Product Description

Today’s interest in the supernatural often seems to put the emphasis on demons, ghosts and other evil powers. But what about the forces of good? Angels are thought by some to be purely the province of song lyrics, fairy tales and popular mythology, yet they are mentioned nearly three hundred times in the Bible and are in fact a very real source of comfort and strength for many people today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #100764 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Angels: God's Secret Agents is Billy Graham's one-volume introduction to one of the most popular spiritual phenomena of our time. Firmly grounded in Graham's close readings of scripture, Angels testifies to Graham's own encounters with the heavenly beings and also records the many similar stories that other believers have told him over the years. Graham devotes entire chapters to the questions of whether angels are visible or invisible, how they differ from men and women and how the angelic hierarchy is organised. He also discusses the much-debated theories that UFO sightings are in fact angelic appearances. Perhaps the primary purpose of this book, however, is to inform readers that armies of angels are ready and willing to help Christians in their daily fights against the forces of darkness. "Millions of angels are at God's command and at our service", Graham writes. "The hosts of heaven stand at attention as we make our way from earth to glory, and Satan's guns are no match for God's heavy artillery". Such stirring theological pronouncements are matched with practical advice for believers who wish to know the angelic powers in everyday life. --Simon Priestly

About the Author
No one else in the religious world either carries the respect of international leaders or has the stature of the American evangelist Billy Graham. He has been the friend of presidents, he has been welcomed by heads of state throughout the world, and in Britain he has had the privilege on several occasions of preaching before the Queen.

Customer Reviews

Angels 101
This book is basically a layman's guide to angels. Graham uses the Bible as his only source of information on the subject, and he does a very good job of describing the heavenly hosts to readers. The book was written largely in response to the proliferation of books centering around demonology and New Age ideas in recent years; as he points out, there really aren't many satisfying treatments available of angels per se. Sadly, modern man's conception of angels has been shaped and largely determined by popular entertainment; Graham effectively delineates truth from lies and imaginative thinking. The book is meant to inspire and comfort as much as it is to inform the reader. Graham offers many penetrating insights into the subject, but, most importantly, he lays out the basic facts about angels as they are revealed in the Bible. He describes a hierarchy of angels that is more extensive that I realized--at the top is the archangel Michael, followed by Gabriel, then cherubim and seraphim, and finally a myriad of different principalities, authorities, etc. Angels, Graham argues, perform different functions but serve only to glorify God and assist man in attaining salvation.

While the concept of a hierarchy among angels seems somewhat strange, given that it necessarily implies varying levels of power and authority and, thus, inequality among these divine beings, Graham does an excellent job of explaining what angels do and, more interestingly, what they cannot do. Angels, first and foremost, praise the Lord and work for Him in all things; they serve as His divine warriors and as the protective agents of every Christian in the world. Interestingly, angels cannot preach to man or take any other action to compel man to repent of his sins because each man must make his own decision for or against Christ. One of the explanations Graham suggests for angels' inability to actively win human souls is the fact that angels do not know sin and cannot relate to the miraculous conversion from sin to faith in Christ. What I find most interesting about angels, and this is a notion borne out by Graham's writing, is the fact that they will be subordinate to saved human souls in heaven. Though born wretched, those men and women who accept God's salvation will live eternally in a closer relationship with God than the sinless angels do.

Many readers will find the information on Lucifer and his fall from heaven the most interesting section of the book. I certainly cannot understand how any angel, created without sin, can somehow fall victim to pride (which Graham implies is the seedbed of all sin), especially to the point where he will challenge God for His throne and, even more amazingly, convince up to one third of all angels to join with him in the revolt. Graham does a good a job as anyone at explaining the origins of Satan (as well as the inevitable defeat of the prince of lies).

The true purpose of the book is to win new souls for the Lord and to offer comfort and inspiration for those already redeemed. Graham makes the case that, for Christians, angels are always over our shoulder watching out for us, that they love each of us and rejoice each time a new soul is won, and that they will be there to guide us directly to Heaven once we pass away. The only weakness of the book is, ironically, also its greatest strength--it is written so that anyone can understand it. While I might turn away from a hefty theological tome, I would very much like to see a more detailed, scholarly treatment of the subject, especially by such an authority as Billy Graham.

Angels are for real!
In writing this thought provoking and oftentimes thrilling study on the subject of Angels, in the light of biblical revelation, Billy Graham has sought to draw greater attention towards the supernatural forces of good. Too often the emphasis seems to be placed upon the occult and the forces of darkness, but as Billy Graham points out, the Bible is as full of angels as it is of demons.

What are angels? What is their purpose? How do they differ from men? Are angels still active in the world today? These are some of the many questions the author sheds light upon. This book is by no means intended as an exhaustive study on the Angelic realm, but through an exploration of the scriptures and considering many accounts of angelic activity in the world, past and present, this makes for a fascinating and informative read!

Preaching at its worst
I believed that this book might help me in my search for information on Angels. Instead what I found was that the author is far too concerned with preaching the goodness of the bible and how all other ways of thinking are wrong. Topics such as these mean an open mind is absolutly necessary. What a dissapointment.