The Battle between God and Satan: Part 7 – For we wrestle not against flesh and blood

Our battle here on Earth is not against flesh and blood, but rather against a powerful invisible spiritual kingdom comprised of evil principalities, powers, and rulers.

Ephesians 6:11-12 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
 
It was God's desire to create the visible from the invisible, but before God ever created it, there already existed a vast spiritual kingdom comprised of a hierarchy of angelic celestial beings. When God created Lucifer, God created him perfectly; he was created a very beautiful, very intelligent and powerful Archangel, and Lucifer was at the top of God's celestial hierarchy. Lucifer was also there present with God when God was creating the visible Universe, which is why I believe God appointed Lucifer as the presiding guardian angel over the earthly garden named Eden. There came a time, however, when Lucifer's heart turned wicked and he rebelled against God. He was also able to convince one third of the angelic host to join him in his rebellion. According to ancient extra-Biblical manuscripts, after Lucifer and one third of the angels rebelled against God, a great celestial battle took place in the invisible spiritual dimensions (also referred to as the angel wars), which also affected and decimated God's newly created visible Universe. It was at this point when God then had to devise a plan of redemption by which God would not only be able to reclaim and restore his visible earthly garden, but also redeem His fallen children, referred to as the sons of God.
   
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

Luke 20:36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
 
In God's plan to reclaim and restore the fallen visible Universe and redeem the fallen sons of God, God had to create a controlled environment, or "sandbox" if you will, in order to maintain control over the fallen, and this is when God created the firmament of the heavens. God would also find that creating the firmament was not enough to control his rebellious angels, but that they would also need to constrained, or "bound", in eternal chains reserved until the Day of Judgment".
 
2 Peter 2:4 For God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.

Jude 1:6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
 
And so even though we humans cannot visibly see this vast spiritual kingdom, it is very real and very powerful. The fallen angels that are now being restrained in eternal chains until the day of judgment will also soon be unleashed into our world for a final confrontation as described in the book of Revelation. But there are, however, millions of evil spirits (or demons) that roam the world and against whom we must daily war against with our minds. This is why the Lord commands Christians to equip themselves with a special type of spiritual “armor” in order to help us in this battle.
 
Ephesians 6:13-18 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the preparation of the gospel of peace; In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
   
2 Corinthians 10 also tells us that we are not waging a war according to the physical flesh with carnal weapons, because it is a spiritual war that is fought with the thoughts of our minds, which is why it is so important to control our every thought.
 
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty through God and have divine power to demolish strongholds; casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, as we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Isaiah 54:7 “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me," says the Lord.
   
Because most of us live comfortable lives and enjoy the things of the world, it is very easy to forget there is a raging spiritual battle occurring all around us that we cannot see with our physical eyes. Demon possession, although it can be subtle and is not always detectable to us, is also a very true reality, and  Jesus and the disciples spent much of their ministry on Earth casting out demons.
 
Matthew 8:28-32 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine and suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.

But Satan, however, still retains a great amount of authority over mankind and the world, and is referred to as "the god of this age”. I could write a long study on how Satan has been using his seed and the evil rulers of this world throughout thousands of years of the history of the world to bring down the kingdom of God. Satan is a genius at blinding people's minds and he works hard to prevent them from understanding and receiving the Gospel of Salvation.
   
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Those of us who have received the Gospel of Salvation and have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior are bitter enemies of Satan and his kingdom. Since the creation of Adam and Eve, Satan has been using all that is in his power to destroy as many of God’s children as he possibly can. I could also write a long study on how Satan came to many of the prophets pretending that he was Jehovah God and actually influenced them to unknowingly commit abominations against the true Father. The plain and true reality is that this world belongs to Satan, and is why Christians are commanded to stay apart from it. Jesus himself called Satan the “god of this age”, the “prince of this world”, the “ruler of this world”, the “prince of the power of the air”.
 
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
 
John 16:7-11 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
 
Ephesians 2:1-2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you walked according to the ways of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

Jesus preached that he was not of this world and that his kingdom was not of this world.
 
John 8:23 But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”
 
John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from here.”

The Bible refers to the world that we live in as "Babylon the Great", and when Christ returns, Babylon the Great will fall, and Christ will then command all his people to come out of her.
 
Rev 18:1-5 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues; for her sins have reached to heaven and God has remembered her evil doings.
 
 
I will end Part 7 here and continue with Part 8.