Vol. H-0002 No. H-0005 May 1997

WAR IN THE HEAVENLIES

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, 
against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NASB
...For Our Struggle...

 We err when we make our fellow mankind the enemy. We want to strike out at those who have insulted us, those who have hurt us, or those with whom we disagree. We want the "bad guys" to "get what's coming to them". Of course, we only want people to get what's coming to them as long as it isn't us! If we all were to get what we deserve, we would all end up in hell!  

We, as Christians, have let go of a fundamental aspect of our Lord and His  Teaching...His Compassion. Not only do we shoot our own, we line everyone up in one big group and pronounce our judgment upon them. Where did we get that right? The fact is, we did not get, nor do we have, that right. We sit upon our lofty thrones of self-righteous judgment of humanity and pronounce the sentence of "you get what you deserve". Within the walls of our self-righteousness there is no room for compassion. There is no room for mercy, or grace. The darkness of the little self-god within us can allow no space for Light. We move in darkness, spreading more darkness.  

Yes, we struggle. But we struggle with and against the wrong enemy. We must remember where the battle lies and with whom it lies! In our desire to see others get what's coming to them, we move from Light into dark, leaving a painful, hate-filled darkness behind us. We must allow the compassion of Jesus to overflow us so that His compassion will pour forth from us rather than our condemnation.

...Is Not Against Flesh And Blood...

Our struggle within and without is due to the power of the prince of the air. We find ourselves doing what we don't desire to do or saying what we do not desire to say. It is imperative that we understand where the battle really is so that we may fight against the darkness and its effects.

 
Many times we've heard news stories about some horrible act that has been committed. We say, "That just isn't normal for a person to do that."  Well, that's true...it isn't "normal".  We are seeing and hearing about victims of crime and sickness and pain and heartache more every day. What we are seeing and hearing is news about victims of victims who were victims of other victims. We are all victims of satan and his influence on humanity. Our struggle is much deeper than flesh and blood. It is a struggle with the powers of darkness upon the Earth.

...But Against The Rulers...

Who, in your opinion, is a "ruler"? Is it one who has power? Is it one who controls a country or a company...or you?  A ruler is simply "one who rules". If God is your Ruler, then He rules for His Principles. If, on the other hand, satan is your ruler, then he rules by his principles and by the darkness that is resident within him.  

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they went from Light to darkness... I'm not talking about a darkness that we have when we turn off the lights or when the moon or sun are covered over by clouds.  I'm talking about a total blackness without even a hint of light...NONE!

Against the powers...  
   

I wonder what Paul was talking about here. There are two (and only two) powers at work in the Earth.  One Power is the Creator of this Earth. He's filled with Goodness and Mercy and His Grace is ever present. His Desire is to show Himself Strong in behalf of His Created. His Power is available for us to use as He directs.

The other power is the power of evil. He has been cast out heaven...he was, and is, a traitor to the God of all creation. His power, limited by God, is used for every kind of vile act that can be executed against God's Created. His power is a power that hates God.  

...Against The World Forces Of This Darkness...

Satan is busy not only in our lives, but also in the lives of all of humanity  He sets no borders.  He is as active in the United States as he is in China...As active in China as he is in Russia...As active in Russia as he is in the Middle East... He is very meticulous in his work of darkness. His darkness is the darkness that kills, maims, blinds, tortures...he kills life. He has spread his evil through presidents and kings, states and nations. The effects of his evil power is seen in all the world...all!  

The world forces of this darkness are hard at work to steal the created from his Creator!

...Against The Spiritual Forces Of Wickedness In The Heavenly Places...

Study of the Scriptures shows us that Lucifer rebelled against Almighty God. (Isaiah 14:12-14ff) He became "satan". He desired to be as God. He was cast from Heaven by Holy God. He and all the other angels who rebelled against God were no longer a part of God's Heaven. But satan, being a spirit being, operates in the spirit realm..."in the heavenly places". He, and all the forces of his kingdom of darkness and death, are at work in the heavenlies serving humanity up a dose of fraud and thievery, with hell as the ultimate destination for all who partake of his wickedness.  

...Our Struggle...

Our struggle is not with our fellow man. It is with the evil and death-filled satan. He and his work are the enemy. He makes victims of victims and we call them the enemy. But we are not to be about expanding his work...we are to be about bringing down his work. Our struggle is how do we do that?  What are the rules of war...the rules of engagement?

Prepare For War

Every warrior must be prepared for war if the intent is to conquer the enemy and win the war. The first "rule" then is preparation. How do we prepare ourselves for war? We must first prepare our spirits and our souls (mind, will and emotion) for spiritual warfare. God's Word gives us instruction about how to prepare for the war. "Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Stand firm, therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missles of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation , and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit..."  Ephesians 6:13-18a NASB 

Our total being is girded with His Truth...the Truth of Who He Is and all He has Done for us. The Truth of Holy God, Who gave us life and keeps us from eternal death. We have His breastplate of His Righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own. But we have His total Personhood within us through His Spirit of Holiness. Our feet...our vehicle of transporting...are planted firmly in the gospel of His Peace. Our shield of faith...the gasoline that makes the car go...without which we could never even contemplate going into battle, much less doing it!  But He has given each of us a "measure of faith". (Romans 12:3)  I learned a long time ago that what God demands, God provides! If you need an example, start with Jesus. We needed redemption, which we could not acquire on our own. So our Precious Father sent His Precious Son. He demanded, He provided! That's LOVE!

The second "rule" is to "know the enemy". To go in to battle without knowing your enemy, is to become the victim of your enemy. God's Word tells us a great deal about satan and none of it is good...except that he doesn't win his war against God! Satan will use anything and anyone to steal a life. He will use anything that works...past, present or future. Your best friend today may become your enemy of tomorrow, with the subtle influence of satan's character...he lies, steals and destroys.
                                                                                                                                        John 10:10
The third is akin to the first. Mentioned in the above Scripture was to pray at all times in the Spirit.  God has provided us with the most powerful tool via His Holy Spirit.  Intercession is, in my opinion, the largest, unused weapon that has been placed for our beneit. If we were to spend half as much time interceding for something or someone as we do complaining about it or them, we could see the heavens opened up with a great outpouring of God's drawing Power to reach His Created mankind!

Pray, unceasingly!

God's Chosen People

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.  May peace be within your palaces.  For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, 'May peace be within you.'  For the sake of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good." Psalm 122:6-9 NASB

Is it any surprise that Israel is enduring so much violence? It shouldn't be! God's people have always had to endure pain and heartache. The enemies of God have defiantly and maciliously said they hate the Jews and the Nation of Israel and want both to be annihilated. So this current terrorism is no surprise to anyone who has followed the modern history of Israel and the promised seed of her land.

What many fail to understand, however, is that to be an enemy of God's Chosen People is to be an enemy to God. If you disagree with this statement, let me remind you that Jesus--Yeshua--was born a Jew, raised a Jew, practiced Jewish Law and He died as a Jew! If you are an enemy of Jewish people, you are an enemy to God.  

The church is in the of the valley of decision. Not only is it in the valley regarding a decision for or against Jesus Christ, it is also in the valley of decision concerning the attacks against His people everywhere. If you choose God, then you choose, by default, His People created by Him and His Land which was given--by GOD--to His People.  

Isaac was the seed of promise, not Ishmael. Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, was of the lineage of the seed of promise..Isaac. The enemies of the promised seed of God are the enemies of God Almighty Himself!  

Look At Current Events

Th e  S p i r i t u a l   B a t t l e

Although headline events happen almost daily in Israel, the nation is still mourning the tragic loss of 73 of its finest young men, who died when two military helicopters collided in foggy conditions on the night of February 4th. Almost nothing happens in this land without having a biblical or prophetic significance. It is obvious that there is a tremendous spiritual battle going on in the high places to try and prevent the redemption of Israel. 

Prophetically-speaking, it was significant that the Haf-Torah portion for the week in which the tragedy occurred included the flowing verses from Isaiah 7: Then said the Lord unto Isaiah: "Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou and Shear-Yashuv, thy son at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fuller's field; and say unto him: 'Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.  Because Syria, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have taken evil counsel against thee, saying "Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal". Thus saith the Lord God; "It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass..." ' " 

The name of the collective farm on which the accident occurred was Mosahv She'ar Yashuv.  After the two helocipters collided, they fell to earth in two fireballs. The soldiers were on their way to south Lebanon to take defensive action against Syrian-sponsored terror activities in the security zone. 

In terms of spiritual warfare, the accident took place during the "holiest" days of the Muslim fast-month of Ramadan--the "Night of Destiny" leading up to the end-of-fast Eid Al-Fitr holiday.  It is the night Muslims commemorate a revelation Mohammed claims to have receiver, which was incorporated into the Qur'an. 

And so Muslims in Lebanon, Israel, Iran and elsewhere publicly celebrated the loss of Jewish lives, which they saw as evidence of "the finger of Allah". Supporters of Hizb' Allah fighters called for more assaults against Israel, to capitalize on what they say as divine approval of their anti-Zionist cause. One muezzin (a caller to Muslim prayer) announced: "Allah has responded to the wish of Muslims because it is the 'Night of Destiny'. We asked that they throw themselves against each other and that the winds destroy their planes, and Allah had heard us." (Associated Press) 

Even though we have a promise from the Lord that the intentions of the evil one will not come to pass, the accident--and Islamic reaction to it--clearly shows what we are up aginst in the spiritual realm. For those whose hearts are right towards God's purposes for Israel, it calls for an even greater responsibility to stand with this nation and continue in intercession. A Word from Jerusalem, March/April 1997, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem   

Bottom Line

If we are to be effective in the spiritual warfare that surrounds us, then we must be willing to see the Truth of something as God's Spirit of Holiness gives it to us. His Word is very clear. We must be actively engaged in the war or we can't win the battles! His Truth can and will, if we allow it, expose our bondages. Whether these deceptions come in the form of anti-Semitism or not believing in "demons" or of not trusting God to perform His Word, He will help us and give us His revelation of His Holy Word.  
The spirit realm is real. God is Spirit...and He is Real! Spend time in the Scriptures and He will show you His Truth. Remember, Jesus told us He would send the Holy Spirit and He would guide us into all truth. (John 16:13) All means ALL!

Declare war on satan and his kingdom of evil! Fight for the Life that is freely given. Incite the righteous anger within you and point it at the proper source...satan himself!

God's Word is more than a bunch of words jumbled up together.  They are Life. Seek God's Word.  Seek His Truth.  Seek...your Heavenly Father!

Choice 

Choice is something that we have in our lives from the beginning of our lives. Choice is also something we have in our lives at the beginning of our death! We can choose a life-filled death. Or we can choose a death-filled life. Satan is the death in which we can live eternally. Jesus Christ is the Life in which we die to life with Him forever. Sound complicated?  Well, it isn't!

When we allow Jesus to be the Saviour and Lord of our lives, we die to ourselves. We die to our self-desires, our self-motivation, our self-justification...we die to Life.  When we don't accept God's Gift of Eternal Life through His Son, then we die to an eternal death with total separation from our Creator Father forever.

Accept Jesus now as your Savior. Ask Him to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to keep you from the evil one. Jesus loves you and wants to fill you to overflowing with Himself through His Holy Spirit.  

Won't you choose?

Choose...LIFE!

In Jesus' Name, be blessed!
Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai
Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord