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Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord JesusChrist, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn_1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and
ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and
Truth," (Joh_4:24)
The Angelic Conflict Spiritual Combat
From the moment of Salvation, every believer,
regardless of age or sex, regardless of status in life, is in
the midst of a great Spiritual conflict. The creation of man
is the result of this conflict, (But as we ALL now know;this was God's plan from the VERY BEGINING. To bring
angels and man into His family --- using FREE WILL;
and to show that God's Thought's and Virtue's are
BEYOND AMAZING;Isa_43:10-13) which has existed
since some time in eternity past. It is a conflict in which
the fallen angels are pitted against God, against the elect
angels and against believers. Exactly how long this
conflict has been raging is a matter of speculation, since
God has not seen fit to reveal this information to us. The
first phase of the angelic struggle was completed before
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man was created. Man entered this Spiritual combat from
the time that Eve, at the subtle suggestion of Satan,
partook of the forbidden tree in the Garden; (2Co_11:3)
and man will continue to be in combat until the SecondAdvent of Christ.
The Church Age in which we now live is unique. It is
the age in which Jesus Christ as the God-Man is glorified:
He is seated at the right hand of the Father in His
resurrection body. (Mat_26:64) And therefore, the angelic
conflict has shifted gears. Until the death, burial,
resurrection and ascension of Christ, it was the intent of
the fallen angels to frustrate the incarnation of Christ and
to prevent the dissemination of the Promises regarding
Him. Since Christ did go to the cross and is now glorified,
the former purpose has changed. Every believer is the
target in the angelic conflict, which has greatly
intensified. In fact, the New Testament uses actualwarfare as a basis for illustrating the great Spiritual battle
in which we find ourselves.
In eternity past, God ALWAYS knew about every
need believers would have at every stage of this
intensified conflict. (Isa_46:8-10) He knew we would live
in a very difficult period of our own national history, as
well as in the Spiritual history of mankind. He knewabout the dramatic rise of Communism with its anti-
Doctrinal and demonic aspects. He knew about the
internal disintegration of our nation through drugs, the
rise of Theological liberalism, and the failure to recognize
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Divine laws relative to police and military activities; He
knew that confusion with regard to the gospel and the
teaching of the Word of God would result from the satanic
utilization of those who choose ecstatic and emotionalcriteria rather than the Thinking of Christ; as their
"Spiritual routine." (1Co_2:14-16) Furthermore, He knew
that, as individuals', we would have to face national
crises, personal crises and local church crises, and that we
would encounter an accumulation of pressures at any
point where His Word might be revealed. Accordingly, in
the Church Age everything is vitally different from any
previous age, and God's provision for every believer in
this Dispensation --- the New Covenant Church Age; is
phenomenal! (Joh_17:21-23)
Characteristics of the Church Age
No believer in the past was permanently indwelt by
God the Holy Spirit or had the New Covenant Spiritual
life. (Joh_7:39) In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit had
a temporary ministry to all believers for learning Truth,
(Pro_1:23) and in order to empower certain people, such
as kings, priests, prophets and the writers of the Old
Testament. And a specialized ministry for the Spiritualability to perform a God-given task. The permanent
universal indwelling of believers by God the Holy Spirit
belongs only to the New Covenant Church Age;
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Tribulation and the Millennium. (Eze_36:26-28;
2Co_6:16; Heb_8:10; Rev_14:4-5) cf. (Joh_12:26)
Since Jesus Christ is now glorified and is seated at
the right hand of the Father; (Heb_1:13) every believer isan ambassador for Christ and is His personal
representative here on earth during this intensified period
of the angelic conflict! (2Co_5:20)
For the first time in history, every believer is a priest.
If you have believed in Jesus Christ, you are a priest!
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal
PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR
God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the
excellencies of Him, (HIS THOUGHTS AND NATURE)
who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous
light. (The Spiritual life of God the Holy Spirit and Truth)
(1Pe_2:9)
This supernatural way of life is in no way connected
with any trend toward asceticism and which excludes
every aspect of legalism; further, as well as any energy of
the old sin nature; we also have a supernatural means of
execution; the filling of God the Holy Spirit. (Eph_5:18)
The grace apparatus for perception
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Through the filling of the Spirit, the believer has
access to God's gracious provision whereby he can
assimilate and Think with God's Thoughts on EVERY
subject, and this "grace apparatus for perception,''(Operation Z) does not depend upon human IQ or human
ability. (1Co_2:12-14) Operation Z depends upon the true
function of the church in which the gift of pastor-teacher
was designed by God primarily for the authoritative
communication of Truth under the Divine Concepts of,
(1) Isagogics, which is the interpretation of the Bible in
the framework of its historical setting; (2) Categorical
teaching, based on comparing Scripture with Scripture to
determine the Doctrinal classification; (3) Exegesis,
which is verse by verse syntactical analysis of the Bible to
determine its exact interpretation.
To understand the mechanics of the Operation Z, we
must understand that in essence the human soul of man ismade up of self-consciousness, mentality, volition, faith,
emotion, and conscience, plus the old sin nature; and for
believers a renewed human spirit. The mentality of the
soul includes a left lobe, (The perceptive lobe) and a right
lobe, (Containing the Spiritual conscience and where the
frame of reference and Divine Viewpoint are stored). As
Doctrinal information is received into the left orperceptive lobe of the believer who is filled with the Holy
Spirit, it is understood. The Greek word "gnosis"
specifically refers to Truth that is in the perceptive lobe
and understood by means of the filling of the Spirit.
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Once you comprehend the Truth, then you have an
attitude toward it; negative or positive volition. It is not
usable until it is believed. Positive volition expresses
itself by faith. By faith this "gnosis" is transferred to thehuman spirit, where it becomes "epignosis" or Spiritual
Knowledge. The human spirit serves as a storage place for
epignosis,'' (God's Thinking) and from there it is cycled to
the right lobe of the mentality, where it serves as a frame
of reference and memory center, vocabulary, categories
and where it becomes the new norms and standards in the
new conscience; momentum and Spiritual Wisdom. This
"epignosis'' in the right lobe is your primary means of
Thinking with God's Thoughts, (Verses, Promises and
Doctrines): Truth! (1Co_2:13; 3Jn_1:4)
The Edification Complex; Divine Dynasphere;
Temple; Spiritual Life; Love Complex of the soul (Thesenames are all synonymous)
Spiritual Thinking or "epignosis" stored in the human
spirit is the basis of the construction of the"Edification
complex of the soul.'' ''The first "floor" of the structure is
rebound; the second, is the filling of God the Holy Spirit;
the third, is the faith-rest drill; the fourth, is graceorientation; the fifth, is Doctrinal orientation; the sixth, is
a personal sense of destiny; the seventh, is personal love
for God; the eighth, is impersonal love for all mankind;
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the ninth, is sharing the happiness of God; and the tenth,
is occupation with Christ.
This edification complex enables the believer to
become Spiritually mature, to produce Divine Virtue, andto become Spiritually self-sustaining. Through it God is
able to provide you with everything that He designed for
you in eternity past. Grace found a way! Further, this
Temple in the soul is developed only through constant,
DAILY absorption of the Word of God! (Psa_1:2-3)
Now, inevitably, man's days are going to be short and
full of trouble because he was created as an extension of
the angelic conflict. (Job_5:7-9) Before we proceed with
the details of the angelic conflict, it should be made clear
that all of the "flack" you get in your Christian life is not
necessarily because of the angelic conflict. Some things
cannot be directly attributed to the angelic conflict, but to
the old sin nature. Of course, the old sin nature isdefinitely in the angelic conflict; but if you manufacture
your own misery through mental attitude sins or through
emotional revolt of the soul, don't blame it on the angelic
conflict. If you're one of those people who say, ''The
devil's after me," you probably know nothing about either
the devil or the angelic conflict. The devil is not
omnipresent and therefore can be in only one place at atime. And he's after bigger game than you or I. The reason
this is so important is that if you start attributing
everything to the angelic conflict, you may forget to
rebound, and you may become a casualty.
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Since we must first of all examine creatures which
we cannot see, creatures who hover about us, who indwell
some members of the human race; creatures who have a
great deal to do with the course of history; creatures whoinfluence rulers and kings; creatures who simulate certain
things, such as tongues and healing; creatures that
definitely influence people in this world today, we are
going to begin our study of the angelic conflict with the
angels themselves.
Description of angels
The Bible reveals the existence of a higher creation,
and the Word of God is very lucid on this subject. The
word "angels" is used repeatedly throughout the Scripture.
Before the canon of Scripture was completed, angels
often became visible to members of the human race. The
Age of Israel was characterized by the appearance of
angels. This world, as well as the universe around us, is
filled with angels, and there are untold numbers of these
beings.
Many details concerning the angels have been a
source of controversy over the centuries, but few have
ever been resolved.Not all angels look the same; some are described as
being very beautiful and some are not. Apparently they
are all male. Only one sex among angels means that all
angels were directly created. This explains in part some of
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the events of, (Gen_6:1-5). Also we learn from this
passage that at one time in history fallen angels had
sexual relations with the daughters of men.
The best we can do on the composition of angels isthat they seem to have a body, but one which is quite
different from ours. Our body is corporeal; theirs is
immaterial. From the name "Lucifer," which is the
Hebrew noun "helel," (Derived from the verb "halal")
meaning "bright and shining one'' we learn something of
the substance of their bodies. The angelic body appears to
be composed of light; and since light has content, it could
make a definite body and one which could easily become
invisible or visible. Their bodies are further differentiated
from ours in that wings are often attributed to them. Not
all angels have the same number of wings. (Eze_1:6;
Rev_4:8) Some angels are super angels in beauty and
strength as compared to others. These super angels arecalled "cherubs." (Cherubim --- plural from the Hebrew)
A cherub is not a little baby with wings. He happens to be
the most beautiful and most magnificent creature that ever
came from the hand of God. Some of the cherubs are
actually named: the leader of the elect angels is called
Michael; the leader of the fallen angels, Lucifer, or Satan
or the devil. These two angels are apparently the mostbeautiful of all creatures. Lucifer is described in terms
that exceed any other Biblical description of a creature.
(Eze_28:12-13) No one is more beautiful or more
personable than Satan. Of course, that eliminates the usual
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representation of Satan with a red epidermis, slanted
green eyes, a forked tail and a trident. Gabriel seems to be
another of the cherubs. He has a responsibility that far
exceeds the power of any person in the human race.Gabriel is the one who keeps human dictators or rulers
from going berserk, unless it is a part of God's plan.
Gabriel went to the court of Cyrus in Persia to keep him
from being attacked by demons. (Dan_10:13 --- Gabriel is
speaking in this verse)
Nothing in history escapes angelic observation.There
is no major event in history that does not have and is not a
part of the angelic conflict, from the fall of man to the
Second Advent of Christ. Angels were involved in the fall
of man, and angels will be involved in the Second Advent.
At the Second Advent, angels will follow Christ;
(Mat_25:31) angels will be involved in a war; (Rev_12:7)
and fallen angels will be removed from the earth duringthe Millennium. (Dan_7:11-14; Rev_20:1-3)
The Book of the Revelation is a book of angels.
There are: more references to angels in this book than in
any other book in the Bible because the conflict is
entering its last stage before the fallen angels are removed
from the earth; (Dan_7:12) therefore, the intensity of the
angelic conflict is portrayed very clearly.(Rev_12:4-13) for example, teaches how Satan seeks
to destroy the Jews. He has always tried to destroy them,
in fact, and when he is not trying to destroy them directly,
Satan is responsible for anti-Semitism. The rumor that the
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Jews are the reason for all the troubles of the world; is
from Satan. The Samaritans under Sanballat, the
Chaldeans, the Persians at one time in their history, the
Assyrians many times in their history, the Syrians andeven modern races and peoples have subscribed to this
idea; that the Jews are the source of all trouble.
Under the angelic conflict, Satan has a battalion of
teachers, who teach false Bible Truth to believers, and
push false demonic thinking into the souls of unbelievers
through the old sin nature --- "mataiotes." (Vacuum ---
Eph_4:17-19)
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some
will fall away from the faith, (The Spiritual life)paying
attention to deceitful spiritsanddoctrines of demons.
(1Ti_4:1)
So whether you realize it or not, all the history whichyou have read and the events of the present are related to
angels.
Categories of angels
As far as the angelic conflict is concerned, angels
exist in two categories: the elect and the fallen angels. Theelect angels, which were always sinless, even before man
was created, and are generally designated in Scripture by
one of two names: "holy," (Mar_8:38) and "chosen."
(1Ti_5:21) The fallen angels are divided into two groups:
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the imprisoned angels, those "who did not keep their own
domain," (Jud_1:6) and the operative fallen angels,
generally called "demons."
(Mar_5:12; 1Co_10:20-21; 1Ti_4:1; etc.) The imprisonedangels were involved in the great revolution and
infiltration of the human race of, (Gen_6:1-5). They are
locked up in Tartarus, (2Pe_2:4) under the Euphrates,
(Rev_9:14-16) and the half-man half-demon descendents
in the Abyss. (Rev_9:1-11)
These categories did not always exist. Prior to
history, there was a conflict in heaven among the angels
and a division ensued. Angels were originally in a state of
perfection, just as man was; then, when Satan fell by
exercising negative volition toward God and toward
grace, a great portion of the angelic structure chose to go
along with him. "And his tail swept away a third of the
stars of heaven, (Angels) and threw them to the earth...(Rev_12:4) The angels which followed Satan had the
opportunity to live with God, and refused to do so. (They
are going to trial against God)
A trial was inevitable because of the essence of God.
God is sovereign and dominates creatures; He is perfect
righteousness and cannot tolerate anything less than that;
He is justice; and righteousness plus justice demands thata trial be conducted. So the trial was first of all based
upon God's righteousness and justice.
God is also eternal life, and He provides eternal life
for any creature who, from his own free will, goes the
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grace way. (Heb_2:2) indicates that angels had a choice of
whatever means of Salvation existed for them. All these
creatures had this choice in common with us. (And if we
do not take the deal, "faith in Christ; and then grow toSpiritual maturity" we will have to take it to trial; and
represent OURSELVES before God! (Rev_20:12;
2Co_5:10) I beg you; TAKE THE DEAL!) Angels have
souls, which include their volition; they have perceptive
ability which is greater than ours; they have some form of
conscience, which is brought out by the third chapter of
Genesis. They also have self-consciousness, (Awareness
of their own existence) and they have faith and emotion.
The fallen angels, (And the entire human race) have
Satan's old sin nature, (Joh_8:38; Joh_8:41; Joh_8:44)
which distinguishes them from the elect angels.
However long it took, the trial was fair in every sense
of the word. God is omniscient He knows all the facts; Heis omnipresent He was an observer; He is omnipotent He
has the power to execute justice; He is immutable God is
incorruptible as a Judge; and He is Truth. (Veracity) Satan
was a liar from the beginning of human history;
(Joh_8:44) and those angels who went against God; and
followed Satan, followed a lie.
At the end of the trial, Satan and all the fallen angelswere sentenced to the lake of fire. (Mat_25:41) In this
pre-period of history, the period of angelic creation only, a
sentence was passed, but not executed. All during human
history, the sentence is suspended. After the end of man's
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history, (The end of the Millennium with the destruction
of the world and the universe; Rev_21:1) the sentence
will be carried out. (Rev_20:10)
Now, we can immediately deduce something fromthis: if the sentence is pronounced before man was created
but not carried out until after man's history is concluded,
then man was created by God to resolve something that
happened at the end of that trial. The words "diabolos''
and "shatan'' both tell us what happened because "Satan''
and "devil" are not names for the super angel but titles.
His name is Lucifer, Star of the Morning. (Isa_14:12)
"Satan" and "devil" means "adversary," and "accuser" or
"attorney'' --- someone who goes to court and appeals.
Satan appealed the case. So, by putting together certain
evidences which occur throughout Scripture, we can
begin to see why man was created.
It is true that man was also created for the glory ofGod; but that doesn't explain many other questions, such
as, why sin? Why suffering? Why free will? Why
establishment? The fact that we are here to glorify God is
a generality. When we discover that by means of our old
sin nature; we don't and CANNOT glorify God,
(Rom_8:8) we must dig a little deeper for a more detailed
explanation. Under the filling of God the Holy Spirit andgrowth to Spiritual maturity; we can be on the winning
side of God's victory and glorification; (Rev_21:7) but
there is only one thing that really answers all the why's,
and that's the angelic conflict. It's important for us to
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understand the angelic conflict, because our existence on
the earth after Salvation is directly related to it. So are the
Truths, the Promises, the Commands and the Doctrines of
Scripture.
Satan's objection
The greatest attacks Satan has made against God
were made before man came into the picture. Satan is a
super genius; he is smarter than any created being who
has ever lived! (Eze_28:12) Before anyone existed on thisearth, Satan had his back to the wall with a Divine
judgment upon himself, and millions of angelic creatures
who followed him. Obviously, Satan would not like the
judgment, and in seeking to do something about it, made a
very strong objection an objection that was, in effect, an
appeal which demanded a new trial, a new case. Based
upon a knowledge and understanding of, (Mat_25:41) and
(Rev_20:1-10) his objections can be deduced very simply:
How can freewill be TRULY free if we, (Fallen angels in
this case) must obey the Divine Thinking and Virtue love
of God; and How can the Virtue love of God cast His
creatures into the Lake of Fire? The answers are
interesting to us, because as human beings, we havebecome involved in the same objections from every
namby-pamby, maudlin, addle-brained type of individual!
This, of course, originates from Satan himself,and the
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answer has to do with angelic and human free will versus
God's Sovereignty.
Angelic free will had an opportunity under grace and
rejected it. Therefore, while the fallen angels were saying,"Not fair!" God created man in order to demonstrate to
them that His position in grace was valid, that Virtue love
can only express itself through grace, and that God cannot
change His essence to accommodate any creature,
whether angel or human being. God's perfect character
included Virtue love for the angels; but God cannot love
in a way that is inconsistent with His other characteristics.
When Satan went negative and said, "...I will be like the
Most High," (Isa_14:13-14) God had to make a decision,
one that was compatible with His righteousness and
justice, as well as with His Virtue love.
The great underlying issue in history is always the
essence of God, of which Virtue love Divine Integrity andHoliness are a part. When you understand reconciliation
and propitiation, you can see that God has done some of
the most astounding things, and yet never lost or
compromised one bit of His essence.In other words, the
devil was "ACED" BY GRACE! There is no way the
devil can win! He couldn't change God, and you can't
change God, nor can any other human being. In fact, oursecurity is in the fact that He cannot change.That's why
we have the assurance, "Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever." (Heb_13:8) The big
issue in the angelic conflict is God's essence! In all of
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history, we have certain creatures going for Satan; in
prehistory, the angels --- in history --- man.Only God
remains intact!
The pattern of angelic rejection
The pattern of angelic rejection has to do with the
angels' free will. We know that angels had free will
because Satan, who is the ruler of fallen angels, went
negative toward God. The first sin of any creature was
one of negative volition, when Satan said to himself fivetimes "I WILL." (Isa_14:12-14) And this tells us a great
deal, because of the negative volition of man; (Adam and
the woman) and the negative volition of Satan; add up to
a parallel situation. It also adds up to another Principle,
that God created man to resolve the angelic conflict and to
overrule the objection of Satan.
In, (Heb_2:2) we have the angelic rejection of the
Lord Jesus Christ; "the word spoken through angels
proved unalterable, and every transgression and
disobedience received a just penalty.'' This Scripture
relates man's Salvation to angelic Salvation.Mankind and
angels are both involved in the same Principle of negative
volition. We do not know the mechanics of the graceSalvation for angels; but, since Satan had sinned, every
angel had had his opportunity to make a decision for or
against Christ before man was even created.
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Resolving the angelic conflict
To resolve the angelic conflict, a creature inferior to
angels was created and placed on one planet. (Psa_8:5;Heb_2:7)Now you have to understand something about
the angels and demons, (Fallen angels):they were created
with the ability to travel throughout the universe with all
of its galaxies; and some of the angels have
"CHAROITS." (Isa_66:15; Eze_1:19; Eze_10:13) cf.
(1Ki_7:32-33; 1Ch_28:18) Generally their abode was in
the second heaven, and they had access to the thirdheaven for angelic convocations. (Job_1:6) Certain
angels, such as Lucifer, lived in the third heaven.
(Eze_28:13-15) But when the angelic fall occurred in the
third heaven, and after the revolt that took a third of the
angels with him, he established a headquarters on a very
tiny planet which we call "earth." (Job_1:7) At the
rebellion God turned the earth into a block of black ice.
(Gen_1:2; Jer_4:23-26) Under Satan, the earth had
become what the original language describes as ''tohu wa-
bohu," which means that it was desolate and ruined. So
God covered the whole earth with deep darkness,
resulting in an ice pack, ("Ice Age" --- and this is what
also ruined the dinosaurs). It stayed that way for anunknown period of time, during which time the fallen
angels had their trial and were sentenced. The earth had
been in existence for perhaps billions of years; its
antiquity is unknown and even carbon dating cannot help
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us. But when Satan made his objection, God the Holy
Spirit removed the ice pack and set about reestablishing
the earth and putting it in order. In six days, (Literal days)
God reestablished the earth and made it habitable for anew creature --- man. To put it briefly: in order to resolve
the angelic conflict, an inferior creature, (Man) was
placed on one planet, (The earth) possessing one thing
which the angels had --- free will or volition. (Psa_8:3-5;
Heb_2:7)
(Heb_1:1) thru (Heb_2:18) actually give us the whole
story.
Volition tested
Now, since God does not desire to force love and
obedience from His creatures, man's volition must also be
tested. Human volition on the earth was tested in the same
manner as angelic volition. As a matter of fact, there were
four similarities involved: (1) both angels and mankind
began in status quo perfection. (2) Both angels and
mankind went negative and sinned. (Isa_14:13-14;
Gen_3:5-6) (3) God had to provide for this contingency,
which He had anticipated. Therefore, for the angels He
provided a Salvation which is unknown to us at this time.For mankind He provided a Salvation which is known to
us the cross. (4) For this reason both angels and men are
divided into two categories chosen or elect and fallen
angels, and saved and unsaved mankind. (Heb_2:2;
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Joh_3:18) The two categories of mankind can be very
simply stated: positive volition is believing in Jesus
Christ;negative volition is rejection of Christ orfor
believers --- rejection of Truth.
Because that which is known about Godis evident
within them; forGod made it evident to them.For since
the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His
eternal power and Divine nature, have been clearly seen,
being understood through what has been made,so that
they are without excuse. For even though they knew God,
they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they
becamefutile in their speculations, and their foolish heart
was darkened. (Rom_1:19-21)
The Test Under Perfect Environment
There were two tests instituted for man's volition:
Adam had two, and since then, all mankind has one. First,
in perfection and under perfect environment, Adam's
negative volition was tested with a tree. There was just
one tree that was forbidden. The only way he could sin
was to go negative and partake of the fruit of that one
tree, and this he did. (Gen_2:17) --- Also describes thepenalty for sin in connection with that tree: "...For in the
day that you eat from it you will surely die." The word
"die" refers to Spiritual death; (Separation from God in
time)
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Adam did not die physically the moment he sinned.
He died SPIRITUALLY! He was cut off or separated
from God. He did not die physically until he was 930
years old. (Gen_5:5) Therefore, "the wages of sin"obviously is not physical death. (As is taught in just about
every Bible school in the United States) The wages of sin
is Spiritual death; and as a result of the fall physical death.
(Rom_6:23; Heb_9:27)
The Test Under Sinfulness
Secondly, Adam's positive volition was tested under
sinfulness, and this too involves a tree the cross. After he
had sinned and had become separated from God,
Salvation was promised to him and to the human race.
(Gen_3:15)
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman,
And between your seed, (Satan's) and her seed; (Christ)
--- He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise
him on, (And or with the; Psa_41:9; Joh_13:18) the heel."
Salvation would be provided through the virgin birth
of Christ. (Gal_4:4-5) All Adam had to do to becomeSpiritually alive again was to exercise positive volition,
(Faith) toward the Lord Jesus Christ, who would provide
Salvation in FULL. The moment Adam sinned, he died
Spiritually. We are BORN Spiritually dead, (Separated
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from God) though physically alive. However, we too can
become Spiritually alive by the exercise of positive
volition, (Faith) toward the work, (Spiritual death and
judgment) of Christ on the cross. The two tests ofmankind's volition under sinfulness occurs, (After the fall
of Adam, man can only be tested under sinfulness). (1) At
the moment he becomes aware of or conscious of God
and; (2) at the moment he hears the gospel. Man's faith in
Christ, which is a non-meritorious expression of positive
volition toward Christ, resolves the initial phase of the
angelic conflict. (Col_2:14-15; Heb_1:4-14; Heb_2:1-18)
Angelic observation
When you accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, the elect
angels rejoiced while Satan's crowd groaned. Why?
Because you responded to grace from your own free will!
The issue in angelic observation is, will man, who is
inferior to angels but equipped with the same free will,
choose for or against the plan of God? Will man respond
to grace or reject it? (Joh_3:17-18) The angels can
understand why they are condemned when they observe
human beings on the earth placing their trust in Jesus
Christ. Thus demonstrating that the negative free will ofman does necessarily choose against God, as Satan and
the fallen angels did in eternity past.This explains the
rejoicing of elect angels over the sinner, who repents,
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(Changes his mind about Christ and believers about
believing and Thinking with Truth;Luk_15:7-10).
There are many passages in the Bible that teach that
angels are observing man. First of all, angels observed theLord Jesus Christ in His humanity just prior to the Church
Age. (Mat_4:11; Mat_28:2; Luk_2:13-14; Act_1:10-11;
1Ti_3:16) Angels observe believers in Phase Two.
(1Co_4:9; 1Co_6:3; 1Co_11:10; Eph_3:10; 1Ti_5:21;
1Pe_1:12) Fallen angels are organized under Satan's
Command to resist and oppose believers. They must
observe believers in order to do this. (Job_1:8-12;
Job_2:1-10; Eph_6:12)
Angelic observation and participation in this Spiritual
conflict constitute a major reason for putting the emphasis
of the Christian life on learning and Thinking with Truth
not simply DOING something. We tend to get off into
minor Concepts and to falsely think in terms of DOINGsomething such as praying, witnessing, giving or certain
other activities of the Christian life. These are legitimate
and bona fide functions; (In fellowship; Psa_66:18) but
because of the angelic conflict and the necessity of
orienting to the grace of God and Spiritually Knowing His
will, the great emphasis is on Thinking with Truth.
(Php_4:8-9) For the believer-priest, Truth is theequipment that makes witnessing, praying, giving, etc.,
effective. It is only through the filling of God the Holy
Spirit and Thinking with Truth that you are able to enjoy
these WORSHIP activities.(Joh_4:23-24)
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Results of the angelic conflict
Phase One. There are three phases to the plan of Godfor believers: Phase One, Salvation; Phase Two, the
believer in time; Phase Three, the believer in eternity. The
result in Phase One is Salvation. At the moment he is
saved, the believer enters Phase Two and is positionally
higher than angels. (Heb_2:7) This is the first victory of
the angelic conflict. When we accept Christ as Savior, the
Holy Spirit enters us into union with Christ. (Baptism ofthe Spirit) So, since the humanity of Christ is now seated
at the right hand of the Father and has been made higher
than angels, and since we are in union with Him, we too
are made positionally higher than angels. (Eph_1:17-23;
Col_2:9-10) This was retroactively the case for the Old
Testament believers.
Phase Two. There is also victory in Phase Two for the
believer who operates under Operation Z and builds THE
SPIRITUAL TEMPLE of the soul. (1Co_3:11-16) Such
victory comes from suffering; for it is through suffering,
(Sin nature, thought, people, system, and disaster testing)
that the believer utilizes God's grace and develops the
faith-rest technique to the point of occupation with Christ.(Rom_5:2-5; 1Pe_1:7-8)
Phase Three. In Phase Three, which begins with
death or the harvest, (Rev_14:14-20) every believer will
receive a resurrection body exactly like that of Jesus
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Christ. (Php_3:21) Through the possession of this
resurrection body, believers will be experientially:
physically superior to angelic creatures; in time believers
are now, positionally: mentally superior to the fallenangels,(Only byThinking with the Mind of Christ). cf.
(Joh_8:31-32)
Freedom From Satanic Control
Through the fall of man, Satan gained control of the
earth. Satan is spoken of in Scripture as the ruler and thegod of this world. (Joh_12:31; Joh_14:30; Joh_16:11;
2Co_4:4; Eph_2:2) He did gain control of man on the
earth,but man's volition makes him a free agent in the
devil's world, and he can choose between the plan of God
and the plan of Satan. (Act_26:17-18) Salvation, through
faith in Christ;positionally frees man from Satanic
control and domination; (Rom_6:3-6) and experientially
through daily intake and obedience to the Thinking with
the that Truth. (Rom_6:17-18)
After Salvation, the great NEED is Spiritual
Knowledge of Truth; acquired by means of Operation Z.
The more Divine Thinking the believer has in his human
spirit --- the more Truth he has in the right lobe of hismentality, the more freedom he possesses in being able to
Think independently from Satan. (Joh_8:38; Joh_12:47-
50; Joh_13:17; Joh_17:13) One of the great issues in the
Christian life is Divine guidance, and the whole basis for
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knowing the will of God on any particular point, or in
general, is the Bible: God's Thinking in the right lobe.
(1Co_2:16)
Remember, Truth in the left lobe, the perceptive lobe,
does not go straight across to the right lobe as with human
knowledge; it must go through the process of cycling to
the human spirit by faith and then to the right lobe.
http://thinkingtruth.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/top-and-bottom-circles/
It can be hindered because of negative volitiontoward Truth, and it can be short-circuited by mental
attitude sins. (Mat_13:22; Luk_8:13-14) As a category,
mental attitude sins represent the greatest enemy of the
Christian life!
Now, to sum up the reasons for the angelic conflict,
let us see the answers to several basic questions of life.
Questions answered by the angelic conflict
Why Does Man Exist? As we have seen, mankind
exists to resolve the angelic conflict. Man approaches the
cross with free will; and under God's plan --- has the right
to express positive volition by faith in Christ and to enter
into God's game plan --- by being born again. Or, he hasthe right to exercise negative volition. When a person
rejects the righteousness of God, which is imputed
through faith in Christ --- the work of the cross,
(Rom_9:30; 2Co_5:21) and rejects the administration of
http://thinkingtruth.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/top-and-bottom-circles/http://thinkingtruth.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/top-and-bottom-circles/ -
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the justice of God in pouring our sins out upon Christ,
then God's righteousness and justice would be
compromised if He did not penalize the unbeliever with
the Lake of Fire forever. Therefore, God is just as fair incasting the unbeliever in the Lake of Fire as He is in
providing eternal life for the believer.
(Col_2:14-15) These passages demonstrate how the
cross relates to the angelic conflict by showing that the
angelic conflict would be resolved and the doom of Satan
and the fallen angels would be certain if only one Person
would be born perfect and submit to God's authority to the
point of death! (Php_2:5-11)
Why Does Sin Exist? Many people, especially
idealistic people who tend toward asceticism, have great
difficulty with the origin of sin. First of all, sin did not
originate with God; it is absolutely incompatible with His
essence; it is utterly impossible for Him to sin, to causetemptation, or to be the origin of sin in any way. We have
direct statements of Scripture to the effect that God is not
the author of sin. (Jas_1:13) But even from the standpoint
of essence alone, He could not be. Why, then, did God
permit sin?
The fact that man had to be given free will in order to
resolve the angelic conflict also made it possible for manto sin. Actually, Satan set the pattern.His was the first sin,
and it was a voluntary act involving his free will.The
fallen angels followed suit by also making decisions of
negative volition.Similarly, original sin in the human
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race, involving first the woman and then the man,
stemmed from the exercise of negative volition by each of
them.
Had man been created without the freedom to makehis own choice, (Either negative or positive) there would
have been no parallel to the case of Satan and the fallen
angels, and the angelic conflict would not have been
resolved. Angelic sin was judged; the sins of the world
were judged. Christ chose of His own free will to go to
the cross; He chose to be judged for the sins of the human
race. He was qualified to be judged for sin, having no sin
of His own. (2Co_5:21) So Christ is the issue of
Salvation, and since He is the issue, we have free will.
Our free will can express itself in faith in Christ; and we
can be saved;or we can reject Christ and spend eternity in
the Lake of Fire.
Why Does Suffering Exist? There are numerousreasons for suffering as far as the angelic conflict is
concerned, and we can easily understand that man's fall
and departure from perfection would inevitably lead to all
kinds of suffering. Equally obvious is the fact that Satan
with all his genius is incapable of handling his own
kingdom --- this world. (Joh_12:31) Suffering exists in
this world to the extent that Satan cannot cope with theproblems of the human race. He would like to create an
ideal environment for humanity in his world, and he has
attempted to do so by introducing the false Concepts of
socialism, by declaring all men to be equal, by trying to
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provide enough money and a job for everyone; and by
supplying so-called "social security" and Obama-care for
all, etc.In every case his solution has failed.The United
Nations; (And the League of Nations before it) representsa satanic effort to create a perfect environment and to
eliminate warfare; however, its interference has only led
to greater problems, and it will continue to do so.Satan is
not "like the Most High," and whatever he has tried by
way of cure-alls has merely complicated matters and
intensified suffering.
While the Church is on the earth, God permits
suffering, (Sin nature, thought, people, system, and
disaster testing; for believers to grow to Spiritual
maturity) for the purpose of blessing.Through suffering,
He demonstrates to you and to me that His grace
provision is greater than the suffering itself; and that He
has provided for every difficult circumstance throughbelieving and Thinking with Truth; filled with God the
Holy Spirit. Now it doesn't mean that you are going to be
blessed just because you are suffering. It all depends on
your use of the Spiritual life!One of the greatest blessings
of suffering comes through faith-rest which leads to
occupation with Christ. When suffering is caused by
discipline, the use of, (1Jn_1:9) turns the cursing toblessing.
Why Does the New Covenant Church Exist? Why
has the angelic conflict shifted gears? Why not the New
Covenant with Israel? Why do we have a change of
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Dispensation? First of all, the previous Dispensation, the
Jewish Age Old Covenant Age was fulfilled, (Heb_13:20)
and Israel as a nation rejected Christ. (Mat_23:37-39)
Christ started the New Covenant Church Age as aclone of Israel to be the steward of the Gospel and the
canon: the full realm of Scripture. A Spiritual Kingdom;
(Luk_17:21) withGod the Father as the author of the
plan; (Eph_4:4-6) with God the Holy Spirit providing a
Temple, (Spiritual life) inside the believer; (1Co_3:16) for
the Ruler-ship of Christ --- in progressive growth levels;
(Gal_4:19; Col_1:27; 1Pe_3:15; 2Pe_1:19) but not as a
political or racial kingdom as Israel was. (Gal_3:28;
Col_3:10-11) But a Theocracy: God Ruling each believer
personally; through the Shekinah Glory --- the LORD
Jesus, the Christ! (Isa_37:16; Col_2:9-17) CHRIST is the
key to the Eternal New Covenant of the Church,
Tribulation and Millennium; made between God theFather and God the Son; Jesus Christ. (Eph_2:14-16;
Heb_13:20)
Since Christ is absent from the earth during this
Dispensation, His Body continues to represent Him as His
ambassadors. This Body, of which Christ is the Head, is
composed of all regenerate persons. (Believers)
But in the Church Age, the believer is thebattleground for the angelic conflict, which is now inner,
hidden and subtle.Only in the Tribulation will it come out
in the open! (Rev_9:1-11) Which will begin when the G
20 agreement, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_G-20_London_Summit) is broken in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_G-20_London_Summithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_G-20_London_Summit -
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2012. (Dan_9:27) To survive in this conflict, we must
have training, which comes through Spiritual Knowledge
of Truth.Therefore, we will study a passage of Scripture
which deals with our training and the equipment whichGod has provided for us to overcome and to move and to
be victorious in the angelic conflict.
God's provision for the angelic conflict: the full
armor of God
In, (Eph_6:10-17) we have a military analogy toteach us the Principles of combat in the Spiritual realm.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able
to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
(Eph_6:11)
This verse begins with an aorist middle imperative ofthe Greek word "enduo." It means to put on equipment, to
equip ourselves for battle. The aorist tense refers to any
point of time when the believer functions under Operation
Z. The middle voice indicates two things: (1) our positive
volition toward the Word of Truth; (2) and the benefits
which are derived by the exercise of positive volition
toward Truth. The imperative mood indicates an order. Weare Commanded to put on "the full armor," which is the
Greek word "panoplia" --- the complete equipment.
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There were three kinds of soldiers in the Roman army
who had this complete equipment. First of all, the
"hastati." They were the young recruits, analogous
to new believers or Spiritual babies. "Hasta" is the Latinword for javelin, which was their chief weapon. The
"hastati" were out in the first line of battle. When they
had thrown their javelins, they passed back through the
ranks and were not used again in the tactical situation. In
the second line of battle were the "principes," the
young, vigorous and strong soldiers, analogous to the
Spiritual adolescents. Finally, the "triarii," who made up
the third line of battle, were the most experienced
veterans; analogous to mature believers.
Comparatively, the adolescent believer has enough
Truth, ("Epignosis" God's Thinking) in his human spirit to
be developing a frame of reference in his right lobe and
have a fairly consistent exhale toward God and productionof Divine Virtue love. The mature believer has a complete
edification complex, (Temple; Spiritual life) of the soul
and is a producer of Divine Virtue love. (Gal_5:22-23)
The new believer is simply starting under Operation Z.
The Spiritual moron will never make it. He is a casualty
in the angelic conflict.He is the person who operates on
emotion, and who gets involved in every emotionalactivity from the Satanic tongues movement all of the
way to some system of social action. Maybe he simply
spends his time in little Christian endeavor-type
devotionals, followed by meaningless decisions throwing
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a fagot, (Piece of wood) on the fire, dedication,
rededication, and all of the other things which are
substitutes for learning Truth.
Now the Principle is that ALL believers must wearthe armor, regardless of their Spiritual growth. Certain
things are provided just as much for the new believer as
for the mature believer; and of course this would refer to
such things as the filling of the Spirit, the faith-rest
technique, and the occupation with Christ Principle. The
source of these things, (The complete equipment) is of
God.
"That you will be able to stand firm... The word for
ability is "dunamai"--- ability which is the result of
Operation Z and the edification complex, the latter of
which is the chief launching pad or weapon in the angelic
conflict. The present tense indicates that this ability
always belongs to the believer on the basis of the functionof Thinking with Truth. The active voice --- every
believer must stand on his own Truth; he must stand in his
own armor. Furthermore, your attitude toward Truth
determines your fulfillment of the plan of God, your
orientation to grace, the development and the construction
of your edification complex. What is the primary purpose
of the Christian life? To construct an edification complex;and to acquire maximum Truth in the right lobe.
Once you put on that equipment, you are TO
STAND. ("Histemi") It is used here in a technical military
sense, and it means to stand fast under combat conditions.
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You see, in the third and fourth chapters and halfway
through the fifth chapter of Ephesians the training period
was set forth: every believer has been given a Spiritual
gift; he has been provided with Bible teaching, a graceapparatus for perception, an edification complex and
everything that pertains to that. When you are trained,
when you put on the armor, you are ready for Spiritual
combat. The active voice means that you have to fulfill
your own part on the combat team!
''...Against the schemes of the devil" (Eph_6:11) is
literally "face to face with the schemes of the Devil" ---
therefore, the combat situation, (Sin nature, thought,
people, organization, and disaster testing). You are to put
on the armor of God and you are to have the equipment
necessary to face the Devil's unseen forces in a Spiritual
combat. Satan has an objective, and it involves strategy
which is directed toward every facet of our life; asunbelievers and BELIEVERS!
The enemy forces
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the powers, against the world
forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces ofwickedness in the heavenly places. (Eph_6:12)
We must put on the whole armor because of, (Not
"for") Satanic strategy, because Satan is the ruler of this
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world, and because we reside in "cosmos diabolicus."
"Struggle" actually refers to combat. It could be any kind
of personal combat, such as boxing or wrestling; but in
our context it has a military connotation and refers to ourpersonal combat with the enemy. "Because our combat is
not with human beings; (Flesh and blood) but, in contrast
with mankind, our combat is with an unseen enemy, the
demon army." The angelic conflict finds the believer
pitted against the army of fallen angels as a part of Phase
Two.
Satan's demon organization
Now, let us notice something of Satan's demon table
of organization, spoken of in this verse as ''...against the
rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of
this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in
the heavenly places."First of all, we have "rulers," which
is the Greek word "archon," one of the words for highest
rulers. "Archon" was first used in Attic Greek in the day
of the Athenian democracy. The "archon" was the
president or the preeminent decision-maker in Athens the
highest ruler.
From the Age of Pericles in the Fifth Century B.C.,the word "archon" has gone through many transitions, but
it has always retained its exact meaning. It is one of those
words that went from the Attic Greek to the Alexandrian
Greek to the Koine Greek, all the way down to New
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Testament times with exactly the same meaning highest
ruler. So the Satanic organization has a certain number of
five-star generals the exact number unknown. There are
millions and millions of demons. (Rev_9:16)We have a secondary group of rulers called "powers."
The Greek word, "exousias" (Authorities) is comparable
to commissioned officers. So at the top, Satan has an
unknown number of "archon," who are army
Commanders. Under them he has an unknown number of
corps Commanders, divisional Commanders, brigade
Commanders, combat team Commanders, battalion
Commanders, company Commanders and platoon
Commanders!
These also have supporting-type organizations. For
example, an infantry division will have so many batteries
of artillery, and in certain terrains it will often have
attached to it various types of armor; it will havesupporting organizations from the quartermaster, (Supply)
and transportation corps. There will be assigned to it a
number of engineers with certain responsibilities, along
with special weapons-type organizations. So, then, any
military organization has many supporting organizations
attached to it, and that is exactly what we have in Satan's
table of organization.The third category is "the world forces of this
darkness." This is "kosmokrator" --- one word in the
Greek. "Krator" is ruler and "kosmos" is world; therefore,
a world rulers not "rulers of darkness." The word
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"darkness" comes later in the sentence and is the Greek
word "skotos." The phrase should actually read, "World
rulers of darkness." Why is this organization called
"world rulers of darkness"? It is Satan's elite corps of"rangers" that are used in attacking rulers, national entities
and VIP's. Each "kosmokrator" is in charge of his own
territory.
This elite corps attacks rulers, as in, (Dan_10:13).
Daniel's prayer did not receive an answer for three weeks
because Gabriel was busy fighting the "ranger"
organization of demons, led by the "prince of Persia,''
Satan's "kosmokrator" over Persia. In, (Dan_10:20)
another world ruler of darkness is mentioned; this time it
is the "prince of Greece." This same organization attacks
ALL national entities. Any national entity that functions
under the Divine Institution of Nationalism and which
evangelizes on the inside and sponsors missionary activityon the outside is going to be under attack. Also VIP
believers are under attack, as illustrated by the Apostle
Paul. In addition, all believers who are in the vicinity of a
VIP believer are under attack. That is the history of the
attack on Corinth. When Timothy, a VIP believer, went to
Corinth, the same thing happened. Before Timothy, it was
Apollos. Any time there is great exposure to the Word ofTruth, this specialized satanic organization attacks.
There is a fourth category in Satan's table of
organization mentioned in, (Eph_6:12). "Spiritual forces
of wickedness in the heavenly places. "This actually
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refers to the rank and file of demons, which perform
numerous functions. Some of these demons indwell
unbelievers and influence believers; only to induce
sickness. When Satan calls out the demons, the unbelieveris miraculously healed in order to promote some person as
a healer. Then there are those who control the vocal cords,
such as the "eggastromuthos,'' (Ventriloquist) demons;
and their control of the vocal cords of unbelievers and
believers; involves a simulation of "tongues" in order to
attract people in that direction.
There are demons who perform certain extra-natural
activities for Satan, such as those recorded in, (2Th_2:9).
Then, too, there are certain members of the human
race, who, under demon possession and or influence, are
very brilliant and are able to make predictions in order to
gather followers and to point people in a given direction
usually toward religion, social action, or some form ofhuman old sin nature works. There are demons designated
to encourage sin, though sin is not the great objective in
the satanic system. The old sin nature actually takes care
of the basic sin Concept. The world, (False realities and
values) the flesh, (Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and
the pride of life) and the devil, (Demonically inspired
false Biblical and non-Biblical thinking) are involved intemptation, but most of the sins, (Gen_3:4-6) in the
human race originate from the old sin nature, (Jas_1:14-
15) (Adam and the woman sinned without a sin nature).
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The armor
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you
will be able to resist in the evil day, and having doneeverything, to stand firm. (Eph_6:13)
"Therefore" --- because of the angelic conflict,
because of Satan's strategies, because of the Divine
reconnaissance, (Location and organization of the enemy)
and the information found in the first part of our passage
we are given a Command: "Take." This word
("Analambano") means "to take, to receive or to seize,"and to do it over and over again.You don't put the
uniform or battle equipment on ONCE; you put it on
again and again and again! This is a reference to Divine
Thinking, with emphasis on the function of Operation Z,
the daily repeated intake of Truth.Nothing short of this
will build up stability in our Spiritual Thinking; in and for
the time of crisis and or prosperity! (2Ti_2:4)
Analogy to the Roman Soldier
(Eph_6:14-17) examines the items of our equipment.
You will never look at any combat soldier without
noticing that he has belts and buckles and pockets and
various pieces of equipment, each of which has a verydefinite purpose. At the time of the writing of Ephesians,
the Apostle Paul was under house arrest and had a
member of the Praetorian Guard with him at all times.
Now, a Praetorian was not an ordinary infantryman; he
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was in training to become an officer, and the Praetorian
camp was as close as we can come to West Point,
Sandhurst or Saint-Cyr. It was a military academy, and the
men who guarded the Apostle Paul would one day beofficers in the Roman Army. And so, as Paul was writing
this particular chapter, he could look up and observe the
various articles of equipment of the Roman soldier who
was in attendance.
The Belt of Truth. (The Thinking of Christ) "Stand
firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH
TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ONTHE BREASTPLATE OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS.'(The filling of God the Holy Spirit;
Eph_6:14) cf. (Joh_4:24) Although the word "stand" in
itself is the ordinary word for standing under almost any
condition, in this instance, with the military uniform
involved, it means to stand in ranks, to be in the proper
place in a combat situation. The aorist tense means that itis to be done in a point of time; the active voice indicates
that volition is involved in obedience to a Command; and
the imperative mood strengthens the fact that there must
be obedience to the Command.
Since there are a series of aorist participles occurring
in the verses that follow, it is necessary to stop here and
recognize the Principle governing them: the action of theaorist participle precedes the action of the main verb.
From this structure, we will see that the items of
equipment represent training and preparation so that we
may be able to stand fast in the battle situation. The main
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verb "to stand," ("Histemi") is given right at the beginning
of, (Eph_6:14) and it has reference to the actual combat
situation. Everything else is preparation for it!Each one
of us, as a believer, is in combat; we are in the unseenangelic conflict.In addition to that, we are in full-time
Christian service, and we are faced with adverse
circumstances in the devil's world and with various needs
in our lives. Each item we are going to examine
represents preparation and training for our combat, which
will continue as long as we live on this earth.
The Greek word for "having girded" is
"perizonnumi," and it is an aorist middle participle, "Peri"
means "around" and "zonnumi" means "to put"; that is, to
put around the waist. The Roman soldiers wore a very
wide belt, which was actually the foundation piece for all
their military equipment. At one place on it there was a
loop for the "machaira," (Sword) at another point therewas a loop from which a couple of ropes dangled,
together with a sack for rations. Items of equipment were
attached all the way around this belt, which was designed
in a manner to insure that it would remain firmly in place
at all times and so that the equipment would be easily
accessible when needed. No Roman soldier ever fought
without his belt, for it carried all of his equipment.This military belt is said to be "Truth," but the Greek
word, "aletheia," does not mean to tell the Truth, in and of
itself. It is a technical word, which has the connotation of
God's Thinking; not in its simple presentation but in its
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categories. The belt of Truth, then, is a reference to the
whole Principle of Operation Z. This is the basis for
learning Truth or putting on the "belt of Truth."
The Breastplate of Righteousness
(Eph_6:14) goes on to say, "and having on the
breastplate of righteousness." The Greek word for "having
on" is "enduo," meaning to "put it on." It is an aorist
middle participle to indicate that over a period of time, if
we are "consistent" in Bible study,we gradually build upan accumulation of Truth in the human spirit, which in
turn will lead to the construction of the edification
complex of the soul. (Spiritual life) Without this
edification complex or Doctrinal structure in the soul,
there is no Spiritual maturity and, basically, no happiness
in the Christian life.
"Thorax'" is the Greek word for "breastplate." Thispiece of armor is a very interesting article. Most of the
ancient peoples wore breastplates, which were made up of
many layers of cloth or linen. Some were made by
attaching bits of horn or hoof to a heavy cloth foundation.
Later, they were made of bronze and even of iron. The
Roman breastplate was made of metal and protected the
upper part of the body the vital spots. In order to keep it inplace, little rings were affixed to the lower edge, and it
was secured to the belt by means of thongs which were
drawn through the rings. Putting on the breastplate took
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some time. In our passage, this breastplate is analogous to
learning to stay in fellowship and build the edification
complex.Put on the belt, (God's Thinking --- Truth) and
the breastplate, (The Filling of God the Holy Spirit ---Temple). We do not become mature believers overnight.It
takes time to develop Temple complex in the soul.
Pressure and suffering accelerate the building of an
edification complex.
The Roman soldiers did not wear any protection on
their arms. Being very offensive-minded, they liked to
have their arms free. The hauberk, which was a chain mail
covering for the body and arms, came into use during the
Middle Ages and indicated the defensive-mindedness of
that period. But the Romans had the idea of
aggressiveness and wanted freedom to move. And this is
exactly what we have in our passage. The breastplate of
righteousness gives you freedom for production andaction. It is not the actual production, but, rather, the
FREEDOM to produce.
The Feet Shod
''And having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE
PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.''
(Eph_6:15) It is inevitable that the Apostle Paul, indescribing the great Spiritual warfare --- the intensity of
the angelic conflict --- should eventually come to the feet.
The infantryman moves into battle on foot. Weapons may
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change, but warfare demands the presence of the infantry.
The success of the army Depends upon the feet of the
army.
The Roman soldier wore a very heavy-soled leathersandal, the soles of which were studded with cleats to
give the soldier firm footing. This sandal was called a
"caligula"; and since they were issued in pairs, the pair
was referred to as "caligulae." These were the Romans'
"GI" shoes, and they were worn only by the infantry. The
aorist tense of "shod" indicates a constant series of
learning certain types of Doctrinal information so that
when we arrive at any particular battlefield; we are ready
to use that information. This is our preparation, this is our
readiness: having our feet shod by means of the readiness
of the gospel of peace, (Reconciliation; Eph_2:7-22)
I want you to notice that every believer, not just some
believers, is Commanded to put on these GI shoes. So thefirst thing we learn from having on GI shoes is the fact
that every believer is in full-time Christian service, of
which witnessing is apart. Therefore, it is imperative that
every believer be shod and ready for action at any time.
As we move through life, it is our responsibility to be, as
it were, on our feet and ready to meet situations which
demand that we witness for the Lord Jesus Christ; andprovide Truth to believers. (Heb_5:12)
The word for "preparation" ("Etoimasia") means full
preparedness. Now, there is one thing the infantryman
does he marches somewhere, often many miles.
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Preparation is being able or fully prepared to move on
your feet over a long period of time so that you can arrive
at some point, where you can use your weapons
effectively, and work in conjunction with others. One ofthe worst things in the world would be to march miles and
miles to the battlefield and then step into battle without
shoes! You must arrive with the ability to fight; ready to
go into action, ready to use your weapons. You must be
well organized!Readiness means that you can march for
many miles to the battlefield and be ready to go into
action, to be a part of your organization, and to be ready
to function with them as a team.
Our full preparedness is said to be with "the gospel of
peace." "The gospel" refers to a specific type of Truth:
about Salvation or the Truth concerning God: the full
realm of Scripture; depending on the context. The Greek
word is "euaggelion." "Eu" means "good"; "aggelion" ---"announcement." This is generally translated "good
news.'' We have some good news, but it cannot be
communicated unless it is understood. Evangelism does
not belong solely to the pastor behind the pulpit. EVERY
BELIEVER must be ready at ALL TIMES to
communicate this good news.
Through the Principle of Operation Z, you mustknow certain Doctrines, you must have correct
information about Salvation and the Spiritual life. You
must know your subject, and the objective is to
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communicate the information accurately and clearly so
that the hearer can make a decision.
There was one thing about the Roman soldier with
the caligulae on his feet: he was flexible to move!Howyou communicate the information is going to depend
upon your vocabulary, your personality, your ability to
estimate a situation, your relaxed mental attitude. The real
key, after you have assimilated a certain amount of Truth,
is your flexibility; to THINK with God the Holy Spirit.
(Luk_12:12; Luk_21:14-15) You must never get the idea,
even when someone responds to your communication of
Truth, that there is only one way to do it. The Holy Spirit
will handle situations in many different ways. There are
MANY approaches ---stay flexible!
The Shield of Faith
''In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with
which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one. (Eph_6:16) In addition to." Does
not mean that the next item is greater, but in the Greek
this is, "en pasin" which means in addition to the items
previously listed: the belt, which represents the Principle
of Divine Thinking; the breastplate of righteousness,which refers to the Filling of God the Holy Spirit;and the
feet shod with the preparation --- for declaring the gospel
and or the full realm of Scripture.
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"Taking up the shield of faith..." "Taking" means to
"pick up" --- in this case, to pick up something lying on
the ground, just as a Roman soldier would pick up his
shield when he fell in for his formation and for action.Since the action of the aorist participle precedes the action
of the main verb, "stand" --- (And "stand" means to be in
battle array, ready to go into action) and indicates that
before you can go into action you must have the shield.
The shield ("Thureos") was a large shield carried by the
Romans to protect the entire body. "Faith" refers to the
Principle of the "Faith-Rest Technique." It consists of, (1)
acquiring a knowledge of the Promises of God, (2)
believing and Thinking with these Promises and Doctrines
by faith. (Rom_4:20)
There are five ways to fulfill the Command to pick
up the shield of faith: (1) By the daily function of
Operation Z. You need your shield every day.(Rom_10:17) (2) By the exhale of Truth --- Thinking
WITH the Promises. (Heb_4:1-3) (3) By the filling of the
Holy Spirit. (Gal_5:22-23) (4) By picking up the shield in
combat. (1Pe_1:7-8) (5) By occupation with Christ, which
is actually a Spiritually mature extension of the Faith-Rest
Technique, (1Pe_1:8 compared with; Heb_12:2).
"With which" (Literally, "with which shield") youwill be able..." "Able," ("Dunami") is a word for ability or
power; but the future tense anticipates the battle; and
indicates that there is a training period before the use of
the shield. And that is exactly the way it is in the Christian
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life. You begin through the function of Operation Z, by
learning some Promises and then you learn some
Doctrines; and that is the training period.
"...With which you will be able to extinguish all theflaming arrows of the evil one." (Eph_6:16) This latter
phrase is literally, "missiles which have been set on fire."
The missile itself was called "bele" or "belos," which is
taken from "ballo," meaning a projectile. The word "fire"
is a perfect passive participle of "puroo," which means
"having been set on fire" And so we have missiles which
have been set on fire. This type of fire arrow was a very
ancient weapon. The Persians used it in their invasion of
Greece in the days of Xerxes, and it is said to have existed
long before then. Herodotus, Thucydides and Livy all
make mention of this weapon. "Of the evil" ("Ho
poneros") is literally "Of the evil one," and refers to a
specific person, i.e., Satan.In line with Paul's analogy taken from ancient
warfare, the Principle involved here calls for the use of a
shield to meet all of the pressures, all of the problems of
life and the organized opposition of Satan in whatever
form it comes. Further, a shield was used in a flexible
manner. The Romans had a whole manual of arms,
(Training routine) for the shield, and they were flexibleand reacted differently to meet each situation.
Throughout the whole realm of the Christian life,
there is the Principle of Thinking Truth and Promises, the
Principle of flexibility in handling difficulties and
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problems of all kinds, all of which makes faith-rest the
basic system --- THAT IS THE SHIELD; that quenches
the missiles which have been set on fire by "the evil one!"
Thus, God has made provision for your protectionfrom these "flaming arrows" which Satan projects toward
you from all sides and all directions, (Old sin nature,
thought, people, organization and disaster testing).
The Helmet of Salvation
"And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and thesword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
(Eph_6:17) The word "take" is an aorist active imperative
from the verb "dechomai." In this verse, it means "to
receive," and to receive gladly or to receive with
happiness. The aorist tense is the point of time when the
individual goes into combat. The active voice: each
individual makes the decision for himself. And theimperative mood gives the individual believer the
opportunity of utilizing the helmet of Salvation. Literally,
then, "receive the helmet which is ETERNAL Salvation
from the Lake of Fire."
The helmet is something which is placed on the head
for protection. Now the human soul resides inside the
head. It is the soul which is said to be saved at the point ofSalvation, (Psa_19:7; Mar_8:36; Heb_10:39) and
therefore it is apropos that the Roman helmet should be
used to illustrate the Principle of eternal Salvation. You
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are never in the protocol plan of God until you have
personally accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. Since this
passage is addressed to the believer, the helmet of
Salvation specifically refers to knowing the Doctrinespertaining to Salvation, and thus having the assurance of
Salvation and eternal security.
The Roman helmet or casque was by far the best in
the ancient world and was the only one that was
absolutely foolproof. It was composed of four parts.
(1) It had a very excellent liner, which was made of
skin. This skin lining emphasizes the work of Jesus Christ
on the cross. The first reference to skin in connection with
Salvation is found in, (Gen_3:21) where the Lord made
Adam and Eve coats of skin. Since skin is obtained by the
shedding of blood, this lining reminds us that when we
are cleansed by the blood of Christ; (That is, the Spiritual
death and judgment of Christ) and that at faith in Christ;we receive the imputed righteousness of God. (2Co_5:21)
(2) Generally, the helmet was made of bronze, which
is tough and durable and able to withstand anything that
hits it. This emphasizes the permanence of the plan of
God in Phase One.
(3) The helmet of the Praetorian who was guarding
Paul would have had a gold crest; and this emphasizes theunique Person of the God-head who is our Savior Jesus
Christ, the God-man. Thus it refers to the Doctrine of the
hypostatic union.
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(4) The chin strap gave the helmet stability in battle,
and kept it on. This of course would refer to the Principle
of eternal security. Once you have believed in Jesus
Christ, you cannot lose your Salvation from the Lake ofFire. (Joh_10:28)
The Sword of the Spirit
Up to this point Paul has referred to items of
equipment which are defensive in nature. In the latter part
of, (Eph_6:17) he directs attention to the only offensiveequipment mentioned --- "the sword of the Spirit, which
is the Word of God." The Greek word for "sword" here is
"machaira." This was a Roman invention and was
probably one of the most unusual and ingenious
inventions of ancient warfare. Unlike the lengthy, two-
handed broadsword, which was used by the Gauls and the
barbarians, the machaira was only about eighteen incheslong; but it was sharp on both edges and had a sharp
point. It was a very maneuverable weapon, and all parts of
it could be used. Its outstanding advantage was that the
soldier was never off balance while using it.
The Greek word for "Spirit" here is "pneuma." It
refers to God the Holy Spirit, and it is in the genitive case,
that is genitive of source, so that literally we have "thesword from the Spirit."God the Holy Spirit is the source
of this sword, which is the "Word of God."The word used
here is "rhema," which means "the Saying or the category
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or the Concept." It is a word for Truth, and it implies a
specific Truth, presented exegetically or categorically; it
can also mean "Spoken through a believer by means of
God the Holy Spirit." And "of God" is again the genitiveof source. Thus, we have "the sword from the Holy Spirit,
which is the Truth from the source of God." This is our
offensive weapon!
So from a brief study of this passage, we can see
clearly that, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, our lives
have meaning and purpose and definition; further, we are
personally involved in this great conflict. It is also clear
that God has graciously made every provision for the
believer in the present New Covenant Age the Age of the
intensification of the angelic conflict.He has provided the
grace apparatus for perception in order that you might
comprehend His Word and know what His will is for your
life.There is no limitation to the things that can beunderstood; nothing is hidden; everything is to be
comprehended!He has made it possible for you to erect a
Spiritual Temple in your soul in order that you might be
equipped to do His will. (1Co_3:11-16)And, by these
provisions, He has made it possible for you to meet the
challenge of the intensified angelic conflict with stability,
confidence and complete inner happiness. (Php_2:2;1Jn_1:4)
Thus, it is by reason of man's faith that the angelic
conflict is resolved!Angels observe man's positive
volition as he first receives Salvation through faith in the
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finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then as he
demonstrates the adequacy of God's provision through
daily study and appropriation of the contents of God's
Word!
Now to Him who is able to do farmore abundantly
beyondall that we ask or think, according to the power
that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.
Amen.(Eph_3:20-21)
End