WEBVTT 00:00:03.360 --> 00:00:05.639 The one who wrote the words to that hymn we've 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:10.240 just sung, John Newton, was a man who knew the 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:14.220 meaning of grace in his life. If you don't understand 00:00:14.220 --> 00:00:17.660 what that means, I invite you to be here three 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:21.679 weeks from tonight when we will do the life story 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:23.940 of John Newton as a part of our evening service. 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:28.719 This is an original drama written by Patty Thompson 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:32.039 in our church. Our own choir and other musicians 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:35.079 will be participating in an evening of the life 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:37.500 and the music of John Newton. I hope you'll plan 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:45.979 to be here on the evening of May the 20th. I 00:00:45.979 --> 00:00:50.780 want to be cautious in what I say today because 00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:54.219 the subject that is before us is wildly exaggerated 00:00:54.219 --> 00:00:58.799 by some while frequently ridiculed by others. 00:00:59.910 --> 00:01:03.850 Today I want to talk about the reality of the 00:01:03.850 --> 00:01:08.730 invisible spiritual dimension. I invite you to 00:01:08.730 --> 00:01:11.349 open your Bible with me to Daniel chapter 10. 00:01:12.090 --> 00:01:15.030 It is important for us to read the text today. 00:01:16.790 --> 00:01:19.010 I invite you to follow along in your Bible as 00:01:19.010 --> 00:01:21.730 I read, beginning with verse 1 of Daniel 10. 00:01:22.909 --> 00:01:26.030 In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a 00:01:26.030 --> 00:01:29.060 message was revealed to Daniel. who was named 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:32.879 Belteshazzar. And the message was true and one 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:35.560 of great conflict, but he understood the message 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:40.060 and had an understanding of the vision. In those 00:01:40.060 --> 00:01:42.980 days I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire 00:01:42.980 --> 00:01:46.700 weeks. I did not eat any tasty food, nor did 00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:50.359 meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any 00:01:50.359 --> 00:01:52.620 ointment at all until the entire three weeks 00:01:52.620 --> 00:01:56.019 were completed. On the twenty -fourth day of 00:01:56.019 --> 00:01:58.500 the first month, while I was by the bank of the 00:01:58.500 --> 00:02:02.420 great river that is the Tigris, I lifted my eyes 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:06.299 and looked, and behold, there was a certain man 00:02:06.299 --> 00:02:09.500 dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with 00:02:09.500 --> 00:02:14.539 a belt of pure gold of euphus. His body also 00:02:14.539 --> 00:02:18.719 was like barrel. His face had the appearance 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:23.020 of lightning. His eyes were like flaming torches. 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:26.039 his arms and feet like the gleam of polished 00:02:26.039 --> 00:02:29.199 bronze and the sound of his words like the sound 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:34.939 of a tumult. Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, 00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:38.000 while the men who were with me did not see the 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.580 vision. Nevertheless, a great dread fell on them 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:45.240 and they ran away to hide themselves. So I was 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:49.409 left alone and saw this great vision. Yet no 00:02:49.409 --> 00:02:51.729 strength was left in me, for my natural color 00:02:51.729 --> 00:02:54.389 turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no 00:02:54.389 --> 00:02:57.129 strength. But I heard the sound of his words, 00:02:57.189 --> 00:02:59.469 and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, 00:03:00.129 --> 00:03:02.689 I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my 00:03:02.689 --> 00:03:06.430 face to the ground. Then, behold, a hand touched 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:09.330 me, and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 00:03:10.150 --> 00:03:12.810 And he said to me, O Daniel, man of high esteem, 00:03:12.849 --> 00:03:14.930 understand the words that I am about to tell 00:03:14.930 --> 00:03:17.569 you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent 00:03:17.569 --> 00:03:20.210 to you. When he had spoken this word to me, I 00:03:20.210 --> 00:03:23.229 stood up trembling. Then he said to me, Do not 00:03:23.229 --> 00:03:25.370 be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that 00:03:25.370 --> 00:03:28.490 you set your heart on understanding this, and 00:03:28.490 --> 00:03:32.250 on humbling yourself before your God, your words 00:03:32.250 --> 00:03:34.669 were heard, and I have come in response to your 00:03:34.669 --> 00:03:37.949 words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia 00:03:37.949 --> 00:03:41.330 was withstanding me for twenty -one days. And 00:03:41.330 --> 00:03:43.669 behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came 00:03:43.669 --> 00:03:47.139 to help me, for I had been left there. with the 00:03:47.139 --> 00:03:50.879 kings of Persia. Now I have come to give you 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:52.759 an understanding of what will happen to your 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:55.979 people in the latter days, for the vision pertains 00:03:55.979 --> 00:03:59.280 to the days yet future. And when he had spoken 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.719 to me according to these words, I turned my face 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:03.560 toward the ground and became speechless, and 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:06.379 behold, one who resembled a human being was touching 00:04:06.379 --> 00:04:10.180 my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke, and 00:04:10.180 --> 00:04:12.740 said to him who was standing before me, O my 00:04:12.740 --> 00:04:15.199 Lord, as a result of the vision, anguish has 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:17.319 come upon me, and I have retained no strength. 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:20.480 For how can such a servant of my Lord talk with 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:24.699 such as my Lord? As for me that remains just 00:04:24.699 --> 00:04:27.379 now, no strength in me, nor has any breath been 00:04:27.379 --> 00:04:31.319 left in me. Then this one with human appearance 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:33.300 touched me again and strengthened me, and he 00:04:33.300 --> 00:04:36.139 said, O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. 00:04:36.670 --> 00:04:40.569 Peace be with you. Take courage and be courageous." 00:04:40.569 --> 00:04:42.569 As soon as he spoke to me, I received strength 00:04:42.569 --> 00:04:45.329 and said, May my Lord speak, for you have strengthened 00:04:45.329 --> 00:04:49.389 me. Then he said, Do you understand why I came 00:04:49.389 --> 00:04:53.389 to you? But I shall now return to fight against 00:04:53.389 --> 00:04:56.389 the Prince of Persia. So I am going forth, and 00:04:56.389 --> 00:04:58.629 behold, the Prince of Greece is about to come. 00:04:58.790 --> 00:05:01.410 However, I will tell you what is inscribed in 00:05:01.410 --> 00:05:04.319 the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:07.500 stands firmly with me against these forces except 00:05:07.500 --> 00:05:10.639 Michael, your prince. And in the first year of 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:13.560 Darius the Meat, I arose to be an encouragement 00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:19.620 and a protection for him." We human beings live 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:23.579 and operate in a material dimension. Our senses 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:27.800 are designed by the Creator to relate to a physical 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:33.209 environment and reality. But we live in a world 00:05:33.209 --> 00:05:38.089 within a world, in a material world surrounded 00:05:38.089 --> 00:05:42.990 by a spiritual one, one of which most people, 00:05:43.129 --> 00:05:47.589 in our culture at least, are uninformed. This 00:05:47.589 --> 00:05:51.449 is not necessarily true of lesser developed cultures, 00:05:52.230 --> 00:05:54.529 nor has it always been true of our own culture. 00:05:56.050 --> 00:05:58.250 But the further our culture has strayed from 00:05:58.250 --> 00:06:02.329 the knowledge of God, the more ignorant it has 00:06:02.329 --> 00:06:06.550 become of spiritual matters, so blind and unknowing, 00:06:06.550 --> 00:06:10.110 in fact, that for several decades Western culture 00:06:10.110 --> 00:06:15.569 has sought its sustenance not from God, but from 00:06:15.569 --> 00:06:19.290 the empty dry wells of secularism and humanism. 00:06:20.769 --> 00:06:26.189 Yet one cannot help but note a rapid change which 00:06:26.189 --> 00:06:32.139 is in progress in our culture. There is on many 00:06:32.139 --> 00:06:37.339 fronts, a new openness to things spiritual. There 00:06:37.339 --> 00:06:40.660 is a movement away from the rational and the 00:06:40.660 --> 00:06:45.220 scientific to the mysterious and the supernatural. 00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:50.019 Indeed, I would suggest that there has been a 00:06:50.019 --> 00:06:56.540 new packaging of the occult, the occult, to make 00:06:56.540 --> 00:06:59.459 it palatable to the seared taste buds of the 00:06:59.459 --> 00:07:03.600 Western culture. There is a new movement in our 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:10.199 land toward a new age. And the new age is, actually, 00:07:11.459 --> 00:07:15.600 an experimentation with occult powers and practices. 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:19.300 I say it's been repackaged, for it has been packaged 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:24.519 for children in cartoons, games, and toys that 00:07:24.519 --> 00:07:30.139 are available widely. It has also been packaged 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:36.180 for adults in seminars, in movies, and in group 00:07:36.180 --> 00:07:40.740 games like Dungeons and Dragons. I'm not talking 00:07:40.740 --> 00:07:43.860 about overt Satanism. That's another matter. 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:48.259 But I'm talking about a clever marketing plan 00:07:48.259 --> 00:07:52.879 of the occult, which has been put together by 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:58.050 the devious and wicked mind of Satan. Daniel 00:07:58.050 --> 00:08:02.709 chapter 10 pulls back the curtain to allow us 00:08:02.709 --> 00:08:08.269 a glimpse into the spiritual realm. In this chapter 00:08:08.269 --> 00:08:13.990 we observe the reality of things spiritual and 00:08:13.990 --> 00:08:17.910 invisible. Notice with me first the background 00:08:17.910 --> 00:08:20.810 very briefly. Daniel is living now under the 00:08:20.810 --> 00:08:25.620 rule of the Persians. The year is about 536 B 00:08:25.620 --> 00:08:29.779 .C. It is, he says, the third year of Cyrus the 00:08:29.779 --> 00:08:34.019 king of Persia. Now what this means is that Daniel 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:37.759 had not returned to Palestine with other Jews 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:40.919 who had been released from their captivity to 00:08:40.919 --> 00:08:45.220 return to Jerusalem. He had prayed for that return, 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:48.320 and we studied his prayer in the ninth chapter 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:52.289 of this book. But it was not God's will for Daniel 00:08:52.289 --> 00:08:57.269 himself to go back to Jerusalem. Was Daniel disappointed 00:08:57.269 --> 00:09:01.629 by this? Was he disappointed that he didn't get 00:09:01.629 --> 00:09:04.830 to personally participate in the return to his 00:09:04.830 --> 00:09:07.149 homeland that he had not seen since he was a 00:09:07.149 --> 00:09:10.690 teenager? And remember, now he's in his mid -80s. 00:09:11.450 --> 00:09:13.610 Well, we don't really know whether he was disappointed. 00:09:14.429 --> 00:09:16.549 There may have been some human factors involved. 00:09:16.549 --> 00:09:19.789 He had a very high position in government. and 00:09:19.789 --> 00:09:23.269 may not have been free to return because of those 00:09:23.269 --> 00:09:26.590 responsibilities to the king. In addition, he 00:09:26.590 --> 00:09:28.889 was a man of advanced age and may not have been 00:09:28.889 --> 00:09:35.090 able to travel that distance. At this particular 00:09:35.090 --> 00:09:38.149 time, which was the 24th day of the first month, 00:09:38.149 --> 00:09:40.870 he says, he was away from the capital city of 00:09:40.870 --> 00:09:46.110 Babylon, perhaps as many as 30 or 40 miles, which 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:50.330 is the closest point, to the River Tigris. Now 00:09:50.330 --> 00:09:54.429 he was there in that place, apparently, on some 00:09:54.429 --> 00:09:59.029 kind of a spiritual retreat. And he tells us 00:09:59.029 --> 00:10:05.090 that for three weeks he had repented before God 00:10:05.090 --> 00:10:09.730 and had fasted and mourned. What was on Daniel's 00:10:09.730 --> 00:10:13.710 mind? Well, we can only guess. But because of 00:10:13.710 --> 00:10:15.669 some of the language that he uses in chapter 00:10:15.669 --> 00:10:19.960 7 and again in chapter 9, It seems likely that 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:23.539 Daniel was still perplexed by some of the things 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:25.460 that have been revealed to him in the last couple 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:30.360 of years by God. He could not put together all 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:34.259 the pieces regarding the future of his people, 00:10:34.299 --> 00:10:37.960 the Jewish people. And so for this period of 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:40.379 time he ate none of the fine, delicate foods 00:10:40.379 --> 00:10:42.500 that were available to him, nor did he have the 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:47.779 ordinary food of wine and meat. He did not as 00:10:47.779 --> 00:10:50.659 was the custom, anoint himself with oil every 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:54.740 day, which was a practice in part to prevent 00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:59.700 burn from the sun. But rather he gave himself 00:10:59.700 --> 00:11:04.879 to a very austere life as he fasted for these 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:08.639 three weeks. And that brings us to the event 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:12.480 that took place. It says in verse 1 that Daniel 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:14.759 received a message, which is a way to say that 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:19.120 he received a revelation from God. He calls it 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:23.139 true, despite the fact that it was hard for him 00:11:23.139 --> 00:11:29.340 to grasp. He says it was of great conflict. Literally, 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:35.840 the word conflict means army, or host, or the 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:39.899 warfare that comes from an army. And so what 00:11:39.899 --> 00:11:42.960 this phrase suggests is that this message, this 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:46.340 true message that God gave to Daniel involved 00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:50.220 a future for his people that included a great 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:55.639 deal of warfare and conflict. It seems that this 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:58.700 revelation that was given to him and which takes 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:02.779 up chapters 11 and 12, the rest of the book, 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:07.740 is the key revelation in the whole book. For 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:10.279 here we find that piece that fits into the puzzle 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:13.639 that seems to put it in place for Daniel as much 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:17.940 as he was going to get it all together. Daniel 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:20.740 was yet searching for that missing piece that 00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:23.679 would help him have understanding of the earlier 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:27.879 visions that left him puzzled. And now God gives 00:12:27.879 --> 00:12:30.379 it to him. There's a lesson here for you and 00:12:30.379 --> 00:12:32.960 me. There are times when we do not understand 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:36.779 what God is doing or what the word of God means. 00:12:38.539 --> 00:12:41.000 What we ought to do in cases like that is to 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:44.580 give ourselves to intense prayer and study For 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:47.519 in God's time he will cause the pieces to fall 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:55.080 into place The message was delivered to Daniel 00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:59.259 by a supernatural being Now this is not unique 00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:05.299 in the Bible Abraham Moses Gideon the Virgin 00:13:05.299 --> 00:13:12.029 Mary Joseph Paul, John, they all had supernatural 00:13:12.029 --> 00:13:15.149 messages given to them. So this is not unique 00:13:15.149 --> 00:13:17.269 what happened to Daniel, but it certainly was 00:13:17.269 --> 00:13:22.350 not the norm either. His eyes beheld a person 00:13:22.350 --> 00:13:26.850 who in appearance looked like a man. He was visible 00:13:26.850 --> 00:13:31.090 to the eyes of Daniel and his words were audible 00:13:31.090 --> 00:13:34.590 to Daniel's ears. But though he had the appearance 00:13:34.590 --> 00:13:36.789 of a man, it's obvious that he is more than a 00:13:36.789 --> 00:13:40.429 man. In the sixth verse, he is described as having 00:13:40.429 --> 00:13:44.370 a body that had a golden cast to it. It was of 00:13:44.370 --> 00:13:49.710 barrel, a golden color. And as Daniel looked 00:13:49.710 --> 00:13:52.470 at his face, his face had the brilliance of lightning 00:13:52.470 --> 00:13:58.210 about it. And he was attracted by his eyes, which 00:13:58.210 --> 00:14:01.669 are said to have been like flaming torches. Now 00:14:01.669 --> 00:14:04.309 try to put all that together in your own mind. 00:14:04.700 --> 00:14:08.159 A man with a bronze -colored, golden -colored 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:13.320 body, dressed in linen with a gold belt, a pure 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:18.919 gold belt, but his face was of the brilliance 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:23.740 of a flash of lightning, and his eyes were like 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:28.279 leaping flames in that face. So this is more 00:14:28.279 --> 00:14:30.980 than a mere human. Because of the description, 00:14:31.059 --> 00:14:34.220 some say it may have been Christ. There is a 00:14:34.220 --> 00:14:35.980 similarity of the description here to what he 00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:38.480 looks like in Revelation chapter 1 when he appears 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:40.480 to John in the Isle of Patmos. I don't believe 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:44.399 that though, that it was Christ. For one reason, 00:14:44.860 --> 00:14:48.779 this angel received help from Michael, and it's 00:14:48.779 --> 00:14:51.419 difficult to imagine our Lord needing assistance 00:14:51.419 --> 00:14:54.940 from an angel. What we have here, I believe, 00:14:55.059 --> 00:14:58.879 is an angelic creature who is made visible to 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:02.940 Daniel. Notice that he is unseen. by the other 00:15:02.940 --> 00:15:05.480 bystanders. Daniel was with others at this point. 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:09.220 And yet the very presence of this being produced 00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:12.419 terror in them, so much so that they ran away. 00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:16.820 And Daniel was left there alone. And notice his 00:15:16.820 --> 00:15:20.519 response to this event. He is left with fear. 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:23.799 Several times the angel said, now don't be afraid, 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:28.679 be courageous. Easy for him to say. Daniel's 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:33.820 left with weakness. He fainted. He is unable 00:15:33.820 --> 00:15:38.200 to speak. He is speechless. He experiences physical 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:42.200 anguish, a word that means literally to twist 00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:47.460 or to writhe. It refers to his insides, which 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:50.399 were completely twisted because of the emotional 00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:52.740 distress of the event that was taking place, 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:55.879 and he was completely without breath, according 00:15:55.879 --> 00:16:00.970 to verse 17. Graciously, this angel touched Daniel 00:16:00.970 --> 00:16:04.909 three different times. The first time was to 00:16:04.909 --> 00:16:07.049 raise him up, at least up onto his hands and 00:16:07.049 --> 00:16:11.269 knees. He had fainted right on his face. And 00:16:11.269 --> 00:16:13.190 then the angel touched him again to give him 00:16:13.190 --> 00:16:17.450 the ability to speak. And thirdly, the angel 00:16:17.450 --> 00:16:19.730 touched him to give him strength so that he might 00:16:19.730 --> 00:16:23.110 be able to communicate and receive what the angel 00:16:23.110 --> 00:16:28.429 came to tell him. Having looked at the background 00:16:28.429 --> 00:16:31.009 and the event itself, let's take a look at some 00:16:31.009 --> 00:16:34.289 of the insight that we grasp in the tenth chapter 00:16:34.289 --> 00:16:38.549 of Daniel. There's a tremendous amount of insight 00:16:38.549 --> 00:16:41.710 here regarding prayer. I invite you to be back 00:16:41.710 --> 00:16:46.210 tonight as we talk about this theme, what happens 00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:49.870 when a believer prays. We're going to observe 00:16:49.870 --> 00:16:52.190 what happens in Daniel chapter 10 with regards 00:16:52.190 --> 00:16:57.250 to prayer. There's a whole other line of insight 00:16:57.250 --> 00:17:00.690 here regarding angelic warfare, and that I want 00:17:00.690 --> 00:17:06.230 us to look at for a few minutes. It is clear 00:17:06.230 --> 00:17:10.569 from what is said that there are opposing forces 00:17:10.569 --> 00:17:17.750 within the spirit realm. These forces are divided 00:17:17.750 --> 00:17:24.180 between good and evil. It is also clear that 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:28.380 each side is organized. There are degrees of 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:33.900 authority and strength in order to do battle 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:38.440 against the opposing side. You will notice that 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:43.599 the words Prince or Chief Prince are used, verse 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:51.410 13, and again in verse 20, verse 21. These are 00:17:51.410 --> 00:17:55.589 positions of authority that are granted to specific 00:17:55.589 --> 00:18:00.289 creatures or angels. Now these words are used 00:18:00.289 --> 00:18:08.990 both of the side of evil and of the side of good. 00:18:10.269 --> 00:18:14.089 For Michael is called here one of the chief princes. 00:18:15.250 --> 00:18:20.390 But the word prince is also used of demons. as 00:18:20.390 --> 00:18:24.210 he talks about the Prince of Persia and the Prince 00:18:24.210 --> 00:18:27.970 of Greece. You see, these are not human beings 00:18:27.970 --> 00:18:30.670 that are being spoken about, but these are angels, 00:18:31.269 --> 00:18:36.369 fallen angels. On the one side we have this angel 00:18:36.369 --> 00:18:38.869 that has appeared to Daniel and which is not 00:18:38.869 --> 00:18:44.210 named, although some suggest it might be Gabriel, 00:18:45.130 --> 00:18:47.049 since he's been involved other places in the 00:18:47.049 --> 00:18:53.700 Scriptures making announcements. And along with 00:18:53.700 --> 00:18:58.880 this angel is one who's named Michael. The name 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:02.599 Michael means who is like the Lord, or who is 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:07.299 like God. He is mentioned three times in the 00:19:07.299 --> 00:19:09.420 book of Daniel, twice in this chapter, again 00:19:09.420 --> 00:19:11.799 in chapter 12. He is mentioned in Jude, verse 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:18.400 9, where it is said that he battled with Satan 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:24.099 over the body of Moses, rather mysterious text, 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:27.839 but after Moses died there was a struggle for 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:33.160 the possession of his corpse. And that battle 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:36.680 was in the spirit realm between Satan, who desired 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:41.900 it for some reason, and Michael. And then we're 00:19:41.900 --> 00:19:44.640 going to look at a passage in Revelation chapter 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:47.259 12 where again Michael is mentioned specifically. 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:52.470 He is said to be the chief prince and he is the 00:19:52.470 --> 00:19:56.089 one who is the prince of Daniel's people. And 00:19:56.089 --> 00:20:00.009 so we understand from this that Michael, the 00:20:00.009 --> 00:20:04.029 archangel, or the chief prince, is the one who 00:20:04.029 --> 00:20:06.630 is the preeminent one in the spirit realm for 00:20:06.630 --> 00:20:11.109 the protection of Israel, the Jewish people. 00:20:12.670 --> 00:20:15.589 Now what we see illustrated here in this glimpse 00:20:15.589 --> 00:20:18.289 into the spirit realm is nothing more than what 00:20:18.289 --> 00:20:24.410 Paul says in outline form, in Ephesians chapter 00:20:24.410 --> 00:20:28.549 6 verse 12, where he says, we wrestle not against 00:20:28.549 --> 00:20:31.990 flesh and blood, but against principalities and 00:20:31.990 --> 00:20:35.970 powers, against the rulers of the darkness of 00:20:35.970 --> 00:20:39.670 this world, against wicked spirits in the heavenly 00:20:39.670 --> 00:20:45.089 realm, that is, in the spirit realm. He seems 00:20:45.089 --> 00:20:47.829 to outline there something of a hierarchy of 00:20:47.829 --> 00:20:51.490 evil. that there are extremely powerful beings, 00:20:52.349 --> 00:20:54.410 there are lesser beings and lesser and lesser, 00:20:55.049 --> 00:20:57.150 and of course the further down the ranks should 00:20:57.150 --> 00:21:00.730 go, probably the more numerous these evil beings 00:21:00.730 --> 00:21:04.750 become. And so what Daniel illustrates for us 00:21:04.750 --> 00:21:06.569 and what he records is the fact that there are 00:21:06.569 --> 00:21:10.009 two opposing sides in the spirit realm, and that 00:21:10.009 --> 00:21:14.890 these realms are indeed highly organized. And 00:21:14.890 --> 00:21:18.430 we would also observe that assignments seem to 00:21:18.430 --> 00:21:23.329 be given to these angels on both sides as it 00:21:23.329 --> 00:21:28.569 would relate to empires or to powers or to regions. 00:21:29.910 --> 00:21:32.569 We've already pointed out Persia being mentioned, 00:21:33.329 --> 00:21:38.730 Greece is mentioned, and so angels of good and 00:21:38.730 --> 00:21:42.329 of God and angels of Satan and evil are likewise 00:21:42.329 --> 00:21:48.059 assigned to try to influence the course of events 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:55.220 in regions or in empires of the world. They are 00:21:55.220 --> 00:21:58.960 assigned to try to influence things toward the 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:03.500 will of God, God's purpose, or to try to influence 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:06.140 things toward Satan's goal. You say, does he 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:10.259 have one? Yes. Again, in Ephesians chapter 2 00:22:10.259 --> 00:22:13.440 and verse 2, Paul writes about the course of 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:17.839 this age. According to which we all at one time 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:23.160 walked, strong suggestion that Satan has a course 00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:27.880 outline where he'd like to take the age, human 00:22:27.880 --> 00:22:32.480 history. And we know exactly where that is. It's 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:37.079 to the worship of himself in the person of Antichrist. 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:40.819 That's where he wants to head things in human 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:44.660 history. The course is chartered and his demons 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:47.519 are organized in the world to try to influence 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:53.339 events to bring that to pass. Now we also learn 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:58.400 here that angels can assist each other. I've 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:00.759 already said to you that Michael is the one who 00:23:00.759 --> 00:23:05.619 seems to be assigned to Israel. Notice in verse 00:23:05.619 --> 00:23:09.160 13 that the angel speaking to Daniel says, the 00:23:09.160 --> 00:23:12.880 prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:17.289 me. So here we have this evil prince, this demon, 00:23:18.349 --> 00:23:21.809 who is in some sense opposing Daniel, opposing 00:23:21.809 --> 00:23:25.210 the angel talking to Daniel. And notice how long 00:23:25.210 --> 00:23:29.069 he had opposed. It's the same period of time 00:23:29.069 --> 00:23:33.630 that Daniel had prayed. From the very first day 00:23:33.630 --> 00:23:36.210 that Daniel had asked of God, the answer was 00:23:36.210 --> 00:23:41.329 sent. But the answer didn't come through immediately 00:23:41.329 --> 00:23:46.039 because there was a hindrance to that answer. 00:23:47.960 --> 00:23:50.519 The prince of the kingdom of Persia did not want 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:53.980 this angel from God to come through to Daniel. 00:23:55.160 --> 00:23:59.299 Why? Because Daniel was going to be given information 00:23:59.299 --> 00:24:03.539 relating to the Jewish people. And above all 00:24:03.539 --> 00:24:05.920 the peoples of the world, the demons hate the 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:10.910 Jews. And at this particular time, of course, 00:24:11.710 --> 00:24:14.750 the nation of Israel was in the spotlight of 00:24:14.750 --> 00:24:17.869 God's purpose and plan in the world. And he did 00:24:17.869 --> 00:24:20.690 not want any information coming through to encourage 00:24:20.690 --> 00:24:23.130 the Jewish people or to encourage Daniel or to 00:24:23.130 --> 00:24:27.490 give any light as to their future. And so for 00:24:27.490 --> 00:24:31.009 21 days he successfully withstood this angel 00:24:31.009 --> 00:24:35.990 sent from God. But the angel says, then behold 00:24:35.990 --> 00:24:39.819 Michael. one of the chief princes came to help 00:24:39.819 --> 00:24:46.059 me. And so Michael who was responsible for the 00:24:46.059 --> 00:24:49.799 Jews came to assist this angel so that he might 00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:51.799 be able to get through the resistance and get 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:57.660 to Daniel and bring the message to him. And then 00:24:57.660 --> 00:25:00.819 the language suggests here that that angel Michael 00:25:00.819 --> 00:25:05.579 left and the messenger to Daniel then was left 00:25:05.579 --> 00:25:10.900 alone. They had defeated the prince of Persia, 00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:13.980 at least for this moment, and that angel had 00:25:13.980 --> 00:25:16.740 gotten through, that he might speak to Daniel. 00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:21.619 Now in chapter 11, verse 1, we have another example 00:25:21.619 --> 00:25:25.539 of help. The angel refers to something that had 00:25:25.539 --> 00:25:27.400 happened two or three years before. He says, 00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:30.740 in the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose 00:25:30.740 --> 00:25:33.519 to be an encouragement and a protection for him, 00:25:33.900 --> 00:25:37.099 for Michael. So you see, there seems to have 00:25:37.099 --> 00:25:39.339 been a mutual assistance pact, if you please. 00:25:40.700 --> 00:25:42.660 Now it's interesting to think back what had happened 00:25:42.660 --> 00:25:46.640 two or three years before this. And what was 00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:49.500 Michael trying to do? What was he trying to influence 00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:53.039 to happen? Remember, he is responsible for the 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:57.299 Jewish people. And two or three years before 00:25:57.299 --> 00:26:04.369 this, Darius and his superior, Cyrus, We're trying 00:26:04.369 --> 00:26:08.490 to decide what to do with the Jews, whether to 00:26:08.490 --> 00:26:12.849 allow them to return to their land. That's what 00:26:12.849 --> 00:26:17.329 was going on in the political, physical, natural 00:26:17.329 --> 00:26:20.630 realm. But behind the scenes, in the supernatural 00:26:20.630 --> 00:26:23.269 realm, there was also a battle going on because 00:26:23.269 --> 00:26:25.910 Michael was trying to exert influence spiritually 00:26:25.910 --> 00:26:30.210 on Darius and Cyrus to cause him to let the Jews 00:26:30.210 --> 00:26:35.690 go. And the implication is that demons on the 00:26:35.690 --> 00:26:38.089 other side, the Prince of Persia and his associates, 00:26:38.609 --> 00:26:40.890 were seeking to influence Cyrus and Darius to 00:26:40.890 --> 00:26:43.130 make the other decision, keep them in captivity. 00:26:45.170 --> 00:26:48.309 And this angel, who was now talking to Daniel 00:26:48.309 --> 00:26:52.390 at that time, had come to assist Michael in his 00:26:52.390 --> 00:26:55.950 warfare. And they were successful, of course, 00:26:56.069 --> 00:26:59.029 because Cyrus and Darius agreed that the Jews 00:26:59.029 --> 00:27:03.230 could go back to Palestine. And so we see that 00:27:03.230 --> 00:27:08.710 demons, as well as angels, are assigned to powers 00:27:08.710 --> 00:27:14.470 and to leaders, and that they are able to assist 00:27:14.470 --> 00:27:16.930 one another in the warfare that takes place. 00:27:19.069 --> 00:27:21.109 Now as we think about what was happening then 00:27:21.109 --> 00:27:26.230 with the Jewish people, one can only imagine 00:27:26.230 --> 00:27:31.880 what was taking place 42 years ago. when the 00:27:31.880 --> 00:27:37.740 Jews declared Palestine as their homeland and 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:41.319 declared an independent state in the midst of 00:27:41.319 --> 00:27:47.720 all of the Arab countries. You can only imagine 00:27:47.720 --> 00:27:49.980 the warfare that must have been going on behind 00:27:49.980 --> 00:27:52.960 the scenes in the White House and Washington. 00:27:55.319 --> 00:27:58.079 As arguments were presented to President Truman, 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:02.380 to recognize Israel or not to recognize Israel. 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:07.119 And history records that his decision to recognize 00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:11.539 Israel as an independent state was the crucial 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:15.599 decision that caused Israel to become a reality 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:20.579 in the Mideast. I would suggest to you, there's 00:28:20.579 --> 00:28:22.539 no way of knowing this, but I would suggest to 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:24.559 you that Michael the Archangel was likely in 00:28:24.559 --> 00:28:30.599 Washington in May of 1948. and that he was there 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:33.359 to exert influence on President Truman to make 00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:36.619 the decision that he did. And who knows who else 00:28:36.619 --> 00:28:40.619 was assigned there with him on both sides. God's 00:28:40.619 --> 00:28:45.420 purpose, of course, was ultimately done. Now 00:28:45.420 --> 00:28:47.500 this angel had gotten through this time, but 00:28:47.500 --> 00:28:50.720 notice in verse 20 he says, I shall now return 00:28:50.720 --> 00:28:54.400 to fight against the Prince of Persia. And so 00:28:54.400 --> 00:28:57.440 the war is not over. They had gotten a victory. 00:28:57.640 --> 00:28:59.519 He had come through. His message was now going 00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:02.099 to be delivered to Daniel, but he says, I'm going 00:29:02.099 --> 00:29:06.920 back to fight. I'm going back to fight once more 00:29:06.920 --> 00:29:11.400 against this Prince of Persia because the battle 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:14.940 is still being fought. And he says, at the end 00:29:14.940 --> 00:29:18.019 of the verse, I am going forth and behold the 00:29:18.019 --> 00:29:23.240 Prince of Greece is about to come. That's an 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:27.710 interesting thought. Because Greece was not a 00:29:27.710 --> 00:29:31.029 world power at this point. But he says the Prince 00:29:31.029 --> 00:29:36.170 of Greece, again a demon, who was responsible 00:29:36.170 --> 00:29:39.809 for the nurturing of the Greek Empire and bringing 00:29:39.809 --> 00:29:42.390 forth its influence and Alexander the Great and 00:29:42.390 --> 00:29:45.730 all of that, that prince was about to come. Now 00:29:45.730 --> 00:29:53.480 in human time, it was yet to be 200 years. But 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:56.220 we're not sure how human time, earth time, relates 00:29:56.220 --> 00:30:01.160 to the spirit realm. Because the angel says in 00:30:01.160 --> 00:30:03.940 the spirit realm that that being was about to 00:30:03.940 --> 00:30:08.579 come. Although as the earth calendar was calculated 00:30:08.579 --> 00:30:13.839 it was yet to be 200 years. And so we have a 00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:16.700 great deal of information given to us in this 00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:20.259 chapter regarding the reality of invisible things. 00:30:21.660 --> 00:30:24.420 And here we see some insights regarding spiritual 00:30:24.420 --> 00:30:27.420 warfare, a subject that we need to be aware of 00:30:27.420 --> 00:30:31.380 and alert to. Now there are also some tremendous 00:30:31.380 --> 00:30:34.079 insights given to us in the angels' message regarding 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:37.880 the future, the end times. That's in chapters 00:30:37.880 --> 00:30:41.019 11 and 12, and we will get to that eventually. 00:30:41.799 --> 00:30:43.740 I might say to you that I would encourage you 00:30:43.740 --> 00:30:47.319 to read those two chapters in advance, perhaps 00:30:47.319 --> 00:30:49.339 even several times, because they are a little 00:30:49.339 --> 00:30:55.319 bit complex. In closing today, I want to give 00:30:55.319 --> 00:30:59.759 you two or three thoughts. In the first place, 00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:05.339 a world of activity is continuously taking place 00:31:05.339 --> 00:31:10.579 in the invisible realm around us. And what happens 00:31:10.579 --> 00:31:13.779 in that invisible realm affects human history. 00:31:16.160 --> 00:31:20.460 There is a great cosmic battle of good against 00:31:20.460 --> 00:31:25.839 evil. And what happens, the successes or the 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:29.619 defeats in that realm affect what happens in 00:31:29.619 --> 00:31:35.559 your life and in mine. Although Satan may make 00:31:35.559 --> 00:31:39.960 temporary gains and at times even achieve some 00:31:39.960 --> 00:31:44.420 alarming victories, we know that he cannot ultimately 00:31:44.420 --> 00:31:49.119 succeed for Christ Jesus must and will reign. 00:31:52.970 --> 00:31:59.069 God omnipotent reigns. But within the boundaries 00:31:59.069 --> 00:32:04.730 that God has established in his universe, there 00:32:04.730 --> 00:32:08.109 is a battle that goes on continuously between 00:32:08.109 --> 00:32:15.769 good and evil. So when we read the decisions 00:32:15.769 --> 00:32:22.160 of President Gorbachev, to loosen his hold on 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:26.579 Eastern Europe, or on the other hand to crack 00:32:26.579 --> 00:32:32.000 down on Lithuania. We know that those are not 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:34.299 merely decisions he's making in his own mind, 00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:37.720 but he is being influenced by what's happening 00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:44.779 behind the scenes in the invisible world. When 00:32:44.779 --> 00:32:46.980 the Supreme Court of the United States makes 00:32:47.230 --> 00:32:50.730 A decision as it did in 1973 in the Roe v. Wade 00:32:50.730 --> 00:32:55.609 decision is not merely seven somewhat brilliant 00:32:55.609 --> 00:32:59.549 men making a decision, but pressure is being 00:32:59.549 --> 00:33:03.109 exerted upon them one way or the other by the 00:33:03.109 --> 00:33:06.450 forces of good and evil. In that case, the evil 00:33:06.450 --> 00:33:11.750 side won. And when our legislature or our Congress 00:33:11.750 --> 00:33:14.430 or our President are considering this law or 00:33:14.430 --> 00:33:19.680 that, Once again, the powers on both sides assigned 00:33:19.680 --> 00:33:23.700 to our nation and to our leaders are in warfare 00:33:23.700 --> 00:33:28.460 over those decisions, seeking to exert influence 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:32.299 either toward what God purposes or what Satan 00:33:32.299 --> 00:33:36.660 has charted out for his course. We must be aware 00:33:36.660 --> 00:33:39.460 of what is happening around us in that realm. 00:33:40.400 --> 00:33:42.900 Now we cannot know of course the specifics of 00:33:42.900 --> 00:33:47.819 that. but we can realize that there is that reality. 00:33:50.660 --> 00:33:52.940 The second observation that I want to make, and 00:33:52.940 --> 00:33:56.160 I want to press this point home briefly but firmly, 00:33:57.299 --> 00:34:01.839 and that is that all anti -Semitism is demonic 00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:09.519 in its origin. All anti -Semitism is demonic 00:34:09.519 --> 00:34:13.199 in its origin. That is not to say that every 00:34:13.199 --> 00:34:17.380 person who is anti -Semitic, is demon possessed. 00:34:18.539 --> 00:34:22.579 But that spirit is demonic in its origin and 00:34:22.579 --> 00:34:26.940 it comes directly from Satan who hates the Jew 00:34:26.940 --> 00:34:32.219 above every race of people in the world. And 00:34:32.219 --> 00:34:35.119 so for one to hate the Jew is to align himself 00:34:35.119 --> 00:34:39.800 with Satan in his age -old hatred of that people. 00:34:41.380 --> 00:34:44.460 Anti -Semitism will be present in the world as 00:34:44.460 --> 00:34:51.099 long as Satan is free. It will not be destroyed 00:34:51.099 --> 00:34:57.420 until the return of Jesus Christ. And those of 00:34:57.420 --> 00:35:02.559 us who are God's people in the church need to 00:35:02.559 --> 00:35:04.900 be aware of what anti -Semitism is all about 00:35:04.900 --> 00:35:09.019 and when it raises its ugly head, we need to 00:35:09.019 --> 00:35:13.400 step up. and join forces on the earthly realm 00:35:13.400 --> 00:35:16.400 with Michael in the spiritual realm and defend 00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:21.440 the Jewish people. Now having said that, I want 00:35:21.440 --> 00:35:23.900 to emphasize that not everything that the nation 00:35:23.900 --> 00:35:30.440 of Israel does is therefore justified. I'm not 00:35:30.440 --> 00:35:33.699 saying that we ought to be pro -Zionist. Zionism 00:35:33.699 --> 00:35:37.099 is a political movement. But I'm saying we ought 00:35:37.099 --> 00:35:40.250 to be concerned about the welfare of the Jewish 00:35:40.250 --> 00:35:45.250 people. For they are God's people, God's earthly 00:35:45.250 --> 00:35:48.849 people, and God still has a purpose for them. 00:35:51.389 --> 00:35:53.630 I want to close by just talking briefly about 00:35:53.630 --> 00:35:56.010 how we as Christians relate to what we've talked 00:35:56.010 --> 00:35:59.090 about this morning. For you and I must understand 00:35:59.090 --> 00:36:03.510 that we are at a critical point in the battle 00:36:03.510 --> 00:36:07.010 that's taking place and raging around God's kingdom. 00:36:09.659 --> 00:36:14.320 Spiritual warfare is behind the advances or the 00:36:14.320 --> 00:36:21.059 defeats that are made in God's kingdom. We must 00:36:21.059 --> 00:36:27.519 realize that we are a part of the total battle. 00:36:31.800 --> 00:36:34.920 I would suggest three things with regard to the 00:36:34.920 --> 00:36:38.360 invisible realm of the spirits. to those of us 00:36:38.360 --> 00:36:42.219 who are Christians. Number one, be cautious. 00:36:46.300 --> 00:36:50.639 Be cautious when it comes to investigating this 00:36:50.639 --> 00:36:58.059 realm too much. It can become dangerous. Do not 00:36:58.059 --> 00:37:04.420 play with the occult at all. Do not experiment. 00:37:05.110 --> 00:37:10.050 with the powers of darkness. They are very real. 00:37:15.670 --> 00:37:19.130 A group of our young people in a church that 00:37:19.130 --> 00:37:23.510 I was a youth pastor in, in the state of Washington, 00:37:25.150 --> 00:37:27.889 were having a slumber party. I guess those are 00:37:27.889 --> 00:37:32.010 called sleepovers these days. And one of the 00:37:32.010 --> 00:37:36.469 girls brought an Ouija board. to the party. They 00:37:36.469 --> 00:37:38.230 thought it would be fun to play with this thing. 00:37:39.130 --> 00:37:42.730 And as they began to play with it, it began to 00:37:42.730 --> 00:37:48.530 give them answers that no one could have known. 00:37:50.090 --> 00:37:53.969 And they got a little scared of it. And so, one 00:37:53.969 --> 00:37:58.269 of the girls began to speak to the Ouija board 00:37:58.269 --> 00:38:02.860 about the blood of Jesus Christ. And when the 00:38:02.860 --> 00:38:05.739 blood of Christ was mentioned, the marker on 00:38:05.739 --> 00:38:07.860 the Ouija board flew off the board and hit the 00:38:07.860 --> 00:38:16.780 wall. Some games may seem to be innocent, but 00:38:16.780 --> 00:38:22.199 they are not so. And of course, the great open 00:38:22.199 --> 00:38:24.320 door to the world of the occult today is drug 00:38:24.320 --> 00:38:30.159 abuse. Be cautious when it comes to the realm 00:38:30.159 --> 00:38:34.429 of the invisible. But on the other hand, be cognizant. 00:38:35.110 --> 00:38:38.449 In events that take place around us, be alert 00:38:38.449 --> 00:38:41.070 to the struggle behind the scene. When you read 00:38:41.070 --> 00:38:44.349 your newspaper and the events that take place, 00:38:44.449 --> 00:38:46.510 the decisions that are made, the legislation 00:38:46.510 --> 00:38:51.429 that is passed, look beyond that to see if you 00:38:51.429 --> 00:38:55.670 might be able to grasp any of this cosmic conflict 00:38:55.670 --> 00:38:58.889 taking place. We can't always know the meaning 00:38:58.889 --> 00:39:01.469 or what's taking place there. but we know that 00:39:01.469 --> 00:39:04.989 it's happening. Be cognizant of that. And number 00:39:04.989 --> 00:39:10.829 three, be courageous. As a good soldier and warrior 00:39:10.829 --> 00:39:14.829 of Jesus Christ, learn to use your spiritual 00:39:14.829 --> 00:39:18.769 weapons, especially prayer, when it comes to 00:39:18.769 --> 00:39:23.230 this battle. Understand that God has given you 00:39:23.230 --> 00:39:25.610 an armor that is described in Ephesians chapter 00:39:25.610 --> 00:39:30.070 6, and that He has given you a resource in prayer. 00:39:31.110 --> 00:39:35.889 Understand that God desires for you and for me 00:39:35.889 --> 00:39:44.730 to learn how to pray so that we can assist in 00:39:44.730 --> 00:39:49.090 the battles in the spirit realm. Now as I said, 00:39:49.369 --> 00:39:51.969 there's some extremism in this area these days. 00:39:54.429 --> 00:39:56.570 But I think there's only extremism because there 00:39:56.570 --> 00:40:00.420 is some legitimacy there. that by our prayers 00:40:00.420 --> 00:40:10.000 we impact the spirit realm. Paul Bilheimer has 00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:12.199 written a book called Destined for the Throne. 00:40:13.340 --> 00:40:15.360 Let me just read a couple of sentences from his 00:40:15.360 --> 00:40:18.679 book. He says, the prayer closet is the arena 00:40:18.679 --> 00:40:22.159 which produces the overcomer. The world is the 00:40:22.159 --> 00:40:24.960 laboratory in which those destined for the throne, 00:40:25.300 --> 00:40:28.690 best believers, are learning in actual practice 00:40:28.690 --> 00:40:31.789 how to overcome Satan and his hierarchy. This 00:40:31.789 --> 00:40:34.849 means that redeemed humanity outranks all other 00:40:34.849 --> 00:40:38.289 orders of created beings in the universe. The 00:40:38.289 --> 00:40:40.349 Church, through her resurrection and ascension 00:40:40.349 --> 00:40:42.889 with Christ, is already legally on the throne. 00:40:43.349 --> 00:40:46.829 Through his use of her weapons of prayer and 00:40:46.829 --> 00:40:50.789 faith, she holds in this present throbbing moment 00:40:50.789 --> 00:40:55.760 the balance of power in world affairs. Have you 00:40:55.760 --> 00:41:00.000 ever thought about that? By your prayers, you 00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:03.800 can affect the balance of power in the affairs 00:41:03.800 --> 00:41:08.900 of human history. So be courageous and learn 00:41:08.900 --> 00:41:12.420 how to pray. And there are books available to 00:41:12.420 --> 00:41:15.519 you regarding that. Let the Spirit of God teach 00:41:15.519 --> 00:41:18.539 you. Just go to the book, the Bible, and learn 00:41:18.539 --> 00:41:22.909 to pray. I read recently about one Minneapolis 00:41:22.909 --> 00:41:25.250 church where I think that there is some extremism 00:41:25.250 --> 00:41:28.309 when it comes to this matter. Where every problem 00:41:28.309 --> 00:41:31.329 and every disease and every situation is attributed 00:41:31.329 --> 00:41:36.030 to a demon. Now I would not agree with that kind 00:41:36.030 --> 00:41:38.670 of extremism. And I think that kind of teaching 00:41:38.670 --> 00:41:40.269 is a problem. But I'll tell you what the bigger 00:41:40.269 --> 00:41:44.329 problem is. The bigger problem are the Christians 00:41:44.329 --> 00:41:50.429 who are naive about spiritual realities. And 00:41:50.429 --> 00:41:52.449 that's why this morning I wanted to take time 00:41:52.449 --> 00:41:56.170 to talk about the reality of invisible things. 00:41:57.590 --> 00:42:01.110 That we might not be naive, but informed and 00:42:01.110 --> 00:42:05.750 learn how to be effective for Jesus Christ. Let's 00:42:05.750 --> 00:42:13.929 pray. Father, I pray that what has been said 00:42:13.929 --> 00:42:17.949 this morning might be graciously used of the 00:42:17.949 --> 00:42:24.230 Holy Spirit. I pray that you would equip us, 00:42:24.510 --> 00:42:27.250 each of us, who names the name of Christ, to 00:42:27.250 --> 00:42:36.369 be a spiritual warrior. Thank you for the victory 00:42:36.369 --> 00:42:39.090 that you have already provided in your son, the 00:42:39.090 --> 00:42:43.610 Lord Jesus. May we stand on that ground of victory 00:42:43.610 --> 00:42:49.809 and learn to wage the good fight of faith. In 00:42:49.809 --> 00:42:51.869 Jesus' name, amen.