Derek Prince
Spiritual Warfare - Part I
There are many different pictures of Gods people in the New Testament.In Ephesians for instance, God's people are presented under the following pictures; a legislative assembly, a family, a temple, bride of Christ.
However, the final picture of God's people in the book of Ephesians is that of an army committed to fight a war that is global in its proportions.
One that affects and includes every portion of this globe on which we live.
In fact, even the word global doesn't do justice to the scope of this conflict.
It embraces not only this globe, the earth but it extends beyond earth into the very heavens.
In fact the adjective which correctly describes this conflict is not global but universal.
It includes the entire created universe.
The scriptures which most clearly introduces this conflict and describes its nature are found in Ephesians 6:10-12.
Ephesians 6:11,
[11]Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.Paul takes it for granted that as Christians we are involved in a war that we need the appropriate armor for this war and that our adversary is the devil himself.
Then he goes in verse 12 to explain the nature of this war.
I have meditated so often and so long on that verse Ephesian 6:12 in the original Greek that I have come up with my own sought of paraphrase. You might call this the Prince version.
[For our wrestling match is not against flesh and blood,( but I like the Living Bible there where it says persons with bodies) but against rulers with various areas and descending orders of authority against the world dominators if this present darkness against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavens.]
Let me explain why I choose some of those words.
I say rulers with various areas and descending orders of authority because the picture is of a very very highly and well organised kingdom with descending orders of authority and different rulers and sub -rulers responsible for different areas of their territory.And then I used the word dominators of this present darkness because I believe dominate so vividly describes the way Satan treats the human race.
Let me bring out some points that emerge from this verse we have been discussing.
First of all the conflict involves all Christians. Its not some special group of persons like missionaries or pastors or evangelists.
It's absolutely general in its application to all Christians. Many Christians haven't seen it that way.
I didn't quote the King James version of verse 12 but it says 'For we wrestle not against flesh and blood'.
I once had someone comment on this that most Christians punctuate it wrongly they read it this way, 'We wrestle not' period.
In other words we sit in church pews and sing hymns.
But Paul says we are in a wrestle match but its not against flesh and blood.
Then consider the impact of the word wrestling match.
Wrestling is the most intense of all forms of conflict between two persons.
Every part of the body, every kind of skill, every kind of trick has to be used for success. Its total conflict.
The fact that Satan heads a highly organised kingdom astonishes some people yet there are many clear indications if this in the scriptures.
These are some words of Jesus about this in Matthew 12:22-28.
This is an incident in the ministry if Jesus he had brought healing to a demon possessed man who was blind and mute. He brought healing by driving out the demon.
Matthew 12:23-24,
[23]And all the [crowds of] people were stunned with bewildered wonder and said, This cannot be the Son of David, can it?[24]But the Pharisees, hearing it, said, This Man drives out demons only by and with the help of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.
Beelzebub means literally the Lord of flies. It's the title of Satan particularly as the ruler over the demons because the demons are compared to flies.
Now let us read the comment of Jesus.
Matthew 12:25-26,
[25]And knowing their thoughts, He said to them, Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand.[26]And if Satan drives out Satan, he has become divided against himself and disunified; how then will his kingdom last or continue to stand?
There are certain indications of that.
First of all, Satan has a kingdom.
Secondly, it's not divided but highly organised and thirdly, it stands. It has not yet been overthrown.
Then Jesus goes on,
Matthew 12:27-28,
[27]And if I drive out the demons by [help of] Beelzebub, by whose [help] do your sons drive them out? For this reason they shall be your judges.[28]But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [before you expected it].
You see that there Jesus has mentioned another kingdom, the Kingdom of God.
First he speaks of Satan's kingdom and then he speaks of the kingdom of God.
And he describes one particular point where the conflict between these two kingdoms is brought right into the open.
He says,
Matthew 12:28,
[28]But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [before you expected it].I think the implication is that this ministry of driving out demons brings out the forces of Satan's kingdom into the open and also demonstrates the superiority of that Kingdom.
So there are two kingdoms in opposition the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Satan.
Let's also look in Colossians 1:12-14.
Colossians 1:13,
[13][The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,Notice again there are two kingdoms.
There is the Kingdom of light in which our inheritance lies but there is also the dominion of darkness the word dominion there is translated to mean authority.
So whether we like it or not Satan has authority he is the ruler if a kingdom which the Bible recognises.
So these two kingdoms are engaged in mortal warfare and the war is coming to its climax in our days as this age comes to a close.

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