Spiritual Warfare
We need to realize that we face enemies. It’s a dangerous situation to have powerful and active enemies working against you and you not be aware that you have those enemies. The enemies we face are not persons of flesh and blood, but invisible spirit beings.
These things cannot be discerned, with human senses. The Bible talks about things that no eye has seen, or ear has heard. Things that are invisible and spiritual. The things we are going to talk about can only be understood through scripture and there is no other source of reliable information.
The things we see touch hear taste and feel, are not truly real. Many philosophers have come to this conclusion. They are temporary, impermanent, and deceptive. You cannot rely on your senses. The bible says the same. Paul says, the things that are seen are temporary, and things that are not seen are eternal. The things of the sense world are only temporary, they do not endure, and they are only there for a short time.
2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
What comes to mind about the physical world when you read this scripture?
When we come to a theme like this, we need to begin by making a mental adjustment, and say to ourselves, we are not going to limit ourselves by what we can see or touch and hear and taste, but we are going to open our heart and mind to the revelation given in scripture, through the Holy Spirit.
We are dealing with things that can only be known by revelation. What we are going to deal with is two Kingdoms that are at war with one another. They are not natural kingdoms, like Britain, Sweden, or the US government, but invisible spiritual kingdoms. One is the kingdom of God, and the other is the kingdom of Satan.
Matthew 12 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
Satan clearly has a Kingdom, as Jesus said.
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Now here is the other Kingdom. They are invisible, but they exist. Jesus points out there is one aspect of his ministry that brings both kingdoms into the open, and that is the driving out of demons by His power and authority. The demons invisible spirit beings represent Satan’s Kingdom, and Jesus and his servants and followers of his ministry represent Gods Kingdom. In the driving out of demons, the visible clash of these kingdoms is brought out into the open. The fact that Jesus and his servants can drive out Satan’s demons, is convincing evidence that the kingdom of God is more powerful than the Kingdom of Satan. For this reason, Satan highly opposes the ministry of deliverance because it brings out into the open things he would rather keep secret and also demonstrates that the kingdom of Jesus is more powerful than his kingdom.
Ephesians 6 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Our wrestling match is not with persons with bodies. We are dealing with persons, but persons without bodies. Spirit beings. Wrestling is intense, if you have ever wrestled, it’s very intense because you use your whole body, and strength to subdue, its total warfare.
Satan’s kingdom is highly organized. He was given a divinely organized system that he took with him and used it against God. He is a very astute powerful and evil being. There is a level of rulerships in Satan’s Kingdoms with rulers with various areas of authority. Below that are other rulers with lesser areas of authority.
against the rulers (dominators) of the darkness of this world – God never dominates. When you encounter domination, it’s demonic. Gods kingdom is a kingdom of light, Satan dominates with a system of darkness. Those who are in Gods system know who they are serving, and know what they are doing. Those who are in Satan’s Kingdom do not know who they are serving nor do they know what they are actually doing.
against spiritual wickedness in high places. – Armies of wicked powerful rebellious spirit being are in the heavenlies.
Isaiah 14 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
The key word to Satan’s sin is pride which led to rebellion. His ambition was to elevate himself to be equal with God. He was so wise and glorious, he thought he could be like God.
Ezekiel 28 12.. “‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. 18 By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. 19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’”
There are 3 heavens. Satan was cast out of (a) heaven. In the beginning God created the heaven(s) (plural) and the earth.
2 Corinthians 12 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven.
Ephesians 4 9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
Between us and God there is a Satanic Kingdom. – Daniel 10 Talks about how Daniel fasted for 21 days. Today this is known as a Daniel fast. When the angel of the Lord showed up, everyone ran and was frightened. This angel was sent from God to answer his prayer concerning the future of his people.
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.
When we pray, sometimes we do not get our answer right away. It’s not that God didn’t hear our prayers, but rather, there is opposition. We need to learn Spiritual Warfare if we are going to have victory in life.
