Spiritual Warfare
Part I…..In Heavenly Places
Ephesians 1: 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
So the heavenly places are where Christ has been made to sit at the right hand of God. Therefore the heavenly places are where God is. To understand where the heavenly places are we need to change our thinking from what we had after we first became Christians.
This verse is not saying that Christ is sitting on a physical throne beside a physical God sitting on a physical throne for the past 2000 years.
Ø There is a spiritual truth that is expressed by the words “and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places”
Ø Because we read in the bible “God stretched forth His hands to this person of God” or “walked with another person of God” we get the idea that God is a type of physical being or he exists in some type of physical form.
Ø We get the idea that He has arms and legs like we do. This idea becomes even stronger because we read in Genesis that God made man “in His own image.”
Ø Because we look at ourselves as a physical being and hear that God created us in His own image, we assume that God must be a physical being like we are.
The error in all of this is that we ourselves are not physical beings.
John 4: 23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Jesus told the woman at the Samaritan well “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Ø We are Spirit beings that have been created in the Spirit image of God.
Ø This body that we see is just a house that God made out of clay in which the Spirit, which is the real us, dwells.
Ø We read in the word that God is an omnipresent spirit, which is everywhere, all around us. This is how He created us in His image because He is Spirit.
Ø We also read in the scriptures that He fills the whole universe, which means that He is too big to be bottled up in any type of physical form.
What the Holy Spirit is telling us is that Jesus has been raised up to co-equality and co-rulership with God in Heavenly places.
Ø This is Jesus’ spiritual position, not His physical.
Ø We must learn that God is everywhere.
Ø Therefore the heavenly places that the scripture is speaking about are all around us.
Ø It is the invisible spiritual realm where God is, where the Spirit is, where Jesus is, and where His Holy angles have their existence.
Ø It is also where Lucifer and his demons, his unclean evil spirits also have there existence.
So the heavenly places we read about in Ephesians 1:20 where Christ is, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, are the same heavenly places that we read about in Ephesians 6: 12 - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The demonic kingdom is also located in the Heavenly Places. The bible does not make any distinction here. They are the same heavenly places.
We Christians have gotten the idea from somewhere, besides the scriptures, that Jesus and the Holy angles are off in one side of Heaven and that Lucifer and his demons are way off in another physical place somewhere called Hell and the two never meet or have contact with one another.
As wonderful as this idea sounds, it is not scriptural.
Daniel 10:10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands.
11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
12 Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
The angel that materialized before Daniel after 21 days of praying and fasting told Daniel that God had actually heard his prayer the first day and that he had been sent to bring the answer, but the prince of Persia
Daniel 10:20 Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia ; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece
The bible teaches us that not only do the angels of God and the demons of Satan meet and have contact with one another, but that they actually have warfare one with another.
Ephesians 6: 12 for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Understand that the Heavenly Places are the invisible spiritual realm that is all around us.
Ø This is where Lucifer dwells
Ø This is where his demon spirits are
Ø This is where his invisible kingdom has their being.
Ø This is how they are able to do their evil work in our lives, deceiving, and tempting us.
Let’s look at another verse that will give us an idea of what is in these Heavenly Places.
Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Our human mind has trouble even to calculate the numbers million, billion and trillion. God has told us that the Heavenly places contain an innumerable company of angels.
If we take this number that is even too great for our human nature to count and take one third if that we have the number of those angels that have become the demon spirits.
Let’s not fool ourselves; there are a lot of them. This is why the apostle Paul said:
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
We do not fight in our own strength.
Ø We don’t fight with any type of worldly promotions or organizations
Ø We cannot fight spiritual beings with carnal weapons
We fight in the Lord and the power of His might.
Ø Demons are only stopped by people willing to be down on their knees praying for this spiritual power in His might.
Ø Demons are only stopped when they see Christians fighting warfare in a spiritual nature, not a fleshly one, against each other.
We must put on the whole armour of our God.
We must finally understand this truth and stop criticizing each other and recognize that we have a common enemy.
Ø We must bind together in love and begin to pray for one another.
Ø We must start looking beyond the flesh and blood and recognize that it is the demonic kingdom that is causing such divisions.
Ø We must get down on our knees and pray for one another, submitting to God who will direct the Holy Spirit will bring us together in love
Ø We must work out our differences so that we might be delivered from demon spirits which are causing the division in the first place.
Remember God is on our side. One third of the angels fell from God’s grace, but two thirds are fighting with us against Lucifer and his demons.
We will win this war!
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