Will
there be terrible times in the last days? Holy Bible answers ‘YES’1.
If
yes, then are we prepared for facing these dangerous times? The Christian life
is a war and there ought to be a strategy to face the enemy2. The
Bible emphasizes that God's people are destroyed because of lack of
knowledge3.
THE
NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL REALMS
The
natural world is that which can be seen, felt, touched, heard, or tasted. But
there is another world , a spiritual
world. You cannot see it with your physical eyes, but it is just as real
as the natural world in which you live. Paul
speaks of this division of natural and spiritual4.
SPIRITUAL
DISCERNMENT
Because
spiritual warfare is just that...spiritual...it must be understood with a
spiritual mind. In our natural, sinful state, we cannot understand
spiritual things5. It is necessary to
use "spiritual discernment" to understand spiritual things.
TWO SPIRITUAL KINGDOMS
NATURAL
KINGDOMS
All
men live in a nation, which is natural kingdom of this world. These
kingdoms of the world have come under the power and influence of Satan6. And Bible says that "the whole
world is under the control of the evil one"7.
SPIRITUAL
KINGDOMS
There
are two spiritual kingdoms: The Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom Of God.
The
Kingdom of Satan consists of Satan, spiritual beings called demons, and all men
who live in sin and rebellion to God's Word. These, plus the world and
the flesh, are the spiritual forces of evil at work in the world today.
The
Kingdom of God consists of God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit,
spiritual beings called angels, and all men who live in righteous obedience to
God's Word. These are the spiritual forces of good.
The
Kingdom of God is not a denominational church. The Bible speaks of the true
Church which is not a denomination or religious organization. The true
Church is composed of all those who have become residents of the Kingdom of God.
THE INVISIBLE WAR
The
invisible spiritual war is a battle which involves all men and women.
Because the Kingdom of Satan is a spiritual kingdom, we, Christians, are
wrestling a Spiritual warfare with evil forces continually8.
Spiritual
warfare is not a natural battle between flesh and blood. It is not a visible war is because spirits are involved and we learn from
Bible that a spirit does not have flesh and bones9.
Spiritual
warfare is "multidimensional", which means it is fought in different
dimensions. It is...
1. A social battle between the believer and the world10.
2. A personal battle between the flesh and the spirit11.
3. A supernatural battle between the believer and evil supernatural powers12.
Christian
Believers have been freed from the enemy through Jesus Christ and are victors,
but they are still engaged in the war. Bible8 indicates that we (all
believers) wrestle against evil spiritual forces.
WHERE
THE BATTLE RAGES
This
invisible war is being waged on earth as we perceive from the words of Jesus13. Satan fights to maintain control of the kingdoms of the
world. The battle
also rages within the hearts, minds, and souls of men and women. Satan
blinds the minds of unbelievers and attacks believers in the areas of Worship,
the Word, their daily Walk, and their Work for God.
HOW
THE BATTLE STARTED
The
invisible war started in Heaven with an angel named Lucifer who was originally
a beautiful angel created by God and was part of the Kingdom of God.
Lucifer decided he wanted to take over God's Kingdom. You can read
about his rebellion in Bible14. A group of angels joined Lucifer (now called Satan) in
this rebellion. Lucifer and the rebellious angels were cast out of Heaven
by God. They formed their own kingdom on earth15.
Lucifer
became known as Satan and the angels who followed him in rebellion as demons.
Demon spirits can enter, torment, control, and use humans who belong to Satan's
Kingdom. They motivate evil acts which are done by men and women. Satan
directs his demons in their evil activities. He combines these powerful
forces with the world and the flesh to war against all mankind.
REASONS
BEHIND THE CONFLICT
Man
was originally created in the image of God and for the glory of God16. The invisible war against
man started with the first temptation in the Garden of Eden17. Satan caused Adam and
Eve to sin. This resulted in all men inheriting the basic sin nature and
committing individual acts of sin due to this nature18. It also resulted in the invisible war between man and the
forces of evil19.
Because
of sin, man was separated from God and condemned to death. But God loved
man so much that He made a special plan to save him from sin20.
Through
belief in Jesus, confession of and repentance from sin, men and women can be
released from the power of the enemy. The death and resurrection of Jesus
not only resulted in salvation from sin. It also defeated the enemy, Satan21.
Although Jesus defeated Satan, we are living in
territory which is still occupied by enemy resistance forces. Satan
is trying to keep men captive in sin. Through deceptive methods he is
enticing men and women to temporary lusts of sinful living. He aims for
the affections of the soul and spirit which rightfully belong to God13.
THE
MEANING OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE
Spiritual
warfare is the analysis of active participation in the invisible spiritual war. Spiritual warfare
is more than a mere analysis of spiritual principles. It includes active
participation in warfare by application of these strategies in life and
ministry.
One
of the most effective strategies of Satan is to keep believers ignorant of his
devices. Paul said it is important to know Satan's strategies22.
Although
in the natural world problems may seem to occur through the circumstances of
life, the basis of these natural battles is in the spirit world. Read the
story of Job23 which confirms this principle.
TO
WHICH KINGDOM DO YOU BELONG?
You
are either part of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Satan. Either God
or Satan has power over your life.
One
of the parables told by Jesus illustrates that all men are either part of the
Kingdom of Satan or the Kingdom of God. Jesus compared the world to a field.
The good seed in the field were children of the Kingdom of God. The bad
seed, which resulted in the growth of tares (weeds), were children of the
wicked one24.
People
enter the Kingdom of Satan through natural birth. The Bible teaches that
all men are born in sin. This means that they have a basic sin nature or
the "seed" of sin within. Their natural inclination is to do evil25.
Men are born into
the Kingdom of Satan through natural birth. They must be reborn into the
Kingdom of God through spiritual birth. Entrance to the Kingdom of God is by
new birth experience explained in Holy Bible26.
There
are only two divisions in the invisible war. Jesus said, "He that is
not with me is against me27". Are you part of Satan's Kingdom or the Kingdom of God?
To which kingdom do you belong? Are you a victim or a victor in the
invisible war?
References :
1I Timothy 3:1
2Luke 14:31
3Hosea 4:6
4I Corinthians 15:40
5I Corinthians 2:14
6Matthew 4:8-9
7I John 5:19
8Ephesians 6:12
9Luke 24:39
10John 15:18-27
11Galatians 5:16-26
12Ephesians 6:10-27
13John 10:10
14Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel
28:12-19
15Revelation 12:7, 9
16Genesis 2nd Chapter
17Genesis 3rd chapter
18Romans 5:12
19Genesis 3:15
20John 3:16-17
21I John 3:8
22II Corinthians 2:11
23Job Chapters l-2
24Matthew 13:38
25Psalms 51:5, Romans 5:12,
3:23
26John 3rd Chapter
27Luke 11:23
Source : Adopted from the
course: “Spiritual Strategies : A manual for Spiritual Warfare” being
conducted by AMES Bible college & Harvestime International Institute, 3092
Sultana Dr. Madera, California 93637, U.S.A.
