5 Books That Help Us Understand Angels and Demons - Christianity Today (2024)

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Silencing Satan: Handbook of Biblical Demonology

Sharon Beekman and Peter Bolt

Beekmann and Bolt deftly introduce readers to the world of Ancient Near East demonology before considering what both the Old and New Testaments have to say about Satan and his demons. But the book’s main strength lies in equipping pastors, Christian counselors, and other ministry leaders to better care for believers who are experiencing dreams, visions, or other unsettling supernatural phenomena.

Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Four Views

Edited by James K. Beilby and Paul Rhodes Eddy

In this useful volume, four authors present different models of spiritual warfare. The authors—representing a variety of theological perspectives—tackle a number of essential subjects, including the nature of Satan and the demonic realm, the centrality of spiritual warfare to the biblical story, and practical strategies for Christians to resist the devil’s schemes.

Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices

Thomas Brooks

Brooks was a Puritan pastor who lived in the 17th century. He writes out of a deep understanding of Scripture and Christian experience, taking the unseen world of devilish mischief with utmost seriousness. His focus is on believers (“saints”) and Satan’s strategies to trip them up. In chapter after eminently practical chapter, he describes the devil’s malevolent devices and the remedies to counter them.

Angels: A Very Short Introduction

David Albert Jones

Jones’s book is brief, but it surveys the whole field of angels, Satan, and demons. He discusses not only the Christian perspective on angels but also how they’re understood in Judaism and Islam. Those with a more robust view of biblical inspiration could benefit from his analysis, but they’re likely to question some of his theological conclusions.

Angels of Light, Powers of Darkness: Thinking Biblically About Angels, Satan, and Principalities

Stephen F. Noll

In this book, Noll sets out to answer the question: What does the Bible say about the role of angels, both fallen and unfallen, in God’s plan of redemption? Karl Barth wrote expansively on the theology of angels in his Church Dogmatics, and Noll interacts with Barth’s thinking at numerous points, adding his own astute observations.