“Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.” (Rev. 12:7-9- NLT)
“We know that ...the world around us is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19- NLT)
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12- NLT)
Now take a moment and humor me...if not yourself, and ask: What if these three statements are the God’s honest truth? I mean, take a few moments and seriously consider the implications if these words are not just some utterances of fiction, mythology, or metaphors.
It would be easy to scoff and dismiss such ‘nonsense’...and tell yourself you are too smart and educated to fall for such ‘superstition’. But what if you are wrong? I mean...really!....what if....?
Then take into consideration something that Jesus proclaimed in John 10:10 – “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that you may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance.” (Who do you think this 'thief' is Jesus speaks of?)
Now, let’s read a verse that sounds very ...’matter of fact’, found in 1 John 5:18: “We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.”(NLT). And that promise Jesus made that many people like to quote about how ‘no one can pluck you from the Father’s hand’ (John 10:28-29)...is only for those who meet a specific criteria – His ‘sheep...who hear His voice... and they follow Him.” (John 10:27). Why call Him ‘Lord, Lord’ ...if we are not doing what He asks? (Luke 6:46) We forget at times that His promises are ‘conditional’.
What are you, or any person in possession of this information...supposed to do with this knowledge? And if it is true, you might be wondering why you’ve been ‘blinded’ to it? I mean this would be valuable insight for anyone who lives on this planet to have, would it not? How could so many people not ‘see’ this?
And I would again, point you to another verse that would answer that question. Paul refers to this ‘spiritual entity of darkness’ as the ‘god of this age’ in 2 Cor. 4:3-4...who ‘has blinded the minds of those who are perishing, who do not believe...lest the light of the gospel of Christ should shine on them...”. Paul uses the word ‘veil’ to explain why those who are perishing cannot see it. Care to guess how one might have that ‘veil removed’? Take a look at 2 Cor. 3:16.
I do realize why this may sound absurd to anyone who might not give serious thought that any of this could be true and factual. In fact, Jesus understands as well, which is probably why He prayed that prayer on the cross, directed towards those who were crucifying Him...”Father, forgive them...they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) And why did they ‘not know what they were doing? Hint- read the paragraph before this one again. Then go read 2 Tim. 2:24-26.
Why do we ‘believers’ find it so challenging to pray that same prayer for others who come against us? Was not that some of the fundamental basics that any ‘child of God’ should demonstrate according to Matt. 5:43-48? Was this not all tied in to the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ that Jesus preached, sent His disciples out to preach, and the same gospel we are supposed to be sharing? (Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Tim. 4:1-4; Acts 20:26-28)
Granted, when Jesus arrived on the scene, His ‘assignment’ was to take this ‘good news’ first...to the ‘lost sheep of Israel’, the Jewish people. But then God opened the door later for the Gentiles as well so that ‘all who call upon the name of the Lord...could be saved’. (Acts 10;Rom. 10:13; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9; John 3:16). It was Peter who saw that ‘door’ opened first when he was sent to the house of Cornelius in Acts 10. But then Paul would eventually be sent specifically to the Gentiles (non-Jews) to deliver this same gospel message. Let’s read how Jesus commissioned him to do this as it is recorded for us in Acts 26:15-18...
“I, Jesus, ...am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”
Would you take a few moments and let the Holy Spirit ‘unpack’ that in your spirit of understanding?
Where am I going with all this today and what does this have to do with you? Do you mind if I just talk real plain and simple here, at the risk of sounding like a bona fide ‘nut job’?
Satan, and his minions (fallen angels, demon spirits, etc.) are the ‘wrath of God’ that is on the earth today, that carry out His judgments, and are the ones who will be ‘coming in like a flood’ that Jesus warned us about in Luke 17:27 and Isa. 59:19. Demonic spirits of darkness are real and they are among us. Jesus came to ‘save’ us from them. More tomorrow, Lord willing...
Comments
Post a Comment