Spiritual Warfare Part 1

So what is the goal of this Spiritual War?  Where is it all going?  First, we have to understand the only reason we know there is a Spiritual war taking place is because God choose to reveal it to us through the prophets in the Bible.  Without the revelation of scripture, we would be blind to this battle.  Therefore, to understand this war, we need to see what scripture says, and not rely on our feelings and emotions.  Again, understanding the Spiritual War requires revelation from God, so its understandable the world would be skeptical of such a conflict.

Secondly, the Bible tells us, there is an invisible realm, which is distinct from our physical realm.  Our physical world is in many ways under the power this spiritual world.  Much of the evil in the world is direct result of this unseen war.  The number personalities involved in this conflict, are huge, they involve both the forces of Satan composed of fallen angels and of God, along with His angels.  This battle is played out in the realm of humanity, the physical world. According to scripture, the target of this battle is the souls of humanity, (I Peter 5:8-9), and the battlefield is in mind of humanity, blinding them from the truth, that they perish without salvation. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 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. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

When did Spiritual Warfare begin?  To understand the origin of this Spiritual conflict, our knowledge of this war comes through scripture alone.  God has revealed through the prophets, in both Old and New Testaments, the origin of this war.  The being known as Satan has many names in scripture; one among them is Lucifer, who was the angel who covered the throne of God. His beauty and pride made him rebel against God’s authority, causing him to lead a rebellion of 1/3 of the angels against God.  These angels along with Lucifer became “fallen” angels. 

The Invisible world of the spiritual realms. Satan’s work against the Kingdom of God, takes place in the invisible realms.  We cannot see the spiritual world with our physical eyes, but its effects are just as real.  Scripture clearly declares the existence of the unseen invisible world (Romans 1:20, Hebrews 11;27, Colossians 1:16).  This world cannot be comprehended with our physical senses.  The idea of a spiritual world stands in contrast the philosophy of materialism, which teaches all that exists is the physical or of matter.  Paul’s in Ephesians chapter 6, tells us not only is this spiritual realm invisible but it is organized with a structure of rule.  The battle we face in the world is not one in the physical world but one in the spiritual.

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