëªch mal'äkhiy ûfiNäh-derekh' l'fänäy ûfit'om yävô el-hëykhälô häädôn ásher-aTem m'vaq'shiym ûmal'akh' haB'riyt ásher-aTem cháfëtziym hiNëh-vä ämar y'hwäh tz'väôt
Malachi 3:1 Greek LXX/E-Sword - ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου, καὶ ἐπιβλέψεται ὁδὸν πρὸ προσώπου μου, καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἥξει εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἑαυτοῦ κύριος, ὃν ὑμεῖς ζητεῖτε, καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος τῆς διαθήκης, ὃν ὑμεῖς θέλετε· ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται, λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ.
Malachi 3:1 Greek LXX with Strong;s Numbers/E-Sword - ιδουG2400 INJ εγωG1473 P-NS εξαποστελλωG1821 V-PAI-1S τονG3588 T-ASM αγγελονG32 N-ASM μουG1473 P-GS καιG2532 CONJ επιβλεψεταιG1914 V-FMI-3S οδονG3598 N-ASF προG4253 PREP προσωπουG4383 N-GSN μουG1473 P-GS καιG2532 CONJ εξαιφνηςG1810 ADV ηξειG1854 V-FAI-3S ειςG1519 PREP τονG3588 T-ASM ναονG3485 N-ASM εαυτουG1438 D-GSM κυριοςG2962 N-NSM ονG3739 R-ASM υμειςG4771 P-NP ζητειτεG2212 V-PAI-2P καιG2532 CONJ οG3588 T-NSM αγγελοςG32 N-NSM τηςG3588 T-GSF διαθηκηςG1242 N-GSF ονG3739 R-ASM υμειςG4771 P-NP θελετεG2309 V-PAI-2P ιδουG2400 INJ ερχεταιG2064 V-PMI-3S λεγειG3004 V-PAI-3S κυριοςG2962 N-NSM παντοκρατωρG3841 N-NSM
The text speaks of Two main Messengers:
[1] "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me ..."
[2] "... and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts."
The first is John the Baptist. How do we know? This text is referenced along with Isaiah 40:3 [Isaiah 40:3 KJV - The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.], when Isaiah is cited numerous times in the New Testament Gospel texts:
[1] Matthew 3:3 KJV - For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
[2] Mark 1:2 KJV - As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mark 1:3 KJV - The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
[3] Luke 3:4 KJV - As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
[4] John 1:23 KJV - He said, I [am] the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Shall we notice together that the language of Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3, and the New Testament texts, Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23, all share the commonality, "prepare the way". Also consider that Matthew and Luke specifically point out one prophet, Esaias [Isaiah], but notice that Mark makes mention of "prophets" [plural] which would then not only include the Major Prophet Isaiah, but also then the minor Prophet Malachi.
Notice carefully Luke's account from the beginning:
Luke 1:11 KJV - And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
Luke 1:12 KJV - And when Zacharias saw [him], he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
Luke 1:13 KJV - But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luke 1:14 KJV - And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
Luke 1:15 KJV - For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
Luke 1:16 KJV - And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
Luke 1:17 KJV - And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Thus, as a side notation, we can prove the WTS - Jehovah's Witness theology incorrect with this simple citing, since the "Lord" [Greek Tr. Kurios] in those New Testament texts is actually a direct reference to YHVH - Jehovah [Emmanuel] of the Old Testament texts and John the Baptist was to go before "him", who would come unto His own.
John 1:1 KJV - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 KJV - The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 KJV - All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:4 KJV - In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1:5 KJV - And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 1:6 KJV - There was a man sent from God, whose name [was] John.
John 1:7 KJV - The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all [men] through him might believe.
John 1:8 KJV - He was not that Light, but [was sent] to bear witness of that Light.
John 1:9 KJV - [That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
John 1:10 KJV - He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
John 1:11 KJV - He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
John 1:12 KJV - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
John 1:13 KJV - Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:14 KJV - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:15 KJV - John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
It was indeed verily Jehovah [Emmanuel] which took out the Israelite nation for himself and then came unto them, being rejected by them on the whole.
Thus these texts become paramount therein:
1 Corinthians 12:3 KJV - Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and [that] no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Philippians 2:11 KJV - And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Consider, in the light of the previous verses, as to what those two verses are actually saying. Paul did this over and over again in the New Testament, constantly citing the Old Testament references of Jehovah [Emmanuel] directly to Jesus Christ in the New Testament, see Hebrews 1 & 13, etc.
Moving back to our text of Malachi 3:1, we truly can then see that the first "messenger" [Hbr: Mal'ak, Grk: Aggelos; Eng: Angel/Messenger] is John the Baptist, who was to go before and prepare the way before the Lord God, being Jesus Christ, the Highest Angel/Messenger of the Father:
Matthew 21:37 KJV - But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
Mark 12:6 KJV - Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
Thus we can see that the Second "messenger" [Hbr: Mal'ak, Grk: Aggelos; Eng: Angel/Messenger] of Malachi is indeed Jesus the Christ, for He is indeed even the "Angel/Messenger of the Covenant/Testament", as spoken of by Jeremiah [Jeremiah 31:31-34; Isaiah 56:1-8; Daniel 9:27; Hebrews 8:8-13, 10:16, etc]:
Matthew 26:28 KJV - For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mark 14:24 KJV - And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
Luke 22:20 KJV - Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
1 Corinthians 11:25 KJV - After the same manner also [he took] the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me.
Daniel 9:27 KJV - And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Hebrews 2:3 KJV - How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard [him];
Hebrews 9:18 KJV - Whereupon neither the first [testament] was dedicated without blood.
Hebrews 9:20 KJV - Saying, This [is] the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
An overview look at the word "Angel":
"Angel":
"mal'ak" "מַלְאָךְ"; meaning: "messenger, representative", "messenger", "angel", "theophanic angel" "From an unused root meaning to despatch as a deputy" [Strong's Concordance]; "one sent, messenger", "a messenger of God" [Gesenius's Lexicon]
aggelos ἄγγελος; meaning: a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel [of the Heavenly Host], messenger from GOD [Strong's Concordance] [Thayer's Lexicon]
It does not inherently carry any connotation of created. It simply means messenger, whether Uncreated or created, as context dictates.
We see also the word used in Genesis 32:3,6; Numbers 20:14, 21:21, 22:5, 24:12; Deuteronomy 2:26; Joshua 6:17,25, 7:22; Judges 6:35, 7:24, 9:31, 11:12,13,14,17,19; 1 Samuel 6:21, 11:3,4,7,9, 16:19, 19:11,14,15,16,20,21, 23:27, 25:14,42; 2 Samuel 2:5, 3:12,14,26, 5:11, 11:4,19,22,23,25,27; 1 Kings 19:2, 20:2,5,9, 22:13; 2 Kings 1:3,5,16, 5:10, 6:32,33, 7:15, 9:18, 10:8, 14:8, 16:7, 17:4, 19:9,14,23; 1 Chronicles 14:1, 19:2,16; 2 Chronicles 18:12, 35:21, 36:15,16; Nehemiah 6:3; Job 1:14, 33:23; Proverbs 13:17, 16:14, 17:11; Isaiah 14:32, 18:2, 30:4, 33:7, 37:9,14, 42:19, 44:26; Jeremiah 27:3; Ezekiel 17:15, 23:16,40, 30:9; Nahum 2:13; Haggai 1:13; Malachi 2:7, 3:1 messenger or ambassadors [malak], speaking of humankind, being the same word used of angels of Heaven. Also of the [aggelos] in Greek in Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24,27, 9:52; 2 Corinthians 12:7; James 2:25 as messenger.
Just as Jesus Christ is called by the Office of "Apostle" [Hebrews 3:1], of the Father, it does not make Him one of the twelve, and so likewise, being of the office, not nature, "Angel" does not make him of the number of created hosts, but rather the Son, and personal messenger of the Father, sent from His bosom.
Further we see in Isaiah 9:6, that Jesus in the LXX is again called "Angel of the Great Counsel" or Greek "Μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος"; Tr: "Megales Boules Aggelos":
Isaiah 9:6 KJV - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (9:5) ὅτι παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐγενήθη ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἄξω εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, εἰρήνην καὶ ὑγίειαν αὐτῷ.
Jesus is designated in the office of "Angel" [messenger of the Father] many times in Scripture.