dr.graham states that “we cannot study the subject of angels in the bible without becoming aware of ranks among angelic beings.the evidence shows that they are organized in terms of authority and glory. . . . it seems to follow this pattern: archangels, angels, seraphim, cherubim, principalities, authorities, powers, thrones, might and dominion (colossians 1:16; romans 8:28).”

Dr. graham continues to describe angels:

“angels speak. they appear and reappear. they are emotional creatures. while angels may become visible by choice, our eyes are not constructed to see them ordinarily any more than we can see the dimensions of a nuclear field, the structure of atoms, or the electricity that flows through copper wiring. our ability to sense reality is limited. . . . of one thing we can be sure: angels never draw attention to themselves but ascribe glory to god and press his message upon the hearers as a delivering and sustaining word of the highest order.”

dr. billy graham discusses the reality of angels in his second chapter. he points out that “angels belong to a uniquely different dimension of creation that we, limited to the natural order [four dimensions], can scarcely comprehend. . . . he has given angels higher knowledge, power and mobility than we. . . . they are god’s messengers whose chief business is to carry out his orders in the world. . . . he has designated and empowered them as holy deputies to perform works of righteousness. . . . angels are nonmaterial; hebrews 1:14 calls them ministering ‘spirits.’ intrinsically, they do not possess physical bodies, although they may take on physical bodies when god appoints them to special tasks.”

another topic neglected all too often by the church is angels. they appear numerous times in scripture, and they are real, though primarily spiritual beings created by god. from november 16 through november 18, 2020, billy graham addressed the holy spirit by that title in detail. i collated selected blogs on the holy spirit this year. beginning in november of 2025 i shall add posts that consider angels as excerpts from billy graham’s book by that title that discusses angels in detail, much more than taught by christian pulpit pastors. humans can commune with angels in a bidirectional manner as they can commune in the same manner with the holy spirit in our time.

i close this series of blog posts addressing aspects of our relationship with the holy spirit by including excerpts from the chapter entitled glorification. dr. olson states that . . . “the christian life is not merely a personal quest for fulfillment; it is a living testimony that brings glory to god at every STAGE. AND ITS ULTIMATE DESTINATION IS OUR GLORIFICATION. . . . GOD’S GLORY IS HIS ETERNAL AND INTRINSIC MAJESTY REVEALED IN HIS CHARACTER attributes and power, whereas our glorification, which unfolds in two stages, is the final outcome of the transformation of both [human] spirit and body into the image of christ.

“the holy spirit plays an essential role in our glorification. even now, the spirit is at work within us, shaping us into the likeness of christ. . . . his indwelling presence serves as a guarantee, a down payment, of the full inheritance that awaits us. . . . the full path of the christian journey can be summarized as: salvation [to] sanctification [to] glorification. . . . at physical death, the believer’s [human] spirit is immediately perfected and enters into union with god: 2 cor 5:8: . . . then, at christ’s return, believers will receive resurrected, glorified bodies: phil 3: 20-21. . . . our glorification is not merely a promise of personal reward; it is the grand conclusion of god’s redemptive work in us, and a reflection of his limitless grace and power.”

dr. olson concludes his book “with the enduring promise of philippians 1:6:

“being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of jesus christ.”

i have emphasized in my writings that, contrary to what many believe, god’s communion with mankind did not cease with the closure of the biblicAL CANON. NO, GOD, THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, COMMUNES WITH US TODAY, AND I HAVE ENDEAVORED TO RELATE HOW THAT OCCURS IN PART IN MY BOOKS AND BLOGS. IT IS A DUAL INTERACTION BETWEEN THE IMMATERIAL MIND OF GOD AND MIND OF MAN, TRANSMITTED BIDIRECTIONALLY THROUGH THE MATERIAL NEURAL SYNAPTIC NETWORKS OF THE HUMAN BRAIN.

DR. OLSON QUOTES DALLAS WILLARD IN HIS CHAPTER ENTITLED HEARING GOD:

“MANY CHRISTIANS THINK THAT GOD SELDOM, IF EVER, SPEAKS TO THEM, BUT THEOLOGIAN AND PHILOSOPHER DALLAS WILLARD A WIDELY RESPECTED AUTHOR, BELIEVED OTHERWISE. HE TAUGHT THAT GOD SPEAKS TO ALL BELIEVERS REGULARLY - OFTEN DAILY. . . . [BELOW IS LISTED] DIFFERENT WAYS WE KNOW OF THAT GOD SPEAKS TO AND HAS SPOKEN TO HIS PEOPLE:

“GOD’S WORD (BIBLE), VOICE OF GOD, CREATION - NATURE [GENERAL REVELATION], VISIONS, DREAMS, VOICES OF OTHERS, EMPOWERMENT, CIRCUMSTANCES, EVENTS, MUSIC, INNER VOICE, PROMPTING, ANGELS, MEDIA, SUCH AS BOOKS, ARTICLES, LECTURES.”

I CLOSE THIS BLOG WITH JOHN 10:27, MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE, AND I KNOW THEM, AND THEY FOLLOW ME.

dr. olson continues, CITING n. t. wRIGHT:

“…when we say the holy spirit desires control, it means he longs to guide, teach, transform, protect, and empower us in every area of life - our thoughts, decisions, relationships, habits, work, and even our emotions. surrendering to the spirit does not mean losing our will, but rather aligning our will with god’s perfect plan - a plan that leads to true freedom, peace, and purpose. god wants us to be holy, becAUSE HE IS HOLY. HE WANTS US TO BE PERFECT BECAUSE HE IS PERFECT. BUT WE CAN’T GET THERE ON OUR OWN, WITH OUR OWN CONTROL. WE CAN ONLY GET THERE UNDER GOD’S [INDWELLING] DIVINE INFLUENCE [ON OUR SOUL]. . . . PAUL TELLS US IN ROMANS 8 AND OTHER PLACES IN HIS EPISTLES THAT DURING OUR TRANSFORMATION WE ARE BECOMING A NEW CREATION, I.E., A PART OF GOD’S FUTURE WORLD, EVEN AS WE CONTINUE TO LIVE WITHIN THE PRESENT OLD CREATION, IN WHAT PAUL CALLS ‘THE PRESENT EVIL AGE’. . . . WE ARE GETTING A FORETASTE OF WHAT THE NEW WORLD WILL BE LIKE. WE ARE PART OF THE NEW CREATION IN ADVANCE.”

“ALREADY BUT NOT YET” DESCRIBES THE CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL CONCEPT THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS BEEN INAUGURATED THROUGH CHRIST’S FIRST COMING, BUT ITS FULL CONSUMMATION IS STILL IN THE FUTURE. gEEHARDUS VOS OF THE DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH IS CREDITED AS FIRST USING THE PHRASE. THAT BELIEVING, SAVED CHRISTIANS ARE INDWELLED AND FILLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, SENT AS PROMISED BY THE RISEN JESUS CHRIST, GIVES TESTIMONY TO THE FUTURE NEW CREATION WHEN THE GLORIFIED SAINTS ARE IN THE ETERNAL PRESENCE OF jESUS.

“indwelling of the holy spirit happens only once at the time of regeneration and it is permanent. it is a gift from god to all believers and is an act of the holy spirit alone, i.e. we do nothing. filling by the indwelling [holy] spirit on the other hand occurs innumerable times over our lifetime and it is a cooperative act between us and the holy spirit. . . . filling here means to allow the spirit to control our lives. a good way to look at it is not how much of the spirit we have, but how much the spirit has of us. . . . accompanied by trust and reliance on the spirit.”

Dr. olson shares the following comments about the sanctification process:

“it is a journey of the [human] spirit from its bodily home to its union with god. god wants us to empty ourselves of ourselves that is controlled by our sinful human nature, and replace it with the likeness of christ, shaped by the holy spirit. this can take a lifetime. . . . [it is] the purpose of the journey god wants his children to take. . . . it is to take our [human] spirit out of a self-centered destructive world of sin and bring it to a god-centered state of holiness. . . . it is a joint venture with the holy spirit as our helper.”

dr. olson states that the four transformative events described in the blog below prepare us for a “relationship with god and journey with jesus, particularly in the process of sanctification. . . . sanctification is a crucial part of the christian life, and the holy spirit is at the very heart of this transformative process.” it is a gradual process, “requiring both divine assistance and human effort.”

“to live by the spirit [of god], as paul commands, we must cultivate a relationship with him. . . . it is about communion with god’s presence. . . . to live by the spirit is not to strive under our own power but to surrender to his leading. . . . being attentive to his voice.

“. . . the final step of the journey, full union with god, does not occur in this life, but after death. . . . it’s important to understand this not as the [human] soul being dissolved into god, but as a profound and perfect union [/communion] in which the soul is fully united with him while still retaining its god-given distinctiveness. at that moment, glorification completes our spiritual sanctification. believers are now not only in heaven but are made fully whole, holy, and beautiful, fulfilling god’s redemptive plan. this transformation is the crowning work of god’s grace, in which we reflect his glory and reign with him forever.”