Angels and Demons Part 3

Greetings,

                We have spent the past two weeks scripturally proving that angels and demons are in fact two different classes of beings. In order to come to this understanding it became necessary to prove that giants (otherwise known as nephilim) were hybrids. They were half man and half angel. This week we are going to dive further as we begin to flesh out what this means for us today.

                We are now going to return to the topic of angels. We have already gone over the fact that Lucifer was the first angel to rebel. However, when we took a closer look at what happened during the Genesis 6 incident we realized that Lucifer had little if any involvement in that rebellion. This is further proven in that while the angels discussed in Genesis 6 were cast into hell (2 Peter 2: 4-5) and placed in everlasting chains under darkness (Jude 6) Satan wasn’t. Satan was clearly roaming the earth during the time of Job.

                “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” (Job 1:6-7)

The fact that there were two separate rebellions proves something important for us. There were and have historically been multiple angelic rebellions. This week we are going to discuss how this relates to the twelfth chapter of Revelation. Instead of jumping right into a particular verse and using it out of context to prove something we think we should believe, we will begin at the beginning.

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” (Revelation 12:1-2)

There is a great wonder in heaven. As we proceed to define this wonder we are going to allow the Bible to interpret itself. In other words, where do we see the Bible using the same description and how does that fit with what we are being presented with here? In the book of Genesis, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (renamed Israel) is Joseph. He has a dream in which the sun the moon and eleven stars bow down to him. That dream is interpreted by his father who responds as follows:

“And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?” (Genesis 37:10)

Based on this interpretation Jacob is represented by the sun, his wife is represented by the moon, and the twelve stars are the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus the woman that is in the midst of all of these symbols represents the nation of Israel. Sure enough, Israel is represented by a woman on numerous occasions throughout scripture (Hosea 3:1, Ezekiel 36:17). Therefore, Revelation 12:2 is describing the time when the nation of Israel was ready to deliver the Messiah to the world. This is the exegetical timeframe for the next comment.

“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.” (Revelation 12:3-4)

As we read the next portion of Scripture we see a dragon having seven heads and ten horns. We know that this is a symbolic representation of Satan because Revelation 12:9 says so. Regarding the seven heads and ten horns, heads on a beast are scripturally significant of successive kingdoms while horns tend to mean rulers within a kingdom ruling at the same time. In any case, the tail of this dragon draws a third of the stars of heaven and casts them to the earth. Allowing the Bible to define itself, stars are in this case are symbolic of angelic beings (Revelation 1:20).

Notice that in verse 4 the purpose for drawing them to the earth is clearly given. It is to devour the child, the Messiah, as soon as it is born. The timeframe for this angelic rebellion led by Lucifer does not seem to be prior to the Garden of Eden. If we accurately exegete the passage and simply read what it says it gives us a timeframe of some point prior to the birth of Jesus (but after Israel becomes a nation).

Verses 5 and 6 go on to discuss that Jesus was born anyway, He was not devoured, and He was ultimately caught up unto God. As we know Jesus lived, died a horrific death upon the cross, was raised to life, and at some point afterwards was caught up into heaven. Verse 6 goes on to discuss the nation of Israel and how she will flee into a place prepared for her in the wilderness for 1260 days. This seems to jump forward in history quite a bit correlating with the timeframe given for the coming great tribulation (Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, Matthew 24:15-21, Revelation 13:5-7).

The passage in Revelation 12 picks up in verse 7 and now we are at a significant war in heaven.

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

In this war Satan and the fallen angels with him are cast out of heaven. The question is: when does this war take place? Some have suggested that it happened prior to the Garden of Eden. If this were true, why is Satan still coming before God in the book of Job? This conclusion makes no sense. The passage is clear that after this war “their place was no longer found in heaven.”

Others have said that this war is yet to come. They suggest that during the great tribulation Satan will make war with heaven. Could that be what this passage is referring to?  

I am firmly persuaded that neither of these possibilities is the truth of the matter. Instead, I am convinced that this war actually occurred and came to its end during the time that Jesus conducted His ministry on earth. In order to grasp this, it is essential to understand the implications of the next verse: Revelation 12:10.

To be continued…

Angels and Demons Part 2

Greetings,

                Last week we left off in the midst of our discussion on how the angels were able to procreate with human women as described in Genesis 6:1-4. We also realized that although Lucifer had already rebelled, it is unlikely that he was involved in this since he was not locked up like the angels that were involved (2 Peter 2:4). On this note we will resume our discussion as we seek to understand the difference between fallen angels and demons.

I want to make you aware of an ancient text known as 1 Enoch. Although it is not canonized, it is quoted by the Bible and gives information that the Bible is relatively silent on. Note how it is quoted by the Bible:

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 14-15)

“And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones, To execute judgment upon all, and to destroy all the ungodly: And to convict all flesh Of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (1 Enoch 1:9)

The following quote is from the book of 1 Enoch and if it is correct, it sheds additional light on the incident of Genesis 6:1-4 and helps us to understand that there were exactly 200 angels involved in the incident. Furthermore, the record in 1 Enoch confirms what I pointed out in the last email. Lucifer had little if anything to do with this rebellion. His name is not listed among the names of the captains.

“And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children…' Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaqlel, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens.” (1 Enoch 6:1-3a, 5b-8)

                Thus far everything that we have discussed has been in relation to angels. However, now that we have established what Genesis 6 actually explains we can move on. The word translated as “giants” in the book of Genesis is the Hebrew word nephilim. It was primarily due to nephilim activity that the flood was sent. This activity threatened a pure human seed which would be necessary to bring about the birth of the Messiah. God could not let that happen. Moreover, this activity also played a role in bringing about total lawlessness and evil (Genesis 6:5).

                After the flood the nephilim show up again, particularly in the Promised Land (Canaan). When they show up there are different races of them:

Ø  Rephaims: a tall ancient people in the land east of the Jordan. The dead ones (Genesis 14:5)

Ø  Emims: Fearful ones (Deuteronomy 2:11-12)

Ø  Anakims: long necked ones (Deuteronomy 2:11-12)

Ø  Zamzummims (Deuteronomy 2:20)

Ø  Horims: a race of nephilim conquered by the descendants of Esau (Deuteronomy 2:12)

Ø  Avims: Conquered by the Caphtorims (Deuteronomy 2:23)

Ø  Caphtorims: giants from the lineage of Mizraim (Egypt) (1 Chronicles 1:11-12)

Etymologically related to the Hebrew word Rephaim (one of the tribes of the giants) is the Hebrew word rapha. They both carry the connotation of being dead—rapha referring to the dead Rephaim. It is no coincidence that rapha actually means ghost or shade according to Strong’s Concordance. This leads us to a particularly interesting passage in the book of Isaiah.

“They are dead, they will not live; They are deceased, they will not rise. Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And made all their memory to perish.” (Isaiah 26:14 NKJV)

This passage is speaking to the resurrection of the dead. How are there some “deceased” that will not rise? I bolded the word deceased because it is translated from the Hebrew word rapha. Remember that while this word means ghost and shade it is etymologically related to the word Rephaim. In essence, Isaiah is actually saying that as ghosts, the spirits of dead nephilim will not have a resurrection. Trying to interpret it as pertaining to humans is straightforwardly impossible; this is the only conclusion that makes sense.

The Bible is clear that all humans will have a resurrection. From the book of Revelation we learn that there are two resurrections. One resurrection is for those that have died in Christ (Revelation 20:5-6) and the other is for everyone else (Revelation 20:12-13). The important point is that every human will experience a resurrection for judgment at some point. It is impossible to be human and not receive a resurrection.

Isaiah’s comment in regards to the word rapha is actually for the purpose of setting up a comparison. Just a few verses later Isaiah continues to speak to the resurrection of the dead. He is intentionally making a distinction between human spirits and nephil spirits.

“Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.” (Isaiah 26:19 NKJV)

Although the Bible doesn’t specifically tell us what happens to the spirits of dead nephilim, the fact that the word rapha means ghosts or shades is enough to draw our conclusion. Demons are not angels, but the disembodied spirits of dead nephilim. Having proven this with the Bible, we can verify it by returning to the account of 1 Enoch.

“And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; they shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called. [As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling.] And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble: they take no food, but nevertheless hunger and thirst, and cause offences. And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded from them.” (1 Enoch 15:8-12)

To be continued…

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)

Unity and an Eschatological mindset

12/24/11

Greetings,

                The New Year is right around the corner! What’s more, tomorrow is Christmas. Believe it or not this is the fifty-second BRIDE email on the topic of unity. This will also be the last. I will be taking a week off and BRIDE emails will resume beginning the first Saturday of 2012. The topic of the coming year will be spiritual warfare. We will discuss what it means, what’s involved, and most importantly how to exercise the victory that we have in Jesus Christ. If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you believe will benefit from learning about spiritual warfare please send me their email addresses so that I can add them to the recipient list! With all that is coming upon the earth, it is time for the body of Christ to arise as the powerhouse that God has appointed us to be.

                With that said, I was asked an interesting question recently. A friend of mine asked me what perspective the body of Christ should have in regards to the last days. This was a good question because many perspectives have been suggested by various sources. Some have said that we should simply focus on being “rapture ready.” This means we should be saved and prepared to vanish at any time so that we don’t have to deal with all of the negative things coming upon the earth. Another perspective suggests that we should be prepared to hide in caves, under rocks, or in holes in the ground. Some have even suggested that Jesus won’t come back until the whole world becomes Christian, so we should just keep evangelizing the lost.

                All of these suggestions have reasons for embracing them, but I am not convinced that any of these are the final say as it pertains to what perspective we should assume. As God has opened my eyes to His unfolding plan I have realized that He has a grand, awe-inspiring agenda prepared for the last days. In light of this, one passage in particular gives us a blunt glimpse of the plan that God has. The book of Daniel actually tells us what we will be doing in the last days. When we stop and consider what is truly being said it begins to reveal what kind of perspective we really should be embracing.

                “…but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32)

                In order to understand the ramifications of this brief passage we must establish its timeframe. Believe it or not, the timeframe for this comment is the coming antichrist’s rule. This season will reveal the greatest evil ever released upon the earth. In spite of the darkest season history will ever record and without concern for the seemingly impossible circumstances under which they will be operating—the Christians of the last days that know their God will be strong and do exploits.

                There is nothing impossible for the true people of God because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). We are not looking forward to evacuation, but to a glorious mission. However, we must know our God. These people of Daniel 11:32 will have become the answer to the following prayer of Jesus:

                “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word (the testimony of the first apostles); That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are.” (John 17:20-22)

                The implications of this prayer are staggering beyond the imagination. Jesus is essentially praying for everyone that will ever believe upon His name. However, what He prays for them is nothing short of bewildering. He prays that they will be one in the same way that He and the Father are one. There is no unity as powerful as the unity of the Godhead. Jesus prays that the church will achieve the same unity that He shares with the Father. (This unity is manifested trans-dimensionally which is why Jesus says that the unity will manifest “in us”). This unity will allow for the saints to be strong and execute great exploits in the face of the antichrist agenda.

                Jesus goes on and declares that the activation of this unity among the saints will cause the world to believe in Him. This means that the result of unity is a massive harvest of souls—a side-effect of the strength and exploits of the last day saints. Jesus also speaks about His glory. Some people think that God will not share His glory. This is not what the Bible says. The Bible says that God will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8). However, He will share His glory with those found in Him. The very glory of Jesus has been given to the church. Jesus says that He has given His glory to the church that we might become one in Him. This glory will empower unity, strength and great exploits in the last days.

                Unity is inseparable from the coming moves of God. As I have said before, unity is not an end in and of itself. Unity is necessary in order to achieve the things that God has planned for the last days. Moreover, I am not speaking of a counterfeit unity based around a globalist agenda. This is a false unity and it is a counterfeit and a means of control. There is only one true unity and that is unity based on the common goal of coming to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). As the year winds to a close, let us keep in mind that Jesus has more prepared for us than we can imagine. Let us together press on towards the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14)!

Discussion

1.       What perspective regarding the last days have you embraced until this point?

2.       What perspective regarding the last days does Daniel 11:32 suggest we should embrace?

3.       When Jesus prays for the unity of the church, what kind of unity does He pray for?

4.       What are some of the most powerful lessons in reference to unity in the body of Christ that you have learned in the past year?

5.       Do you have any suggestions that will allow me to improve these letters in the coming year? (Feel free to email me the answer to this question)