The Invisible War

We live in the real world. In fact, one of the sayings that people will often speak as come on and get real. This is the real world. You're right, but there is another world let's call it the really real world also said we do not look at the things which are seen, but the things which are unseen. For the things which are seen are temporary.

All the things which are unseen are eternal. The Bible says that during the war against the spiritual forces of evil are you prepared for the fight today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip gives you a glimpse into the spiritual warfare and shares how you can make a difference on the battlefield before we begin to invite you to catch Skip Sunday message live at 9:11 AM Live.Calvary NM.church. That's 9:11 AM@live.Calvary NM.church. Now we want to let you know about a resource that will ignite a deeper desire in you to pursue Jesus you know. Proverbs 31 go to passage that describes the ideal Christian woman in life.

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Let me say first of all, you can't do that in a day is not giving the 24 hour description of the virtuous wife. This is a woman over time. Get to know some of the most incredible women in the Bible and in history to inspiring resources, six message CD collection from pastors and prominent women in Scripture about seven women by best-selling author Erica Texas. This bundle is our thanks when you get $35 or more to help expand the Bible teaching outreach of skip. I think charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Call now to request these captivating resources as our thanks for your generous gift 800-922-1888. Get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer first Peter chapter 3 Skip to get into today's message several years ago there was a scientist named Bruce Davison was on a research vessel out of the Pacific Ocean. He was lowered overboard in a one-man submarine called deep Rover was doing research, and they lowered him in this little one-man submarine equipped with an acrylic shield and lights on the front of it to a depth of 1500 feet below sea level down to an area where the water is an inky black to find out what was down there as he was looking out of his little windshield suddenly out of the shadows out of the darkness comes the semi transparent creature 120 feet in length, thousands of tentacles dozens of stomachs and appears before that research scientist he'd never seen anything like it, or known something like that even existed as he keeps watching it, studying it with great interest. He's joined this creature by his friends. Others comments around that one-man submarine and then they attacked and killed him.

I was a Hollywood ending. He survived quite nicely.

Actually making a point. All of this that there are things that go on around us that we are not aware of, even though they are very real. Unless somebody's side with specialized equipment and then revealed it to us, we would know anything about it so there's things happening around us that are unknown to us unless there revealed so it is in the spirit world is a whole other world going on around us that unless God would reveal it to us, we would know anything about it and this text is one of those areas that takes us behind the veil. We live in a real world. In fact, one of the sayings that people will often speak as come on and get real. This is the real world right but there's another world.

Let's call it the really real world is probably also said we do not look at the things which are seen, but the things which are unseen.

For the things which are seen are temporary.

All the things which are unseen are eternal. Second Corinthians 4. So in the real world all the stuff we see the really real world are all those things we do not see last week. If you were with us in first Peter chapter 3 noted that Peter is talking about suffering using Jesus as an example of his crucifixion is resurrection his exultation, but he does mention that between Jesus death and his rising from the dead. He preached a sermon he visited somewhere he went somewhere and made a proclamation and then Peter moves on from bad and draws it to a close, it's because of the fact that he mentions this strange ministry of Jesus Christ between his death and resurrection makes this passage hard to understand these for us 2000 years removed from it so were going to do is calm all good again but put on different glasses. This time, and consider an invisible world with an invisible war. Let's go to verse 18 of first Peter chapter 3, where Peter writes for Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit or by the spirit, by whom he also went and preached to the spirits in prison who formerly were disobedient, when once the divine, long-suffering, waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved through water.

There is also an anti-type, which now saves us baptism, not the removal of the flesh, the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ was gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been subject to them not want to make four statements based on their is a coexisting invisible world. Just consider the text that we read in verse 18. Peter speaks of the flesh and spirit. Those are two different realms/the realm of what you see spirit that's the realm of what you don't see/that's the real world spirit. That's the really real world, he speaks about heaven.

You don't see it. He speaks about angels in verse 22. You don't see them in verse 19 he also mentions and were gonna go back over this this spirits in prison. It's as if Peter for a moment with these words would take us behind the veil of the real world to see the really real world see folks, there is a parallel universe. If you want to look at it that way. Real world of angelic beings, both good and evil demons and angels that are out there just like you did know about the asteroid you didn't see it or you wouldn't have known about those creatures, unless somebody saw and revealed it to you so it is with this world, we open our Bibles and we discover that 34 books in the Bible 34/66 books speak about angelic beings.

17. In the Old Testament 17 in the New Testament the word angel appears 103 times in the Old Testament 165 times in the New Testament very, very real angels. The Greek word Pongo loss means a messenger could actually refer to any messenger even human, but typically the word Pongo loss speaks of spirit beings a special class of being what is an angel and angel is a non-corporeal spirit being. How's that for definition like that word non-corporeal. In other words, it's a being without a corpus without a body on embodied real being that is spirit. Hebrews chapter 1. Angels are called ministering spirits who are sent to minister to those of us who inherit salvation because they don't have a body they don't have the restrictions of the human body are not subject to decay and they are therefore invisible. Most of the time. On some occasions to serve God's purposes. They are made visible, or they can assume human form.

We see that in the Scriptures. Well, we know that they are great in number because when Jesus was born a multitude of the heavenly host Rover Bethlehem singing prayer. How many angels are there. We don't know, although I find it interesting that in the 1100s one particular theologian by the name of Albertus Magnus was very precise with the number of angels saying that there were 399,920,004 angels. Don't ask me how or why we get to the book of Revelation, John sees the throne of God and he says I saw Marion's of angels, listen to this 10,000×10,000+ thousands of thousands so well over 100 million angels were recorded in that scene alone.

By the way, do you know that you may have met an angel, how to recognize an angel like Halo in the wings would have given it away, the long flowing robe, dead ringer for an angel. Not so that's all mythology. The Bible says be careful.

The book of Hebrews is how you minister to different people.

Strangers show hospitality to strangers for some have entertained angels without recognizing two beautiful thought somebody that you run into could be an angel.

Satan began as an angel to Old Testament passages describe him quite in-depth. Ezekiel 28 Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel passage it says he's called the anointed cherub who covers or who guards it was some kind of guardian being and many scholars presume he was a guardian over God's throne. A very powerful, beautiful, wise and influential being who fell from that position. That's important you understand that because some people say why would God create such a wicked person being he didn't degraded something very good with the will of its own and Satan usurp God's authority acted on his own well and he felt Jesus that I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven when Satan fell. He took a bunch of his buddies with them. A lot of his evil friends.

They all fell as well.

They join the crew Bible indicates in Revelation as many as 1/3 of the angelic host fell in that rebellion with Satan.

And when they fell they became a highly organized network that have actual rankings and titles and it would have to be to get any work done effectively. Paul gives us insight into that in Ephesians chapter 6 he says we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, or struggle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers and authorities.

Spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms, as are all rankings of angelic beings were hinted at that in verse 22 of our tax notice, Jesus ascended into heaven at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to him. So there is a coexisting invisible world.

The Bible reveals to us, you would know about it. You would never see it and you wouldn't know unless it was told, revealed in Scripture.

Second thing to notice in our text. There's a conflict in the invisible world a conflict. Verse 19 Jesus went and preached to spirits in where in prison for some group of spirits that are incarcerated in some prison somewhere ever since the fall.

There is been an ongoing conflict. Let me restate that. Ever since the fall of Lucifer that fall ever since that father has been an ongoing cosmic conflict between the angelic forces of good and evil. One day Daniel got a peek behind the curtain. He was praying as he was praying and angel came from heaven and in human form appeared to Daniel and said Daniel from the day you started praying I was dispatched to give you some insight and revelation into the future, but it took me 21 days to get here, Daniel, because on the way. I had to fight as spirit Prince of Persia took me 21 days to a standing but I'm here to give you Revelation then again this is gonna go back and fight that Prince of Persia and the Prince agrees and Michael the angel has to come and help me. I think Dan is gone.

But what what was that about, he got insight into that invisible war that is going on in areas where we don't see and I've always been fascinated by that passage because the angel said I thought the Prince of Persia, as if to imply that demons by Satan are actually assigned geographical regions. So if the Prince of Persia was that bad when you think the Prince of Hollywood is like, or San Francisco or Las Vegas Nevada or Albuquerque New Mexico or Amsterdam or whatever the spirit world.

One of the first rules in warfare.

You gotta know who your enemies. Not only that, you need to know how your enemy works. The Bible says we are not ignorant of his devices are not. That's true of all, we are not ignorant of his devices back over to one of our generals. Gen. George C. Patton was fighting the German forces of Erwin Rommel, Gen. Rommel and it was in North Africa and is the battle went on, these two generals got close enough so that Patton could actually yell out to Gen. Rommel and he said well I read I read your what he was referring to was a block that the German general Erwin Rommel had authored entitled infantry attacks were Rommel details his wartime strategy and are generally saying I read your book so he knew what was coming knew what to expect and plan his counter move accordingly anyone. The battle will say, didn't offer a book. But God did. And in the book God lets the cat out of the bag reveals what his plans are for the future and if you think strategically for a moment.

Satan would've taken every bit of that information and mounted a counter attack so that he not God would win. Let's put that lands on an interview Scripture you're ready let me take you back to review Scripture not to turn drunk, but I want to follow me know back in Genesis chapter 3 after Satan caused the fall of mankind and enticing out of a need to do it. They did. Then God made a promise said to Satan, I'm in a put enmity between you and the woman between your seed, your offspring and her offspring and he that is her offspring, he whoever he is. Eventually he will come and he is going to bruise your head and you Satan will bruise his heel. In other words, he is going to have a minor setback you're going to have a major blow his heel will be effective, your head will be crushed if I were to make you a promise.

I would never do this by the web… I before the service. I came up give you hardship your hands that hate us and after the service on the crusher had God bless you have a nice day. If you were even mostly, believing that I was going to do that you would want more information in then you would strategize a counter move based upon the information you receive. So Satan gets a promise going down you be crushed so it is you do well in Genesis chapter 4, I believe it Satan that inspired came to kill Abel. Abel was righteous before God got receive his worship. Cain kills Abel. Abel is now dead cane becomes cursed better out of the picture. Satan probably wiped his brow and said I just averted the one who's gonna crush my head thinking maybe that's the one God raises up another line to Seth time goes on. Become the Genesis chapter 6. Satan inspires such wickedness on the earth. Such violence that the race becomes unredeemable. And God decides I'm gonna destroy the entire population of planet Earth, except for a people were kept alive on an arc and they repopulate the earth in a new civilization emerges as an Abraham comes in. Isaac comes and Jacob comes we come to Genesis 27 and I believe it was Satan that inspired Esau to want to kill Jacob because Jacob was the promised seed that the Scripture speaks about Wickham Benda Exodus chapter 1 in the Pharaoh in Egypt has this crazy rule that every Hebrew male child should be killed as radical pieces of the girl let Elizabeth that it's a boy kill it from the Nile and let her drown. Why I think he was an agent of Satan trying to destroy the Jews, through whom the seed, the Messiah would come.

We keep going in the Bible we read passages like the book of first Samuel were King Saul wants to kill David why David Dave is the royal line God promised all of his hope would be found in the seed in the offspring of King David. We keep following history and we come to this really crazy passage. In fact, if you read it you probably passed over, and not even notice the fine print. There was a king named Ahaz Zion who died when a Isaiah died his mother off folly of this is second Kings 11 second Chronicles chapter 22 Celaya she decides listen to this.

To put to death all of the royal errors in Judah all the royal errors of all the royal errors were killed.

David has no offspring and the promise that God made to David for the Messiah can happen all of them were killed except one. One little baby name Joash still nursing is hidden until he seven years old and the emerges as the king and the lineage continues and this stuff happens throughout the Old Testament until we get to the New Testament, Jesus is born in Bethlehem. So what is Herod say all those baby boys in Bethlehem kill them all. What's that about. It's a satanic attempt to destroy the seed. Jesus emerges grows up.

Satan takes them to the pinnacle of the temple and says you know you want to jump down according to scripture out of context, hoping that Jesus would jump and perhaps end his life.

We come to the gospel of Luke chapter 4 Jesus is in the synagogue of Nazareth proclaims himself to be God's chosen one. They take him to the brow of the hill on which the city is built, and they want to trust him over and this happens throughout the Bible because it's attack counter attack attack countermeasure is an invisible war and it's all framed by the way in the last book of the Bible you know my teacher used to say all the answers are in the back of the book and as it is in the book of Revelation. Listen to this warfare, he says. John says I saw a sign in heaven old woman clothed with the sun and the moon and the 12 stars. We know that to be an image of Israel from Genesis 37, I saw that and he said I looked and I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and 10 horns.

His tail drag down 1/3 of the stars, which he through the earth. He stood before the woman as she was about to give birth to her male child to devour the baby as soon as it was born. Satan the dragon has always wanted to kill any offspring. And, if necessary. All of the Jews to prevent the Messiah from coming so that the promise could not be fulfilled look at it this way, here's the premise let's think strategically if God's plan of redemption requires the existence of the nation and the continuance of the nation.

If you can destroy that nation. You can defeat God if you destroy the nation of the Jews. You can keep God from fulfilling all the promises he made to the Jew. Just destroy the nation that was tried on several occasions, even in the Old Testament book of Esther. When Haman put out an edict kill all of the Jews and the king that were kill all of the Jew keep God from fulfilling his promises that Skip Heitzig message from his series rocks to Skip to share how you can keep this broadcast going strong, connecting more people like you to God's word because of Christ's work on the cross were part of God's family and his brothers and sisters in Christ.

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