For many, the spiritual realm or “heavenlies” as Paul calls it in Ephesians 6 is an interesting, but unclear subject. On this episode, Jack and Spencer discuss, generally, what the spiritual is, and more specifically, why it’s important to study it.

Music:
“Kid Kodi”
Blue Dot Sessions
www.sessions.blue

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Introduction to the Spiritual Realm

”Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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 in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:10-12

Introduction

A trailer for the new show “Little Demons” premiered during LSU/FSU game last year.

Premise: “After being impregnated by the Devil, a reluctant mother and her Antichrist daughter attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware.”

Interview: “I love that we are normalizing paganism. Laura is a pagan. She’s a witch. She’s jacked.”

The show is premiering on Disney+.

More recently, there have been satanic influenced performances by mainstream artists like Lil Nas X and Sam Smith as well as a bid for abortion rights to be included as religious rights of the church of Satan. 

Spiritual battle all around us and it can be tempting to view the creators as the enemy, but the Bible teaches us that:

Sin, and its corruption/destructiveness, that is our enemy as well as

The forces that bring that corruption/destructiveness into our world. 

Bible Discusses It

Aside from Ephesians 6:10-12ff, we are given a number of other reminders of the spiritual battle going on in our world like:

1 Peter 5:8-9 – “…Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him…”

James 4:7 – “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Matthew 6:13 – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil [the evil one].”

Revelation 2:24 – “But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan…”

Various references in Revelation 2 and 3 to “synagogue of Satan”

These verses are just a few examples of blatant “us vs them” divide that exists in the Bible.

It’s also worth noting the great number of times Jesus is seen in interaction with demons (Mt. 4:24; 7:22; 8:16, 28-33; 9:32-34; 10:8; 11:18; 12:22, 27-28; 15:22; 17:18)

Extrabiblical Literature

It’s worth noting as well books like 1 Enoch, the book of Jubilees, Bel and the Dragon, and others in pseudepigraphical (“false writing”) works are also very heavily spiritual battle oriented. 

These writings are important because they inform us of the viewpoints of the Jewish people’s beliefs about the spiritual realm as we go into the New Testament.   

References to some events written here are even recorded in 2 Peter and Jude showing us that they were not only students of this literature, but that some of the thoughts have merit as biblical teaching.

And there are, as we will see over the next several episodes, many references within the Old Testament Scriptures to spiritual battle events. 

Gives Background to Sinful Behavior

The opening of the Bible gives us the perfect creation of God, as well as the forces that corrupt that perfect, “good” creation. 

Genesis 3 – gives us Satan speaking through a serpent

Genesis 6 – gives us rebellious heavenly beings

Genesis 11 – provides us the catalyst for heavenly being division (Dt. 32:8)

Each of these events are not just sinful aberrations to the “good” creation, they are guided aberrations to the “good” creation. 

In other words, the Bible places evil spiritual beings at the beginning and continuing of sinful behavior, in the same way that it places good spiritual beings at the ending of sinful behavior.

Keeps Us Focused on Our True Enemy

From the beginning we are told that people are made in the “image of God” (Gen. 1:27). As time progresses, we see Israel in wars with other nations of people (like the Philistines for example). These nations are shown repeatedly to be under the influence of evil spiritual forces. 

Within the New Testament, we get a clearer picture of this when we read how God wants all people to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), to be those in His image (i.e. “Christians”). Jesus’ goal is not to eradicate people, but the sin within people and the sinful forces influencing people. 

Provides Us Greater Appreciation for What God Has Done

1 John 3:8 tells us – “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus did not come only to give us a relationship back with God (the Genesis 3 problem), but to defeat the evil that sought its own power in God’s creation (the Genesis 6 problem) and bring the nations back to Him (the Genesis 11 problem). 

In other words, Jesus is not only redeeming the relationship, but the creation from its corruption, and the nations from their selfishness.

Summary

The study and grasp of the spiritual realm is essential for truly understanding not only what Jesus has done for us, but what our responsibility as people of God’s kingdom is. 

Information adapted by material from Dr. Michael Heiser