“Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” Matthew 2:13
Dear Ones:
The spiritual conflict that the believer on this earth in engaged in is very real, and has formidable repercussions in the physical world. Though the birth of Jesus came in almost total obscurity, the enemy of God, Satan, sought to destroy the child through Herod the king. Were it not for the protective hand, and intervention of God, he would have succeeded. The reality of this spiritual conflict is revealed throughout Scripture, from the Garden of Eden, when Satan tempted Eve, to the pressure he put upon David to number the people, which was not the will of God. That conflict is also revealed in the conquest of Canaan, when the walls of Jericho would only fall by the intervention of God, as the resistance to Israel was formidable. In the writings of Zechariah, we see Satan opposing the building of the second temple, by accusing before God the priest, Joshua. From Job’s experience of the effects of Satan’s workings, to the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, to the conquering and “…spoiling of principalities and powers, making an open show of them, triumphing over them” on the cross, the spiritual conflict is a reality. For the believer, that conflict becomes tangibly real when he is brought face to face with the reality of Satan’s temptations, resistance, and opposition to the advancement of the kingdom of God, and the doing of His will. It is then that the greater reality of Christ’s victory, made to be the believer’s by faith, enters into the equation. This complete victory, already won, must be embraced and believed. It is only as the true nature and essence of this victory is known, that the practical means by which it is to be experienced will be real in the life.
The Apostle Paul made very clear in his second letter to the Corinthian believers, that the nature of this great conflict is indeed spiritual: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.” (10:3) He goes on to say, “…for the weapons of our WARFARE are not carnal (of the flesh), but mighty THROUGH GOD to the pulling down of strong holds.” (v.4) To the Ephesians he would write: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” (6:12) Since this is so, how is the believer to face this conflict, and overcome?
God called Cyrus to be instrumental in the building of the second temple in Jerusalem. He declared through Isaiah several promises: “….I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates.” (45:1) God would take Cyrus by the right hand, declare him to be His anointed, and communicate to and through him His authority and power. By such authority, gates would be opened where spiritual “authorities” reigned unchallenged. When Jesus was addressing Peter concerning the “church” that He was to build, He added: “…and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18) These “gates” of hell are those spiritual fortresses which resist and oppose the reign of Christ, and where many are enslaved and bound. In the case of Cyrus and Peter, there is a central and fundamental theme that is associated with the conquering of the enemy, and it is the issue of spiritual authority. During Jesus’ ministry, that spiritual authority was revealed in His teaching, healing of the sick, and the casting out of demons.
After the resurrection, Jesus gave the disciples a commission, to go into all the world to make disciples. This was prefaced by saying, “All authority (power) is given to me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:19) It is by this authority, given by Christ in His name, that this spiritual conflict is won. As there is no other name under heaven whereby one must be saved, so there is spiritual victory only in Jesus’ name.
Dear Father, Teach our hands and hearts to war aright, ever overcoming. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad