Two Kingdoms
To understand spiritual warfare in the invisible landscape, one needs to know about the two kingdoms.
On August 20 we considered our enemies in the invisible landscape(link). I realized I may have gotten the cart before the horse, because in order to understand spiritual warfare, you must understand the struggle that is going on between two very real kingdoms in the invisible landscape. This struggle also explains why my posts on false shepherds(link) and pray for your pastor(link) were necessary. We are all living out our lives in a world with great spiritual conflict around us. Most of the time we are unaware of the struggle, but if we pay close attention and seek guidance from the Word of God, we can begin to discern evidence of the struggle in our own lives and in the world around us. If we are trusting God, we are safe resting in the shadow of the Almighty(link), but if we are indifferent to God, we will be blinded to the reality and the eternal gravity of the struggle.
The two kingdoms
For he (the Father) 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).
Paul is writing a letter to believers in Colossae encouraging them in their life as disciples of Jesus. He very clearly lays out the two kingdoms and reminds the Colosians that they had been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom of Jesus who purchased their place in his kingdom by providing forgiveness for their sins. Does the Bible have more to say about this kingdom of darkness and the struggle between it and Jesus’ kingdom? I’m glad you asked!
The kingdom of darkness
In fact, the Bible does have a lot to say about this kingdom. Really, the whole Bible is the story of how God has been working to rescue those whom he created in his image from their bondage in the kingdom of darkness. Once you see this, the things you read in the Bible will make a lot more sense.
The ruler of the kingdom of darkness
Many times in the Scriptures we see the ruler of the dark kingdom referred to as the one who opposes God and his kingdom. The apostle John, in his first letter calls him “the evil one.”
We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 (NLT).
Many times he is known as the devil. Devil is an interesting word because it is the root word for our English word “diabolical.” And of course, the devil certainly lives up to that designation.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. 1 Peter 5:8–9 (NLT).
Probably his most famous designation is Satan, which literally means “adversary.”
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:14–15 (ESV).
Satan is working overtime to keep people from seeing the truth. He wants to keep as many as he can under his influence:
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT).
By his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, Jesus won the victory over Satan:
He (Jesus) 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 he will finally banish Satan and all his demons to an eternity far away from the people of every nation that he has ransomed for himself and transferred into his own kingdom. In the last book of the Bible, the last scene before we see the new heaven and the new earth ushered in, is the scene of Satan’s demise:
Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:10 (NLT).
After this we see that God, in the end, will right every wrong and comfort every broken heart:
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:3–4 (NLT).
Just think about that.
The Kingdom of his dear Son
“he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son . . .”
We have looked at the kingdom of Jesus in previous posts. I don’t have space to write it all again, but please go back and check these posts out. Here are the links:
Jesus' great offer of the kingdom to all people
How this world is a perfectly safe place to be
Entrance into the Kingdom of the Heavens is through being born from above which gives you spiritual eyes for Seeing the invisible landscape
The power that overcame the forces of darkness for us was The resurrection, the day that changed everything.
Jesus invites us to join him in his work in the kingdom, which is The opportunity of a lifetime!
God is big enough to care for each of us individually, even though we number in the millions. Heck, there are trillions of stars and He calls them all by name just as he knows each of us by name.
Many will say, “I don’t believe there is any reality to spiritual things. If God is real why isn't he more obvious? There is a very good reason.
You are invited to go back through all my post. There are too many to list them all here, and because they are thoughts about what the Bible says, they will all have to do with Jesus’ kingdom and our struggle to Endure until He returns
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind as you contemplate the reality of the spiritual warfare going on between God and the forces of evil - God’s love is displayed in Justice for all without exception. God in his love will right every wrong. Thankfully for those who are trusting in his Son, Jesus has paid the price for all our wrongs. And if you have not trusted in Him, you too can have that blessing and be transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of his dear Son. You can become a child of God and inherit his kingdom.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” Matthew 25:34 (NLT).
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. John 1:10–13 (NLT).
____________
_____________
The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis 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.