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The Raging Conflict – Week 41 / October 5th
“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.”
Ephesians 6:12
Every part of our world, seen and unseen is engulfed in conflict. Much of this conflict is indeed unseen but nevertheless very real as it rages in the heavenly sphere. Paul writes that our warfare is not against flesh and blood but against unseen and mighty spiritual beings. This is not to say that the “flesh and blood” part of it are mere victims and not responsible for their actions. No, it means that the powers they co-operate with are unseen and evil. They are and remain entirely responsible for this and will in the end be judged with these unseen powers if they do not repent! (Matthew 25:41) The truth is; you cannot change the facts on the ground until you change the facts in the spiritual world and this can only be done by much prayer, intercession and waiting on God. Daniel is the great example of this.
The conflict we engage in is:
1. That which has to do with truth
This is the great issue facing the church today and according to scripture will be the issue that will entice God Himself to send a “great delusion” upon those who do not love it. (2Thessalonians 2:9-12) We should all tremble at this notion and this is precisely why we should “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) Doctrinal purity is important and the modern habit of desiring a feeling based Christianity rather than a word based one is dangerous and delusional. The final cul-de-sac to which this leads one is the idea, as was recently heard expressed by a major Christian leader, that even worship is not about God but us!!! Fuzzy feel-good-Christianity is weak, useless to God and self centered. (Philippians 3:17-18) Jesus said that only truth will set you free! (John 8:31-32)
2. That which has to do with our carnal natures
Paul reminds us in his letters to the Romans and the churches of Galatia that a very real battle rages within us. (Galatians 5:16-17) Our carnal natures, so hardened by sin, resist the Spirit of God that has come to live in us when we accepted Jesus into our lives. This is a very real battle, in fact so intense that the good we know to do we cannot execute and the evil we know to be wrong we do. (Romans 7:15-21) Every Christian has this struggle and he or she must overcome since sin is “crouching at the door” to bring them down in defeat. The good news is that we have received everything we need “for life and godliness in Christ” (2Peter 1:3) and thus we must learn to surrender to the Spirit of God by “washing” our lives with the Word of God, prayer, fellowship and an attitude of obedience. (Acts 2:42; Romans 6:12, 16) We must do the will of God to be saved (Matthew 7:21) and we must be led by the Spirit to prove that we are the children of God. (Romans 8:14) Jesus said, “He that endures to the end will be saved” and only those who overcome will inherit eternal life. (Romans 6:22) This conflict you must win!
3. That which has to do with Israel
The importance of Israel lies in the fact that she is God’s birthing people. (Romans 3:1-2; 9:1-5 Revelation 12:1-2) In other words the means by which God brings His redemptive purpose into the world. Salvation is of the Jews. (John 4:22) Central to this conflict is the question as to whether Israel’s modern day restoration enjoys any biblical credentials or is it just an accident of history. In violation of the clear teaching scripture, much of the modern day church does believe that Israel’s restoration is just a coincidence with no biblical importance. We beg to differ but this is a huge battle that is raging within every church grouping and denomination. At the bottom of this debate is a theology called Replacement Theology. Its fruit is bad, its theological theory violates the context of scripture and it ultimately accuses God of lying by reversing His clear and solemn undertakings sealed in the Abrahamic Covenant! Those who embrace it, and many great and well known preachers do, end up discrediting Israel, delegitimizing Israel and playing into the hands of those who seek to dismantle Israel. Having nothing to do with it!
4. That which has to do with political Islam
The world is at war with political Islam that seeks to establish a global Caliphate by sweeping away the democracies of the West and by destroying Israel. This will be an intense and bruising conflict wherein multiple thousands will die; millions already have. This, to put it mildly, is a raging storm, and much of the Church and the free nations of the West are oblivious to it or; are hoping that it will just somehow go away. It will not! Israel is facing a huge conflict because, once again, unseen powers of wickedness are seeking to frustrate God’s plan to bring Jesus back to the Mount of Olives. (Psalm 2:1-9) This plan requires Israel’s restoration, survival and spiritual recovery to be implemented and thus, from a demonic perspective, Israel must be exterminated and the instrument these powers have chosen to use is the brutality of political Islam. A brutality we now see in the so called Islamic State. The Bible has warned of this, a long time ago, but now it is upon us! (Psalm 83; Ezekiel 39:1-7)
This is a huge and intense battle and the Bible clearly teaches that in the end all nations, by demonic seduction, will come against Israel. (Revelation 16:12-16)To stand with her will thus be costly and it will mean that we will all have to change our names to Antipas; meaning “Against Everything.”(Revelation 2:13) May Jesus help us to be faithful!
Malcolm Hedding
©Malcolm Hedding Ministries
2014Devotional