Enemies in the Invisible Landscape
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil. Eph 6:12 ESV
Last week, we looked at the fact that there can be false shepherds(link) among God’s flock. And we shouldn’t be surprised by that. There are many, many places in the Bible where we are informed about the spiritual warfare going on all around us and in which we ourselves are engaged. Even if we would rather not have anything to do with spiritual warfare, it is still a reality with which we must deal.
Maybe the most vivid picture of this spiritual warfare is painted by Paul near the end of his letter to the Ephesians:
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 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.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10–17 (NLT).
We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies
When we think about false shepherds, false prophets, and government authorities like the ones who executed Paul, we can easily think that the enemies of the Christian can be people. When Paul says we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, he is reminding us that ultimately we are involved in a struggle with spiritual forces, like the ones he lists here. Ultimately, the real enemy behind the false shepherd is Satan and all the forces in league with him.
It is very important that we realize that our political opponents and soldiers on the opposite side of an armed conflict are not our ultimate enemy. When Jesus instructed his disciples to carry a Roman soldier’s equipment a mile further than required (Matt 5:41), he was telling them to be kind to a soldier of the occupying army, the enemy!!**
We see with clarity from this passage that the visible landscape is occupied (until the appointed time) by some very unsavory characters who are opposed to God and to anyone who would choose to be united with Him. They win when people choose to laugh at spiritual reality, deny its existence, and fill their time with empty activities until their lives are spent and they find themselves in eternity separated from the Source of ultimate meaning.
It is from these forces of darkness that we are delivered when we are saved:
For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:13–14 (NLT).
Jesus broke the power of evil forces holding us in bondage by his work on the cross:
He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:14–15 (NLT).
And Jesus will finally destroy these “authorities of the unseen world” when he returns and ushers in the New Heavens and the New Earth (2 Peter 3:13).
Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. 24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:23–26 (NLT).
See Invisible landscape - final glimpse(link).
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. Revelation 12:9 (NLT)
Be strong, stand firm, armor up!
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 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. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
God has given the follower of Jesus every resource needed to fight off the attacks of the devil and his evil minions. I love the passage where the servant of the prophet Elisha woke up and saw a whole army of the enemy surrounding them and what happened next:
When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:15–17 (ESV).
The mountain was full of chariots of fire surrounding them! All unseen until the Lord opened his eyes to see the invisible landscape!
God has supplied us with all the spiritual resources we need in our personal struggle against sin and Satan, and on top of that, he commands unimaginably powerful reinforcements to come to our aid when we need them most! Just because you cannot see God’s army watching over you does not mean they are not there. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them!”
Notice that the only offensive weapon provided to us is God’s Word.
17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The word of God is our sword. When Jesus himself was being tested by the devil, he met every temptation with some scriptures he had memorized. (See Matthew 4). It is very important that we are soaking in the Word so that we will be equipped to stand in our armor and be strong in the midst of the spiritual warfare that is raging around us.
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**Please understand I am not saying there is never a time to fight in a physical war like WWII. Defeating Hitler militarily and liberating occupied Europe and the prison camps was a work of mercy.
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Book recommendation:
The Screwtape Letters, by CS Lewis.
The Screwtape Letters is a Christian apologetic novel by C. S. Lewis, the master of English Literature, and dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien. It is a classic masterpiece of religious satire that entertains readers with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to "Our Father Below." At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.
“Wormwood, a demon apprentice, must secure the damnation of a young man who's just become a Christian. He seeks the advice of an experienced devil, his uncle Screwtape. Their correspondence offers invaluable---and often humorous---insights on temptation, pride, and the ultimate victory of faith over evil forces.”
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