Angels and Demons Part 1

Greetings,

                We are going to begin a journey this week in order to answer the following question: Is there a difference between fallen angels and demons? Why does this matter? If we remain unable to differentiate between fallen angels and demons it will hinder our ability to effectively conduct spiritual warfare. My job is to equip you for success. Only once we begin to make this distinction can room be made for God to explain to us the truth about what the kingdom of darkness is really up to. Therefore, over the next few weeks I will discuss the difference between fallen angels and demons and then move into deeper elements regarding the kingdom of darkness.

                We will begin by setting up the typical misunderstanding of Satan and demonology. The theology most Christians believe goes something like this. Satan (also called Lucifer) is in heaven as the anointed cherub (Ezekiel 28:14). The multitude of his merchandise (Ezekiel 28:16) and the incredible beauty and wisdom he possesses (Ezekiel 28:17) among other things leads to the iniquity that God finds in him (Ezekiel 28:15). As a result there is a war in heaven (Revelation 12:7-9) and God kicks Satan and his army of angels out (Revelation 12:4). This army comprises one-third of heavens hosts. As a result of getting kicked out of heaven, Satan slams into earth. This is why Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Satan is then present for the Garden of Eden incident and all of the hosts of heaven that fall with him become demons. Is that simple enough?

                The problem with this theology is that it’s too simple. Not only is it too simple, it’s actually very sloppy when we begin to apply careful exegesis.

 In order to begin discussing the issue of fallen angels we will begin with Lucifer, the first and most powerful angel to rebel against God. The two famous passages dealing with the history of Lucifer are found in Ezekiel 28:12-19 and Isaiah 14:12-17. Interestingly enough, neither of these passages mentions other angels joining him in his rebellion. While Lucifer did birth iniquity (Ezekiel 28:15) and as a result was cast out of the mountain of God as a profane thing (Ezekiel 28:16) it seems that at least initially he was relatively alone in these things. Note that there was only one serpent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Not a serpent with a huge army of cronies.

After the incident at the Garden of Eden, the Bible does not mention any more activity specifically attributed to Satan for a long time. However, the next event involving heavenly hosts occurs in Genesis six. The story goes as follows:

“When people had spread all over the world, and daughters were being born, some of the heavenly beings saw that these young women were beautiful, so they took the ones they liked. Then the Lord said, I will not allow people to live forever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer than 120 years. In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth who were descendants of human women and the heavenly beings. They were the great heroes and famous men of long ago.” (Genesis 6:1-4 GNT)

So according to Genesis 6, giants began to exist because heavenly beings (or angels) began to produce offspring with human women.  This was obviously a separate rebellion from the fall of Lucifer and it was a rebellion based on different reasons. Lucifer rebelled because of the multitude of his merchandise, his beauty, and his corrupted wisdom (Ezekiel 28:16-17). The angels in Genesis 6 rebelled because they lusted after human women. The Bible is clear that the angels that sinned were cast down to hell when God chose not to spare the old (pre-flood) world. These angels that rebelled were locked up in chains under darkness until the judgment of the great day. Since they were locked in hell while Satan wasn’t, it actually suggests that Satan had little if anything to do with this rebellion.

“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:4-5)

                “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 6)

                According to the book of Jude these angels did not keep their first estate (Greek arche), which was their origin or original heavenly appointment. They left their own habitations (Greek oiketerion) which were spiritual bodies and assumed physical bodies in order to accommodate the act of physical union with human women. We know that the term oiketerion is referring to their spiritual bodies because the same term is used to describe the spiritual bodies we will one day receive.

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house [oiketerion] which is from heaven” (1 Corinthians 5:1-2)

The idea that angels can put on physical bodies like humans put on clothes is illustrated when God and two angels visit Abraham. That these angels are wearing physical bodies is obvious because they eat food and get their feet washed.

                “And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men [the LORD and two angels] stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree… And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.” (Genesis 18:1-4, 8)

                Thus it is established that physical union between an angel and a human woman is not really much of a feat at all. The rebelling angels assumed physical bodies and began to have children with the human women. These children were hybrids being half human and half angelic, and as a result of their hybrid nature they were also giants when compared with normal men. This is why the Bible says, “In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth who were descendants of human women and the heavenly beings” (Genesis 6:4 GNT).

To be continued…

Spiritual Defense

1/21/12

Greetings,

                Do you ever feel like you’re getting body slammed by the devil? Maybe your life is kind of like walking into a flying elbow or waking up in a head lock? Do you feel like you just got thrown in the boxing ring with Muhammad Ali—and left there just to get beat on? Do you wish the devil would just run out of karate chops?

                I want to be very clear about something. The devil is a whole lot better at spiritual warfare than most Christians. I hate to say it but a majority of Christians, overwhelmed by the devil’s power, throw in the towel and walk away from their spiritual battles. They accept defeat because for them, subjugation is easier than victory. I will not settle for anything less than the victory that Jesus purchased for me, and I pray that if you have been accepting defeat, you decide to make a change today!

                I am going to discuss a few effective strategies for keeping the devil off of your back. This will help you to begin to establish the victory of Jesus Christ in areas you may have forfeited (or never had at all). One of the utmost important tools in defending ourselves from the devil’s unrelenting attacks is our spiritual armor. This armor should be applied daily. How do we apply our spiritual armor? We speak it over ourselves. The Bible is very clear that there is power in the tongue.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)

Some people like the silent approach to Christianity. They don’t say anything. Their prayers are in their heads and their primary form of witnessing is the notorious “lifestyle witness.” Death to works of the enemy and life to the hurting areas of our lives are loosed through the tongue. Things must be spoken. The power is in saying things out loud.

Applying our spiritual armor is done by speaking out loud. I recommend simply memorizing Ephesians 6:14-17 and speaking it as a prayer daily. Here is a prayer you can speak over yourself to apply the armor of God.

“Father, right now I choose to apply the armor of God. I will stand against the wicked one having girded my waist with truth, and having taken up the breastplate of righteousness. My feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all else I take up the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. I put on the helmet of salvation and take up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. I speak this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

With the armor of God on it is more difficult for the enemy to beat you up. Don’t just stand there and let him punch you in the gut and karate chop you in the face! Put some spiritual armor on so that when the attack does come (because it will) it will have a greatly reduced impact on you. Natural things are modeled after spiritual things. Why would we agree that giving armor to soldiers in the natural is a good thing and neglect to apply the armor we have been given spiritually? It’s not good for business.

The next thing we can do to reduce the enemy’s ability to impale us with terrible things is to apply the blood of Jesus. There is so much teaching that could be done on the blood of Jesus. It was by His blood that Jesus established the new covenant. Without the new covenant it would be impossible to be saved. Think about it like this: no blood, no covenant. Moreover, the new covenant also includes an array of incredible promises that we get access to when we get saved. Therefore the blood is actually a gateway to all of the promises that have been established by our new and better covenant.

“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6)

Jesus mediated the new covenant to replace the old covenant otherwise known as the “Law of Moses.” To do this He established the covenant with His own life; the very life of God. By shedding His blood He allowed His blood to speak of better things and better promises. The blood He shed actually speaks the testimony of Jesus’ victory. The victory of Jesus means that we have obtained great and precious promises. This is why the blood of Jesus speaks of better things than that of Abel’s. Abel’s blood spoke as a testimony to injustice, but Jesus’ blood speaks as a testimony to victory!

“to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:24)

There is so much power in the blood that the book of Revelation declares that by it we overcome the enemy (Revelation 12:11). As a matter of fact, the apostle John even declared that the blood is one of the three witnesses of God in the earth!

“And there are three that bear witness on earth the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.” (1 John 5:8)

                Picture it like this. The devil is running towards you to give you a flying head butt. You speak and suddenly you’re wearing cybernetic armor that even bullets can’t pierce. He’s seen this before so he keeps running. You speak again this time pleading the blood of Jesus over yourself. As he leaps into the air a giant slab of concrete lifts out of the ground thirty feet into the air. The devil slaps into it face first. POW! Meet the power of God.

                I have been subject to many attacks of the devil. Believe me; I’ve been hit on every side, ambushed, surprise attacked, had the rug pulled out from under my feet, you get the idea. In the process I have learned a thing or two about keeping the devil at bay, or even causing him to run in the other direction. Getting in the habit of applying the armor of God and pleading the blood of Jesus is at the foundation of these techniques. When it comes to pleading the blood of Jesus, we have to remember that we are not the only party that the devil can attack or manipulate in an attempt to destroy our lives. He uses others as well.

                I like to plead the blood of Jesus over everything touching my life. This includes my wife, friends, close family members, bank account, house, cars, electronics, etc. I particularly like to plead the blood of Jesus over people that I am just getting to know. I’ve found that the devil will often destroy people’s lives if he thinks by attacking them he can keep them from being influenced by strong Christian people. You may have witnessed similar things happen to people you are just getting to know as well.

                In closing, if you are feeling the impact of the devil’s attacks it’s time to wise up and use some of the defensive tools that God has provided us. Apply the armor of God and plead the blood of Jesus over everything. If you’re not quite sure how to plead the blood of Jesus, just use the following prayer.

                “Father, I plead the blood of Jesus over myself, my residence, my   (list of relationships, assets, projects, etc.)   . I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

The Spirit Realm

1/14/12

Greetings,

                Spiritual warfare exists because there is an ongoing war between two kingdoms in the spirit realm. These two kingdoms are the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. Both exist in the spirit realm, yet are just as real as the kingdoms and nations found in the natural realm.

                The kingdom of light is the kingdom of God. In this kingdom Jesus Christ is the King. This week we are going to spend some time discussing this kingdom. It is one thing to say that we have the victory in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). However, to truly understand how deep a comment like this really goes, we need to understand the concept of kingdom.

                A kingdom is a government. Therefore, when we understand that there are kingdoms at war in the spirit realm we are really saying that there are governments at war in the spirit realm. Government is for the purpose of ruling a society. In the spirit realm there are two main societies. There are those that are allied with Jesus and those that are allied with Lucifer who is also known as Satan.

                A kingdom is a top down form of government with a supreme ruler. In a kingdom there is rank and order. Rank and order creates a hierarchy. All authority comes from the king, and all offices which are held within a kingdom are granted according to the King’s appointment (Ephesians 4:11). This is important to understand because when we become Christian we are translated into a government called the kingdom of God. From this point forward we are part of system which is highly structured and organized according to the infinite wisdom of God Himself.

                “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13)

                What many Christians have yet to catch onto is that rank and order does exist among the people of God. When we see very powerful ministers of God (whose prayers seem to shake heaven and earth) we often do not make the connection that part of the reason for the power entrusted to them is the rank and office they hold within the kingdom of God. We graduate from one rank to another in the kingdom of God as we faithfully execute all that God asks of us and continue to grow in our relationship with Him.

We must also understand that the war in the spirit realm is not being fought because it is possible for the kingdom of darkness to beat the kingdom of God. The kingdom of darkness has already lost this war. This is why the Bible says that Jesus trampled upon principalities and powers (types of angelic spirits) and triumphed over them. This is also why Jesus Himself says that He has all power in heaven and on earth.

                “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He [Jesus] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15 NKJV)

                “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18 NKJV)

                The war in the spirit realm is being fought because it is a war for the souls of men. The goal of the kingdom of darkness is to destroy and take captive as many lives as possible in the time that God has allotted until the return of His son Jesus Christ. This is why the Bible says the devil has come down with great wrath knowing that his time is short.

                “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”  (Revelation 12:12)

                Understanding the fact that kingdoms are involved in the existence of spiritual warfare is extremely important. It is so important, in fact, that it cannot be overemphasized. When any kingdom goes to war there is a rank and order. Soldiers do not simply get a gun, get sent out into the field, and get told to shoot whatever moves. Soldiers are organized by rank. There are offices and systems of accountability set in place. Missions are executed with declared objectives that work towards the accomplishment of larger goals and agendas. At the end of the day, all major efforts of a kingdom’s army are in response to the agenda and priorities of the king.

                This changes a lot of paradigms. The fact of the matter is that spiritual warfare is not a solo effort, it is a kingdom agenda. It is not just about “casting out demons.” Spiritual warfare is really supposed to be executed according to a progressive campaign strategy that will result in the expanse of a kingdom’s territory and sphere of influence.

                No war is ever about a single soldier. It is about corporate goals that will affect an entire society. No true soldier fights for himself, he or she fights for something bigger than themselves. In the case of Christianity, we are involved in spiritual warfare as members of the kingdom of God. We are actually fighting for a kingdom and an agenda that will result in the expanse of territory. This territory is ultimately taken in the hearts of men, but the result is the empowerment of societies on earth.

                We are members of a government in which we hold an appointed status. As members of this kingdom, we are sent forth to use the resources of this kingdom to make war with the enemy. This is where we come back to the concept of having the victory in Jesus Christ. When we go forth as warriors of the kingdom of God we make war using the power and authority of Jesus—which is the victory that holds sway over the whole spirit realm. In the natural we see soldiers go out with guns, knives, and other weapons of combat. These weapons do not come with any promise of victory. Never has any natural soldier gone onto the field of battle with a guarantee that they are going forth to establish victory. We have the guarantee of victory. As Christians, our main resource is the name of Jesus and the fact that He has all power in heaven and on earth. This is why it is said, if God be for us, who then can be against us?

                “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us

The Necessity of Spiritual Warfare

1/7/12

Greetings,

I am excited for the arrival of the New Year! I hope that you enjoyed the holidays. I was personally blessed to spend quality time with both my side of the family as well as my wife’s. However, with all of the festivities finished we are at a crossroads. As with every New Year, it brings with it the potential for change. Many view the changing of the year as an opportunity to change direction, to pursue new dreams, or to simply right old wrongs. At BRIDE Ministries this year will bring several new things which I am already thanking God for.

This year, and actually within the next couple weeks, we will be able to begin receiving tax-deductable donations. That’s right! BRIDE Ministries is being incorporated as an official 501c3 non-profit ministry. The donations that we will be able to receive will allow us to pursue greater projects and bring into the realm of possibility many things that up until now have remained ideas written on paper. I want to challenge those of you that have found true value from these letters or the online teachings to prayerfully consider giving towards the vision. For those of you that are newer to this letter, my vision is to promote unity in the body of Christ worldwide and assist in the creation and development of sheep nations.

Last year the focus of these weekly emails was the power and purpose of unity in the body of Christ. All of those teachings have been titled and posted to my blog if any of you would like to review the concepts and lessons that were shared. This year we are going to transition into spiritual warfare.

               It is truly unfortunate that this still seems to be a relatively controversial subject in certain circles of Christianity. Spiritual warfare, plain and simple, is something that Jesus said Christians would do. Furthermore, when He said we would do this, He used a covenant word—“shall.” Covenant words like “shall” and “will” indicate absolute resolution that what has been said will be.

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.” (Mark 16:17)

Understand that the casting out of devils is not to be approached narrow-mindedly. Some assume that casting out devils is limited to driving demons out of individual people. If this were the extent of spiritual warfare it would certainly be nice, but the issue is much larger than this one aspect of “casting out devils.” Devils, otherwise known as evil spirits, not only occupy people, but can be attached to objects, ritual sites, homes, neighborhoods, cities, states, and nations. There are even spirits with international authority like spirits attached to religious systems. Beyond this there are spirits that rule over other dimensions like Abaddon who is the fallen angel that rules a realm known as “the pit” (Revelation 9:11). At the very top of the hierarchy is Lucifer, otherwise known as Satan, who is called by the Bible the “god of this world”.

“In whom the god of this world [Lucifer] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

I am going to approach this subject very similarly to the way I approached the subject of unity. Each week will be a nugget of truth. At times, I may string one lesson across two or three weeks but for the most part each letter will address one aspect of spiritual warfare.

               I do not plan on censoring myself in this process. Jesus has walked me out into the realm of the spirit for a reason. I am not setting out to read a doctrinal thesis and regurgitate it to you. I am going to keep this very real, very relevant, and grounded in the Word of God. I will be sharing personal experiences and explaining things to you the way the Holy Spirit has explained them to me. Many of the things I will be sharing will stretch you, but my goal is to equip you to be a threat to the enemy.

The sad truth is that the enemy scoffs at many people that consider themselves Christian. The reason is because they do not know how to exercise the power of Christ against him. Furthermore, many do not want to and some even try to oppose those that do. The devil looks at them like idiots, and rightly so. Put yourself in his shoes for a minute.

Imagine that you are trying to build a factory that will manufacture nothing but poison. Poison will be packaged and sold for a profit and more poison will be released from the smoke stacks. Moreover, poison will even be illegally dispensed underground so that it can get into the water supply. Eventually, everyone in the city will die from the impact of the factory. You’re not worried about it though, because that is actually your purpose for building the factory. When you begin building you purposely go out to hire all of the crooks and bad guys in the city. When you waive the cash and opportunity in their faces they immediately get on board. However, there is a group of people that has just been sent to the same city to establish a beautiful and healthy environment.

As you await the inevitable opposition you watch as an illogical thing begins to occur. The group that was sent in to establish a beautiful and healthy environment begins to argue. Some begin to declare that you are not actually building a poison factory and that everyone that believes you are doing that is crazy. Others say that if they talk about the factory too much, it glorifies evil, so they should only sparingly talk about the factory and not commit to opposing it lest evil be more greatly glorified. You begin to chuckle when some of them come to you in secret to ask for jobs. It gets even more ridiculous when the group begins to punish and mock the members that suggest it is time to oppose the factory. By the time the factory is completely built and a large portion of the city is already dying from its impact you are rolling on your back laughing that the group is still failing to organize and oppose your efforts. The most ridiculous part is that they actually hold the title deed to the land you built the factory on and can evict you from it at anytime.

“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Revelation 1:18)

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18)

“For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.” (1 Corinthians 10:26)

Jesus is the ultimate authority. He has all power in heaven and in earth. He has legal rights to the earth and “the fullness thereof” right now. In the parable, the poison represents sin and things leading to it. The devil and his cohorts propagate sin through the various devices that they erect (2 Corinthians 2:11). This is represented by the factory in the parable. The devil receives rights to build his empire in this earth from people who choose to cooperate with him. This is because God appointed men to have dominion over the earth even though He owns it (Genesis 1:26). Through his deceptions the devil has usurped authority to the point that the Bible declares him the god of this world. However, when his rights are taken away by the people of God (because that’s our job) the devil and his cohorts must evict the territory. This territory can be an individual’s life, a home, a city, a state or a nation.

My goal is to help Christians give the devil a major headache and take his stuff away according to the power granted to us by Christ. In order to do this, I must give you understanding on new levels. If someone tells you that you can get coconuts from a tree you might get excited. When you get to the tree however, you will promptly realize that you cannot get any coconuts at the base of the tree. If you’re a real thinker, you will realize that the tree must be climbed in order to get to the coconuts. Most Christians, when it comes to spiritual warfare, do not look up and obtain a vision of their potential inheritance or try to climb the tree which requires training, time, and effort. Instead, they just stand there. Every once in a while, by the grace of God, gravity will pull a coconut to the ground and they will exclaim, “Aha! Our faithfulness has produced progress and it fits our belief system!” Please don’t be that guy.

I am going to show you what it means to climb the tree towards the inheritance we can have as experts in spiritual warfare. These letters will inform, train, and equip you throughout the year. In addition, I will attach an audio file (.mp3) to every email of me praying. These prayers will be based on the lessons and concepts contained in the emails every week. They will provide you with both impartation as well as a model for incorporating the information into your own prayers. These will replace the question section of last year’s emails.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4)