Wicked Imaginations

Many of the things I want to present in this blog will be met with disbelief, doubt, and scoffing. And I understand why. We have such a sanitized version of reality presented to us on a daily basis that when we hear something that doesn't click with our worldview we involuntarily react with dismissal.

But I want people (especially my Christian brothers and sisters) to consider that man is not basically good as we are so frequently told. The biblical worldview should include the belief that man is naturally sinful, that he is born into sin that has been inherited from Adam. And apart from the grace of God and the restraint of the Holy Spirit, man can devise the most wicked acts imaginable. Let's just take that word for instance: 'imagination.' Recall that God destroyed the world with a global deluge in the days of Noah. I believe that the most important reason for this was to preserve the uncorrupted blood line from Adam to Noah that would eventually lead to Jesus Christ. The Bible does not give an extraordinary amount of detail on this subject, but this much is clear:

Genesis 6:5-6 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

After the flood, when Noah built an altar to the Lord, even while He was promising not to destroy every living thing again, God comments that "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:21). So we have to take this seriously. People are naturally evil. Every Christian should understand this. That's why we need to be saved. We need God to save us from the penalty of original sin and take away the power of the sin nature. We need Him to make us "partakers of the divine nature" so we can escape "the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Pet. 1:4).

Some things are difficult to believe because of the level of evil that they demonstrate. I think this is because we don't witness unrestrained evil everyday. But we need to be prepared for it if we do. We need to know what men are capable of, especially those who are Satanically empowered as the Bible describes. We have already seen how God views our hearts, but here is another example.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (10) I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

The apostle Paul said basically the same thing when he said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18). This is why the flesh has to be crucified.

Galatians 2:20-21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (21) I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

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The Overcomers

It is evident that the spirit world does affect what is happening in the natural world, whether it is politics, education, or religion, including the Church. Yes, we must be aware of the fact that Christians are not immune from the enemy's spiritual attacks. There are countless warnings to Christians about spiritual deception. Here is just one example:

Matthew 24:4-5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. (5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

But also keep in mind that Christ said, "...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Mat. 16:18). And if we are in Christ, we should not fear Satan. John tells us, "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). But just before this, he warns us about evil spirits:

1 John 4:1-4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (2) Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (3) And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (4) Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

The 2nd and 3rd chapters of the book of Revelation have many promises to those who overcome. The word 'overcome' is the Greek word nikao. It means 'to subdue' and is also translated as 'to conquer,' 'to prevail,' and 'to get the victory.' The first time this word is used in the New Testament is in Luke 11:22 when Jesus is describing casting demons out of a person. The second time is in John 16:33 when He said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." This is a very important point. There are those who would have us believe that the power is within us to overcome the Devil. But these verses demonstrate that overcoming starts with Christ. This should be obvious. What can poor, pitiful humans do against such a powerful fallen angel?

So how are we involved in overcoming the enemy? First, we must be born again. When Jesus was describing being born again to Nicodemus, he told him, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." And John tells us, "whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5). Our victory is in our faith, but it must be faith in the correct object, i.e. "Christ crucified" (1 Cor. 1:23). Later John describes how believers will overcome Satan and all his angels when they are cast down to earth:

Revelation 12:9-11 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (10) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

We have to get this. As Christians we are to live our lives by faith in "the blood of the Lamb." Four times in the Scriptures we are told "the just shall live by faith" (Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38). Notice it does not say "the sinner shall be saved by faith" although that is also true. No, it specifically makes the point that the Christian, i.e. the one who is already justified ("the just"), must also live by faith, and it has to be faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice for sin on the cross, just as when we are first saved. Colossians 2 tells us, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith...And ye are complete in him...And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." So we are to walk in Christ just as we received Him: by grace through faith in Him and His finished work on the cross. Only when we do this can we overcome "the world, the flesh, and the devil."

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Principalities and Powers - part 2

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Now I want to explore the idea of Satanic influence on the nations of the world. We usually think of Satan tempting people to sin, and that is true. We saw in the previous post how "Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David" (1 Chronicles 21:1). But there has been a deeper working of demonic powers among the nations of the world.

There is evidence in the Bible of spiritual forces working behind the leaders of the nations. Pastor Bob DeWaay says that "the apportionment for the nations were the host of heaven." That is, the nations were overseen by angelic beings (probably fallen angels, seeing how after the table of nations in Gen. 10, there appears the Tower of Babel where the first global leader, Nimrod, attempted the first world government and religion which is the basis for all occult religion today). He takes this from Deut. 32:8 which says, "When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." DeWaay points out that the Septuagint (which is the Greek version of the Old Testament that was translated over 200 years before Christ) says "sons of God" or "angels of God" instead of "children of Israel." (Job 1 and 2 show that the phrase "sons of God" refers to angelic beings; see also Gen. 6:2.) So this could mean that the Lord set the boundaries of the people according to the number of the angels of God¹. This seems to be supported by Deuteronomy 4:19:

And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

Deut. 32:9 states that "the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance." So while the Gentile nations were under the influence of these angelic principalities and powers, Israel was governed by the Lord. They were warned that if they failed to follow after the Lord, they would be turned over to serve the "host of heaven" which describes spirit beings according to 1 Kings 22:19. And Acts 7:42 says that is exactly what happened: "Then God...gave them up to worship the host of heaven..."

Daniel 10 also tells us of a spiritual power that governs the nations. Daniel had been fasting and praying for three full weeks when he was visited by an angel of God who told him:

Daniel 10:12-13 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. (13) But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Seeing that this angelic messenger needed the help of Michael the archangel in order to deal with this prince of the kingdom of Persia, it is obvious that this is speaking of a fallen angel or similar evil power. Later he tells Daniel, "and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come." Historians and military tacticians have always been amazed with Alexander the Great and how he was able to accomplish what he did with his military with such swiftness. This portion of Daniel gives us an insight into how it was possible: he was aided by a dark spiritual power. This begs the question, is there a "prince of the kingdom" of the United States of America? I will certainly come back to that at another time, if the Lord allows.

Going back to 1 Kings 22 and the host of heaven, we see that evil spirits are also involved in false religious activities.

1 Kings 22:19-23 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. (20) And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. (21) And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. (22) And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. (23) Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

So we can see that the false prophets are not simply making things up and deceiving the people for their own personal gain (although this does occur at times). Instead they themselves are deceived by lying spirits. This makes even more sense in light of 1 Cor. 10:20 which tells us that when people worship an idol or a false god, they are really serving a demon spirit. We sometimes wonder why people can believe such strange things, but we forget that they are already taken captive by the devil to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26), and then they worship demons through their idols which invites even more demonic delusion upon them. But praise God, the blood of Jesus Christ was shed to break such bondages and deliver people from the snare of the devil!

One last thing. We must begin to understand what Paul calls "the mystery of iniquity" (2 Thess. 2:7). A mystery in the Bible does not refer to something that cannot be solved but to that which is hidden or secret. Albert Barnes says, "The 'mystery of iniquity' seems here to refer to some hidden or concealed depravity - some form of sin which was working secretly and silently, and which had not yet developed itself." Vincent's Word Studies says 'iniquity' is better understood as 'lawlessness.' He goes on to say, "A mystery does not lie in the obscurity of a thing, but in its secrecy. It is not in the thing, but envelops it. Applied to a truth, it signifies a truth once hidden but now revealed or to be revealed; a truth which without special revelation would be unknown...The mystery of lawlessness is the mass of lawlessness yet hidden, but which is to reveal itself in the person and power of Antichrist. The position of the word is emphatic, emphasizing the concealed character of the evil power." Paul said that this "secret power of lawlessness" (NIV) was already at work in his time, and it continues to work in secret because it is being restrained for the time being. We must understand that Satan has been continually working on his kingdom; he has been gradually putting the pieces into place for centuries. And he is still hard at work today.

Consider this. Satan is working in all areas of our civilization to bring about his kingdom which is to be ruled by his servant, the Antichrist. Shouldn't we become aware of how he is laboring to bring this about so we can better resist it? If we participate in something that is being used by the enemy or knowingly fail to resist it, are we accomplices? Let's be aware of Satan's devices so we can expose his unfruitful works of darkness and bring people out of Satan's kingdom of darkness and into God's kingdom.

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(Added on July 29, 2010)
1. I have recently come across the work of Dr. Michael Heiser. He emphasizes the "Divine Council" view found in the Old Testament which supports the material in this post (only he does a much better job of explaining it). Here is his website: The Divine Council.

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