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Copyright © 2014 by Roger Dixon. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Excerpts may be used for quoting.

Published by:

Hiddenite Publishing

ISBN: 9780989989824

Contact:

Heavenscolony@aol.com

Special thanks to James Faucett for his editorial expertise.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Elemental Spirits

3. The Land is the Relationship

4. Under the Lord's Dominion

5. Under the Lord's Dominion - Part 2

6. Graven Images

7. The Morning Star

Introduction

God's purpose is to bring us out of an earthbound existence to live in another realm. "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Col.3:1-4). As our lives become merged with His, we become sharers in all that He is.

This is God's eternal purpose in creating us.

John 16:

13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.

15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

We become sharers in Christ's life and glory through the Spirit. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Learning to forsake the limitations of the earthbound soul realm to live in God's world, the realm of spirit, enables us to become partakers with Christ in all the Father's fullness. As long as we live a religious, earthbound existence we will never know the glories that God has prepared for us.

1st. Pet. 1:

10 ¶ As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,

11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

Verse 11 gives us the pattern of our metamorphosis from earthbound religion to freedom in the Spirit. The sufferings of Christ made real in our lives leads to the glories that follow. As Paul stated, if we suffer with Him, we shall be glorified with Him.

Rom. 8:

16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 ¶ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Verse 17 gives us unique insight into God's purpose for us. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ that we may also be glorified together. We are to share together in the Father's glory.

The sufferings of Christ manifested in us lifts us out of the dullness of religion and opens our eyes and ears to function in a higher realm. The writer of Hebrews put it this way: "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." It's through this division of soul and spirit that takes place within us that we begin to discern the spiritual forces around us.

Eph. 3:

8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,

9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;

10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

The wisdom of God is made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places through the church. Throughout the Scriptures God emphasizes His desire for a people for His own possession. We can never be wholly His until all the influences of the spirit realm are eliminated from our lives. He alone is to be Lord over us.

The Elemental Spirits

Col. 2:

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

10 and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.

11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ;

12 when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 ¶ And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,

14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.

16 ¶ Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.

17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking,

19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If with Christ you died to the elementary principles of the world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations,

21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"?

22 All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings.

23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence.

In these passages the term "elementary principles of the world" is used twice. It is used again in subsequent passages in Colossians and Galatians. It is a rather difficult phrase to translate accurately. The Greek word is stoicheion. It means any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise, an element, first principal e.g. the elements, rudiments, primary and fundamental principles of any art, science, or discipline, according to Strong's. The word indicates a root from which other things spring. The New American Standard translates this word “elementary principles of the world.” King James translates it as the “rudiments of the world.” The New International Version translation is "basic principles of the world." All of these translations struggle to define something that transcends scholarly interpretation. The Revised Standard Version and Moffatt’s translation get it right: They translate stoicheion as elemental spirits. This translation encompasses the revelation behind the passages we are going to examine. Although the New American Standard Version is used throughout our text, elemental spirits can be substituted when the term elementary principles is used. The context of the passages we examine will clearly show that what Paul is conveying transcends just the basic teachings of man.

Verse 10 says that Jesus Christ is the head over every ruler and authority.

Col. 1 states:

13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

All things were created through Jesus Christ, both in the heavens and on the earth, both visible and invisible. All authority comes from Jesus Christ. When Paul speaks of thrones and dominions and rulers and authorities, he is speaking of spiritual forces, things invisible, which govern and rule the earthly realm. It is through the blood of Christ that all things are reconciled back to God, whether things in the heavens or things on the earth. At the present time we don’t see all things reconciled back to God. The provision has been made in Jesus Christ but has yet to be fully executed. This is also why Paul says in Eph. 6, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

There are spiritual rulers, powers, and world forces that have not been reconciled back to God through the provision of Jesus Christ. These are powers God created to govern His creation that were subsequently subjected to futility by the fall of man. The spiritual powers that were created to be channels of Christ’s authority have been usurped by satan. Satan has no authority in himself. The authority he exercises as the god of this world (2nd Cor. 2:4), as the ruler of this present darkness (Jo. 16:11), is usurped from the governing powers God Himself created. Only God has authority. “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves (Rom.13:1-2).” The fact all authority is from God is reiterated again by Jesus in John 19:10-11: “Pilate therefore *said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you, and I have authority to crucify You? “Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me up to you has the greater sin."

This concept of satan usurping the authority that God Himself bestowed can be found also in the following passage: “From the standpoint of the gospel they (The Jews) are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Rom. 11:28-29).” The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. When God places authority, that authority is not taken away because of disobedience. The disobedient, however, become vulnerable to the usurping deception of satan. Satan can take the authority God has given and turn it to his own means when the person carrying it is disobedient. This again points back to the original fall of man. Because of the disobedience of man, all creation was subjected to futility (Rom. 8:19-23). In man’s fallen, corrupt state, he could no longer move in the authority God had placed upon him (Gen. 1:26). But that authority was not taken away. It was usurped by satan. All of creation, both in the natural and in the heavenly realms, suffers because of man’s disobedience. His corrupt nature has stained not only the natural realm but also the spiritual realm. But as all authority in heaven and earth belongs to Christ (Mat. 28:18), the door is open for those abiding in Him to retake that which has been usurped. Thus, mature sons become the channel for the reconciliation of all creation (Rom. 8:19-23).

Now, let’s look at Col. 2:13-15 again:

13 ¶ And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,

14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.

Verse 15 says He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public display of them, triumphing over them by the cross. In provision, the rulers and authorities have been disarmed. But it is just like our salvation. Everything has been provided, but not everything has been appropriated and experienced. There remains a victory for God’s people over the spiritual powers that have kept them in bondage. There is a release also for the powers themselves as we read in Col. 1:20.

Col. 2:8 says: “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” We have three operations of deception mentioned here: Philosophy and empty deceit, human tradition, and the elemental spirits of the universe (as translated by Moffett). It is the elemental spirits of the universe that rule over the realm of philosophy and human tradition. It is the elemental spirits that keep God’s people locked into a religious tradition which has the appearance of spirituality, but cannot bring release from the root of sin, which is our fallen, adamic nature.

Notice verse 16. It begins, "Therefore..." After stating Christ has disarmed the rulers and powers through the cross, Paul says, “Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.” Paul is addressing the issue of religious behavior fostered through the elemental spirits. He then nails it down in verse 17: “These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” All spiritual reality is found in Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of all types and shadows. In Heb. 10:1 we find: “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.” And again in Heb.8:4-5: “Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."

The elemental spirits keep Christians bound in the soul realm of types and shadows until their spirits are liberated. This doesn’t mean all Christians are keeping the Law of Moses. It means religious Babylon, in the name of Christ, rules through the elemental spirits, holding Christians to an earthbound existence. Abiding in the realm of spirit enables us to experience the realities behind the types and shadows of soul realm religion. How do we as Christians become liberated from the influence of these governing authorities? Heb. 4:12 gives a key: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Our text in Col. 2:11 also gives us insight: “In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ;” The King James version says, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands...” It is experiencing spiritual circumcision that enables us to make the transition from soul to spirit.

Let’s move on now to verses 20-23 of our original text.

20 If with Christ you died to the elementary principles of the world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations,

21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"?

22 All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings.

23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence.

In these passages Paul addresses the propensity Christians have to remain in a religious, earthbound state even after receiving Christ. The elemental spirits exercise control over the world realm according to verse 20. The Lord Jesus Christ has opened the door for us to experience a heavenly lifestyle instead of our being bound to an earthbound one. We will continue to observe religious rituals, struggle to discipline the flesh nature, all to no avail, until we enter into the freedom Christ provided for us. Notice how Paul says in verse 23 that all religious discipline is of no value in checking the indulgences of the flesh nature. Does this mean we are free to disregard all restraints and indulge all fleshly cravings? No! Paul addresses this in Rom. 6:

1 ¶ What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?

2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

As chapter two ends in verse 23, Paul continues in chapter three:

1 ¶ So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,

3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

“SO, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.” The admonition is to live in the realm of spirit, where fulfillment is realized, and not in the earthly realm of types and shadows. Until a Christian breaks free of the elemental spirits’ influence, he/she will be forever bound to an earthbound existence. “Live the best you can, hold out to the end, and get your reward when you get to heaven” is about all an earthbound existence has to offer. But that’s not what Christ provided for us!

Let’s read now from Gal. 3 and 4:

17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.

18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

19 ¶ Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.

20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one.

21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.

22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.

24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

Gal. 4:

1 ¶ Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything,

2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.

3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.

4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

8 ¶ However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.

9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?

10 You observe days and months and seasons and years.

11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.

Look carefully at 3:19: “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator.” The law was ordained through angels. The Greek word used for angels is aggelos. Besides angel, it also means messenger, envoy, one who is sent. It does not refer to angels in this passage, but rather to the elemental spirits. This is implied in all the passages in Colossians, and is stated plainly here. The law is administered through the elemental spirits. And for what purpose? The answer is found in 3:22-23:

22 But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.

The law, as administered through the elemental spirits, holds things in abeyance until we break through to another realm and experience liberation. Faith releases us from the dominion of the elemental spirits and positions us as sons in Christ. It’s a shame that religion has so abused the word faith. It means much more than just a mental assent to a doctrine or truth. We can better understand faith by saying the law is a realm and faith is a realm. In one realm the elemental spirits rule. In the other, Christ rules. Part of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross was to reconcile things in the heavens and things on the earth (Col. 1:16-20). The rule of law under the elemental spirits must give way to the rule of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which is in the faith realm. 1st Cor. 15: 21-26 tells us:

21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being;

22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power.

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

The plan of God is that everything be reconciled back to Him through the blood of Jesus Christ. Now, this isn’t the “even the devil gets saved” doctrine some preach, for the Scriptures plainly teach that the devil and his angels will be consigned to the pit of hell forever. (Mat. 25:41, 2nd Pet. 2:4, Jude 1:6). But everything created to serve the purposes of God will be reconciled, becoming a channel of Christ’s life. The ultimate victory is Christ’s presence being ministered through the governing authorities instead of the restrictions of the law. Can you imagine the day when the presence of the Lord is beamed continually into our daily affairs instead of the restrictions imposed upon Adam? That day is upon us.

Gal. 3:24-29 teaches us that the law became a tutor to lead us to Christ. We must look past the law as being just the Mosaic Law by which the Jews lived. The term “law” embraces all the restrictions imposed upon creation because of Adam’s disobedience. The law, as administered through the elemental spirits, holds a world together that is devoid of God. This restriction affects every living creature. We have laws and rules and a sense of morality because of the elemental spirits’ imposition of restraint upon mankind. We have more violence, corruption and perversity in society today than any other time in history. This is because mankind, pushed by the satanic powers that usurp the elemental spirits’ authority, is attempting to throw off all the restraint that has been placed upon the adamic nature. This attempt is prophesied in the first Psalm:

1 ¶ Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3 "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!"

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.

5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,

6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

As sons move into the areas that have been usurped, the enemy rages in protest. The true enemy is our adamic, fallen nature. At a time when sons are coming to birth, we have the satanically inspired fallen nature making its bid to destroy mankind. Mat. 24:22 says, “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” There is never a moving of God without there being a corresponding action by the enemy.

Gal.3:25 explains, “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Christ opened the faith realm by which we come into all our inheritance. We no longer need our soul/flesh nature restrained by the law when we move into the Spirit. We are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus (vs. 26). But wait! This is a tricky verse. We cannot assume sonship. It must be experienced. Paul speaks the words in Gal. 3:27-29 as a statement of truth, but notice carefully Gal. 4:1-3:

1 ¶ Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything,

2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.

3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.

The provision of Christ is available, but that doesn’t mean every Christian is experiencing it. Why is Paul writing to the Galatians to begin with? It’s not because they were walking in all this, but because they weren’t! Paul makes this quite clear when he says things such as, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you--but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you," and again in Gal. 5:4: “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”

We can be in Christ and potentially an heir of everything, yet not differ at all from a slave! If we remain under guardians and managers (the elemental spirits), we are still children, not sons. Christ’s provision benefits us very little if we don’t move out of the slave realm and into the realm of freedom. We must learn to walk in the realm of faith to inherit all that is ours. Christ’s faith must constantly turn loose His life in us. As we believe, we transcend the influence of the elemental spirits, and enter into Christ’s own nature.

4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

The above verses must be experienced. We must not just accept them as truth without experiencing a change of nature. Christ came for the sole purpose of redeeming us from the law that we might receive the adoption as sons. There is no sonship while under the influence of the elemental spirits. How do we identify this influence? It’s the compulsion to walk in religious/legalistic works apart from Christ’s presence in us. It’s being gratified with religious rituals rather than a genuine hunger for His righteousness. The influence of the elemental spirits is also marked by an on-going battle with condemnation and guilt. When we are under the influence of the elemental spirits, everything is always about us (self). When we enter the faith realm, everything is always about Christ. This is what Paul highlighted back in Col. 2:

20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,

21 "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"

22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?

23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Back now to Gal. 4:

8 ¶ However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.

9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?

Verses 8-9 nail down that we are dealing with spirits that govern, not just the precepts and teachings of man. When we didn’t know God, we were slaves to those who by nature are not gods (vs.8). The elemental spirits are not gods, only channels by which God enforces restraints upon a fallen world. Paul makes it clear in verse nine by saying, “Now that you know God, or rather have come to by known by God, how is it you turn back to the weak and worthless elemental spirits to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?” In verses 9-10 Paul gives an example of this bondage: “You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.” The observance of days and months and seasons and years is an expression of religiosity. It also denotes Christians attempting to live on a time line. This means being bound to the realm of time instead of rising in the Spirit and experiencing the eternity of God. When we live in the time realm, we are always either looking back to what God did in the past or looking forward to what He will do in the future. We can never experience the provision of Christ in the present. Living in the time realm robs us of our inheritance in Christ.

If in provision we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and translated to the kingdom of His beloved son (Col. 1:13), we must through faith appropriate all that He has provided.

The Land is the Relationship!

Deut. 11:

24 "Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea.

25 "No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you.

Israel's border was to be from the wilderness to Lebanon and from the Euphrates as far as the western sea. Mystically, this speaks to the realm of spirit. It relates to the special relationship God was creating for the children of Israel to walk in.

God promised to lay the dread and fear of them upon all the land on which they set foot. They were to have complete dominion over all their enemies. This means they were to have dominion over the realm of spirit in which they moved and operated. The aura, or spiritual atmosphere in which they existed, would bow to them. The "land" embraced not just the physical dirt in which they walked, but the spiritual atmosphere of it. We have an example of this in Num. 14.

6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;

7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, "The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.

8 "If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey.

9 "Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them."

According to Strong's, the Hebrew word for protection is tsale. Protection does not adequately convey this word's meaning. Other meanings include shadow and shade. These words were used in ancient times to convey a person's aura or life force. If their tsale had been removed, it meant their aura had been removed. The removal of their auras meant they were vulnerable and defenseless. The inhabitants of the land may have appeared as fierce giants, but spiritually they had been stripped of their power.

The Promised Land given to the Israelites points prophetically to a day in which all of the governing forces in the realm of spirit will serve the people of God instead of opposing them. God promised the Israelites nothing less than a supernatural existence if they would obey and follow the Lord fully. The provisions God made for Israel were never fully experienced because of their disobedience. Let’s read from Deut. 28.

1 ¶ "Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

The first promise is that the Lord would set Israel high above all the nations of the earth. Mystically, “all the nations of the earth” refers not just to physical nations, but to the spiritual, governing forces that hold creation under futility. Israel was to have a relationship with God that transcended the rule of the elemental spirits upon mankind. Let’s read the blessings pronounced by God upon Israel if they would obey and love Him with all their hearts:

2 "All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God:

3 "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

4 "Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.

5 "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

6 "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

7 "The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways.

8 "The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

9 "The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.

10 "So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you.

11 "The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.

12 "The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

13 "The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,

14 and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Notice how many of the blessings are miracle blessings manifested in the physical realm. “The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.” And again, “"The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.”

This is the realm governed by the elemental spirits. Because of the futility imposed upon creation, none of the above blessings are consistently operating in Christianity, much less all of mankind. We have a fantastic promise here in Deuteronomy! As we move into the covenant realm, which is the realm of faith, verses 9-10 become a reality for us:

9 "The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.

10 "So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you.

Let’s read now the promises of blessing from Leviticus 26:

1 ¶ ‘You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God.

2 ‘You shall keep My sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the LORD.

3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out,

4 then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.

5 ‘Indeed, your threshing will last for you until grape gathering, and grape gathering will last until sowing time. You will thus eat your food to the full and live securely in your land.

6 ‘I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land.

7 ‘But you will chase your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword;

8 five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.

9 ‘So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you.

10 ‘You will eat the old supply and clear out the old because of the new.

11 ‘Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you.

12 ‘I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

13 ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.

14 ¶ ‘But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments,

15 if, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant,

16 I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you a sudden terror, consumption and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to pine away; also, you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat it up.

17 ‘I will set My face against you so that you will be struck down before your enemies; and those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you.

18 ‘If also after these things you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

We have fantastic promises also here in Leviticus! All these verses describe a supernatural relationship with the Lord devoid of the restrictions of futility imposed upon creation. It remains for a people to enter the covenant realm and experience all the blessings promised for that realm. Being a Christian does not automatically qualify us for these covenant blessings. They must be consciously, deliberately appropriated. As we read in the chapter The Elemental Spirits, we can be Christians and still be slaves under tutors and guardians. We must cease to view being loosed from futility as taught in Romans 8 as some super-spiritual experience that God is one day going to lay on us. It’s a reality to be appropriated now as we move into that unique relationship with the Lord that He has sought from the beginning. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect (vs. 12-13).

There is a relationship with the Lord that yields all the fruitfulness of the kingdom to us.

Deut. 11:

8 ¶ "You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it;

9 so that you may prolong your days on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.

10 "For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden.

11 "But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven,

12 a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.

The “land” is the relationship! It is a unique relationship with God. The land drinks waters from the rain of heaven. It drinks from the waters above, not the waters below. Its life and sustenance is drawn from the heavenly realm, not the earthly realm. The covenant relationship is not subject to the restrictions and restraints that are still imposed upon creation. As we enter in to fully experience this relationship, we become the channels of release for all creation. We can’t be discouraged if we don’t see all creation being loosed yet, because we must first experience it ourselves. God is creating a people He can be everything to, and then through.

Under the Lord’s Dominion

Judges 17:

1 ¶ Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah.

2 He said to his mother, "The eleven hundred pieces of silver which were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it." And his mother said, "Blessed be my son by the LORD."

3 He then returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, "I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the LORD for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return them to you."

4 So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made them into a graven image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah.

5 And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest.

6 In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

In verses 4-5 Micah’s mother takes two hundred pieces of silver and has it made into a graven and molten image. Micah then makes household idols and consecrates one of his sons to become his priest. The explanation of all this is found in verse 6: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.” Every man did what was right in his own eyes. This situation occurred because the laws and ordinances given to Moses by God had broken down. There was no unity in the land, no central focus upon the Lord. After the death of Joshua and his sons, the Israelites continually went astray to serve other gods. They took for themselves the gods of Canaan. This is reiterated again and again through the book of Judges. Israel played the harlot with the surrounding nations, and God allowed them to enslave Israel. Israel cried to God for deliverance and He raised up a deliverer, called a Judge. Israel would then serve the Lord all the days of that Judge, but when he/she died, the cycle of idolatry began again. The days of the Judges were primarily the days of the elemental spirits ruling over Israel.

The primary god that Israel served again and again in their idolatry was Baal. It’s significant that the name Baal means lord, master, or possessor. The nature of Baal was to possess those who served him. The word "possess" is being defined as ownership. This is the characteristic of every spiritual entity in the realm of spirit. It seeks ownership over the human race. This is precisely why the Scriptures teach that the Lord is a jealous God. James 4:4-5 tells us: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?”

In Ex. 20, God gives the Ten Commandments to Israel. The first one is:

3 "You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.

5 "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Let’s get some background on Baal from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia:

In Babylonia it was the title specially applied to Merodach of Babylon, which in time came to be used in place of his actual name. As the word in Hebrew also means “possessor," it has been supposed to have originally signified, when used in a religious sense, the god of a particular piece of land or soil. The Babylon Bel-Merodach was a Sun-god, and so too was the Canaanite Baael whose full title was Baal-Shemaim, “lord of heaven.” The Phoenician writer Sanchuniathon accordingly says that the children of the first generation of mankind “in time of drought stretched forth their hands to heaven toward the sun; for they regarded him as the sole Lord of heaven, and called him Beel-samen, which means ‘Lord of Heaven’ in the Phoenician language and is equivalent to Zeus in Greek.”

Attributes of Baal – As the Sun-god, Baal was worshipped under two aspects beneficent and destructive. On the one hand he gave light and warmth to his worshippers; on the other hand the fierce heats of summer destroyed the vegetation he had himself brought into being. Hence human victims were sacrificed to him in order to appease his anger in time of plague or other trouble, the victim being usually the first-born of the sacrificer and being burnt alive. In the OT this is euphemistically termed “assign” the victim “through the fire” (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). The forms under which Baal was worshipped were necessarily as numerous as the communities which worshipped him. Each locality had its own Baal or divine “Lord” who frequently took his name from the city or place to which he belonged. Hence there was a Baal-Zur, “Baal of Tyre”; Baal-hermon, “Baal of Hermon” (Judges 3:3); Baal-Lebanon, “Baal of Lebanon”; Baal-Tarz, “Baal of Tarsus.” At other times the title was attached to the name of an individual god; thus we have Bel-Merodach, “the Lord Merodach” (or “Bel is Merodach”) at Babylon, Baal-Melkarth at Tyre, Baal-gad (Joshua 11:17) in the north of Palestine. Occasionally the second element was a noun as in Baal-Shemaim, “lord of heaven,” Baal-zebub (2 Kings 1:2), “Lord of the flies,” Baal-Hamman, usually interpreted “Lord of heat,” but more probably “lord of the sunpillar,” the tutelary deity of Carthage. All these various forms of the Sun-god were collectively known as the Baalim or “Baals” who took their place by the side of the female Ashtaroth and Asherim. At Carthage the female consort of Baal was termed “enej-Baal, “the face” or “reflection of Baal.”

As mentioned in this excerpt, Baal, though the title of one god, was worshipped and served as many gods. This is why the phrase, “Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals" is used again and again throughout the Old Testament. Each geographic location had its own expression of Baal. Thus, Israel continually went astray and served the Baals, plural, not Baal, singular. This truth is expressed in Judges 10:6: “Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.” Notice how each culture or genealogical line, i.e. Sidon, Ammon, the Philistines, Moab, etc., all had their own god.

Each region was a mutual expression of the people who lived there and the Baal who possessed it. This is the exact characteristic of the elemental spirits. As already mentioned, every force in the spirit realm seeks possession of human life. Thus, as people in any given region are overshadowed with the spirits of that area, a unique manifestation occurs. The people take on the influence of the governing spirit of that area while the spiritual force is colored with the life force of those people. It is a mutual exchange. This is why there can be mass migration from one geographical area to another and the migrating people will still labor under the restraints of their former roots while the residents in the new area will be free of those particular restraints. When people move they take with them elements of the spirit they lived under and that dominated them. People can become free from the former influences when moving to new locations, but the futility is that they will only come under the bondage of the governing forces in the new area. Contrary to the arrogance of the adamic nature, no one's will is completely free. We will be influenced by the realm of spirit, even if we don’t believe in it.

It is erroneous to assume that the idolatry of Biblical times was simply ignorant superstition devoid of any reality. Let’s read some Scripture to prove this.

Psalm 106:

1 ¶ Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

2 Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the LORD, Or can show forth all His praise?

3 How blessed are those who keep justice, Who practice righteousness at all times!

4 Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation,

5 That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.

6 ¶ We have sinned like our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.

7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.

8 Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, That He might make His power known.

9 Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, And He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness.

10 So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

11 The waters covered their adversaries; Not one of them was left.

12 Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.

13 ¶ They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,

14 But craved intensely in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert.

15 So He gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them.

16 When they became envious of Moses in the camp, And of Aaron, the holy one of the LORD,

17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And engulfed the company of Abiram.

18 And a fire blazed up in their company; The flame consumed the wicked.

19 They made a calf in Horeb And worshiped a molten image.

20 Thus they exchanged their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass.

21 They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt,

22 Wonders in the land of Ham And awesome things by the Red Sea.

23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, To turn away His wrath from destroying them.

24 Then they despised the pleasant land; They did not believe in His word,

25 But grumbled in their tents; They did not listen to the voice of the LORD.

26 Therefore He swore to them That He would cast them down in the wilderness,

27 And that He would cast their seed among the nations And scatter them in the lands.

They joined themselves also to Baal-peor, And ate sacrifices offered to the dead.

29 Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, And the plague broke out among them.

30 Then Phinehas stood up and interposed, And so the plague was stayed.

31 And it was reckoned to him for righteousness, To all generations forever.

32 They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah, So that it went hard with Moses on their account;

33 Because they were rebellious against His Spirit, He spoke rashly with his lips.

34 ¶ They did not destroy the peoples, As the LORD commanded them,

35 But they mingled with the nations And learned their practices,

36 And served their idols, Which became a snare to them.

37 They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons,

38 And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with the blood.

39 Thus they became unclean in their practices, And played the harlot in their deeds.

40 Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people And He abhorred His inheritance.

41 Then He gave them into the hand of the nations, And those who hated them ruled over them.

42 Their enemies also oppressed them, And they were subdued under their power.

43 Many times He would deliver them; They, however, were rebellious in their counsel, And so sank down in their iniquity.

44 Nevertheless He looked upon their distress When He heard their cry;

45 And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness.

46 He also made them objects of compassion In the presence of all their captors.

47 Save us, O LORD our God, And gather us from among the nations, To give thanks to Your holy name And glory in Your praise.

48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, "Amen." Praise the LORD!

This psalm, while quite long, gives us an excellent picture of Israel’s descent into idolatry. Let’s look at verse 37: ‘They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons.” There is no vagueness here. The verse states plainly that Israel sacrificed to demons and served them. This correlates with what we have already learned; satanic powers have usurped the elemental spirits’ authority and rule through them.

Verses 1-5 reveal the heart and intentions of God. He desires a people He can call His chosen ones. “That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.” When Abraham was blessed by Melchizedek after the slaughter of the kings (Gen. 14:17-23), Melchizedek proclaimed, “"Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth.” The Lord is the ultimate possessor. All other “possessors” are counterfeit. There is only one true Lord. The Lord longs for a people to be His own possession. This is stated in several passages of which we will read two: "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth (Deut. 7:6).” From the New Testament: “...looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds (Titus 2:13-14).”

Israel never fully became the people God longed to possess and bless. We come to the days of Christianity and Christ’s sacrifice for us, and God is still looking for a people He can fully possess. Notice it says Christ gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession. Purification is what's lacking in Christianity today. We can be forgiven our sins but not be purified from the corruption of the adamic nature within us. The purification is a work Christ does in willing vessels. Very few Christians have the desire to lay aside all other influences and be possessed only by the Lord.

Let’s look at verses 13-14. They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, but craved intensely in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert. The Israelites craved intensely in the wilderness. It’s the craving of the adamic nature that falls prey to the influence of other “gods." James 4:1-4 confirms this.

1 ¶ What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?

2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

These passages lead into what we read earlier about the Lord being a jealous God. The wants and desires of a corrupt nature make us easy prey to spiritual forces that desire ownership over us. The downfall of the Israelites was in their wanting a king to rule over them such as the surrounding nations had (1st Sam. 8). The Lord told Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.” We must not suppose that because we name the name of Christ we are fully His possession. Take heed to what was said of Israel: They feared the LORD and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile (2nd Kings 17:33).

Let’s read two New Testament references that reveal the true nature of the idols that Israel served, and then return to Psalm 106.

1st Cor. 10:

18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?

19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.

21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

1st Cor. 8:

4 ¶ Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.

5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,

6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

Paslm 106:

19 They made a calf in Horeb And worshiped a molten image.

20 Thus they exchanged their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass.

In the next chapter we will read in Judges how Israel made graven and molten images and worshipped them. We see it for the first time though when Israel made the golden calf after coming out of Egypt (Ex.32:1-8). Let’s read the story because it carries much significance to our study.

1 ¶ Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."

2 Aaron said to them, "Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me."

3 Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

4 He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt."

5 Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD."

6 So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 ¶ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

8 "They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’"

9 The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people.

10 "Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation."

Because Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, the Israelites demanded that Aaron make a god for them that would go before them. This shows the Israelites had not come under the dominion of Jehovah at all. They were a rebellious people who only saw Moses, not God, leading them. It’s a humble, submissive heart that learns the ways of the Lord. Moses prayed in Ex. 33:13, “Let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight.” We will always be vulnerable to the influence of other spirits until He is Lord of our lives. 1st Pet. 3:15 exhorts us, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts...”

Aaron tells the Israelites to tear off the gold rings that are in their ears and bring them to him. He melts the gold down and fashions it into a molten calf. The fact that Aaron fashioned a calf was not a random decision. He didn’t just pick the calf out of the blue as an object of worship. The calf, or bull, held a prominent position of worship in all the cultures of that time. It was revered in Egypt. The Israelites reverted to the worship of the gods that dominated that region and era. They placed themselves back under the dominion of the very spiritual forces Jehovah delivered them from in Egypt. It’s also no coincidence that the bull was a symbol for Baal. It’s important to understand the calf was only a symbol of a spiritual force. The Israelites, and all the cultures of that era, were not so ignorant as to believe that the object itself was a god or held any power. The civilizations of that day were highly evolved and recognized there were powers beyond what the natural mind could comprehend.

Verse five is especially significant. “Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, "’Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’" The Hebrew word for “Lord” in this passage is Jehovah. Aaron inferred that the golden calf was a symbol of the one true God, Jehovah. This became a particularly abominable thing in the sight of Jehovah as evidenced in verse 10. God was ready to destroy the entire nation of Israel. It’s the co-mingling of the true and the false that is such an abomination to the Lord. Malachi prophesied that the day would come when there would be a clear distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not (Mal. 3:18). We are entering that day now as God is creating for Himself a people for His own possession. It’s a day of great purity and also great corruption.

In this hour one has only to look at the major denominations in Christianity. They are a mixture of true Christianity and traditions that date back to ancient idolatry. Because we live in an advanced technological era and in a so-called age of enlightenment, we tend to assign things such as idolatry and the dominion of other spiritual forces to the ancient past. But nothing could be further from the truth. Paul says it all in Rom. 1:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

19 ¶ because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,

30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;

32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

The more sophisticated mankind becomes, the more susceptible it becomes to deception and the domination of forces outside its understanding. “Professing to be wise, they became fools (vs. 22).” We live in a day where the intellect dominates. This differs from other eras where physical strength or the emotions were dominant. The natural mind exists in a weakened, futile state (Rom. 8:6-8). It will reach the wrong conclusions every time.

As to idolatry in this modern day, Paul had this to say: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming (Col. 3:5 NIV).” Paul called the attributes of the fallen, adamic nature idolatry. All these things within the adamic nature are open doors for spiritual forces to enter and dominate us. It’s very subtle. We may not consciously worship foreign entities, but when we take on their persona and are driven by the impulses they create within us, we effectively come under their ownership. Until we come to Christ, we are all under the dominion of foreign entities. This is how Paul describes it in Eph. 2:

1 ¶ And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Eph.1:17-23 describes how Christ was exalted in the heavenly places (the realm of spirit), to the right hand of the Father and seated far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion. The Lord Jesus Christ is above all spiritual entities and beyond their influence. But look now at Eph. 2:1-3. Apart from Christ, all humanity walks according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. It doesn’t get any plainer than this. All of mankind is under the dominion of the prince of the power of the air. It’s a spirit that works in the human race. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines the Greek word aer, as in prince of the power of the air, as: “the air, particularly the lower and denser air as distinguished from the higher and rarer air.” The spiritual truth being conveyed here is that the spiritual forces under the dominion of satan only dominate in the lower realm of spirit. Remember, we just read Christ was exalted to the right hand of the Father, far above all rule and dominion and power. As we come under Christ’s dominion, the influence of the lesser realms is broken.

4 ¶ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Notice verse six. We have been raised up with Christ, and seated with Him in the heavenly places. In Christ we are redeemed from every influence and dominion in our lives. This is Christ’s provision for us through His sacrifice on the cross. The emphasis here is provision. We cannot make the assumption we are at Christ’s right hand far above all other spiritual influence because Paul said it. We must enter into it through faith. This provision, like every provision Christ has provided for us, must be appropriated through faith. We must know His provision experientially.

What is the evidence that we are entering the higher realm above every other influence? When we are truly coming under the dominion, or lordship of Jesus Christ, we will find ourselves taking on His nature! Christ’s life and attributes will begin to manifest themselves in our lives. Jesus said you will know the tree by its fruit (Mat. 12:33). We always bear the nature of the one who dominates us. Naming the name of Christ is not evidence the person doing it belongs to Him. The proof of Christ’s lordship over us will always be Christ’s life revealed in us.

We take on the persona and nature of the spiritual forces that have dominion over us. This is exactly what happened to Israel in a negative way. They worshipped and served the gods of Canaan and eventually took on their culture. Israel’s mannerisms, habits, the very way they functioned, became an expression of the inhabitants of Canaan. This is why God commanded the wars of annihilation in the days of Joshua. The command was to kill every thing that breathed, even the children and cattle. This may seem ruthless, and some would say, “Oh, how could a loving God order such a thing?” But God knew the dangers of Israel living among a people who were under the influence of spiritual powers other than His own. Jehovah desired a pure people who would serve only Him. Only then would He be able to be all that He wanted to be to them. Only then could He bless them and lavish His love upon them freely. The wars of annihilation also point toward the spiritual work God does in His sons. The women, children, cattle, etc., that God commanded to be slain are types of the offspring of the Adamic nature. Adam’s “children” in us must be slain in order for Christ’s dominion over us to be complete. Just as Israel was to have no pity upon its enemies in Canaan, the Lord also has no pity upon our fallen, adamic nature.

Under the Lord's Dominion - Part Two

We are going to read 2nd Kings 17 in its entirety. Hidden in the history of Israel’s idolatry and rebellion against the Lord is the blueprint by which we come into Christ’s own nature. Revealed in this chapter is the “behind the scenes understanding” of what takes place in us when we present ourselves to serve.

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned nine years.

2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute.

4 But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and had offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

5 Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years.

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7 ¶ Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods

8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.

9 The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.

10 They set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,

11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the LORD had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the LORD.

12 They served idols, concerning which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing."

13 Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets."

14 However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.

15 They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them.

16 They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.

17 Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him.

18 So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.

19 Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced.

20 The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.

21 When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin.

22 The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them

23 until the LORD removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

24 ¶ The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sephar-vaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.

25 At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them which killed some of them.

26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land."

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile and let him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land."

28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived.

30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

32 They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places.

33 They feared the LORD and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile.

34 To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel;

35 with whom the LORD made a covenant and commanded them, saying, "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them.

36 "But the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.

37 "The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods.

38 "The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.

39 "But the LORD your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."

40 However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom.

41 So while these nations feared the LORD, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.

In verses 1-4 we are told Hoshea did evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as the kings who were before him. This seemingly infers that his sins were not as bad as some of the previous kings. Another way of interpreting this passage is that Hoshea did evil in such a manner as no other king before him ever did. Hoshea became a servant to Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, and paid him tribute. Hoshea paying Shalmaneser tribute means he sent Shalmaneser payment sealing his servitude to him. Later on, Hoshea looked to the king of Egypt for support. In the spirit realm all this points to Hoshea removing himself from the sovereignty of God and placing himself under another’s dominion. Hoshea came under the authority and influence of not just Shalmaneser, but the spiritual forces that governed Assyria.

Verses 5-6 say the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and besieged it. Israel was carried away into exile. Verses 7-12 give us the interpretation of what happened in the realm of spirit. Assyria was able to defeat Israel and carry them into exile because they had come under the dominion of Assyria’s authority by serving their gods. Notice carefully verse 8: “...and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.” The kings of Israel had taken the authority God had given them as rulers over His people and subjugated it to the forces of evil over the heathen lands. The kings of Israel introduced idolatrous customs to Israel. To walk in the customs of the land means Israel displayed the nature of the spiritual forces ruling them.

Verse 12 explicitly says they served idols. Verse seven says they feared other gods. The meaning of the word “fear” in these passages indicates servitude, a giving over of the heart. A person cannot serve any spiritual force without taking on the attributes of the one he/she is serving. That’s why the customs of the land were prevalent among the Israelites. It’s also why the Lord was provoked to anger over Israel’s practices. God wanted a people for His own possession. He wanted a people that displayed His attributes and nature. When Israel rejected the Lord’s sovereignty over them, they rejected His possession of them. The spirit of God was no longer the influencing force in their lives.

Verses 13-20 show us the transformation that comes when we are subject to spiritual forces. Verse 15 states, “And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the Lord had commanded then not to do like them.” “They followed vanity and became vain.” We become what we are subject to. The Israelites took on the nature and persona of the heathen nations. They had rejected the statutes and covenant which they had made with the Lord. That’s just another way of saying they rejected God’s possession of them. Verse 16 says they forsook the commandments of the Lord, made for themselves molten images, and worshipped all the host of heaven. Israel was bowing to all the spiritual wickedness in the heavens (Eph. 6).

Verses 17-20 are significant. “And sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him.” They sold themselves. Here is the key to understanding why God finally rejected Israel and gave up the ten tribes to the nations.

18 So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.

20 The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.

Through Israel’s servitude to foreign gods (spiritual forces), they became the possession of those spiritual forces. They no longer belonged to Jehovah. To be possessed by the Lord or some other spiritual force is to take on their attributes or nature. Since Israel had taken on the customs (identity, nature) of the gods of the nations, the Israelites sealed whom they truly belonged to. They were no longer an expression of the Lord; they were not His. Thus, they were cast from His sight.

The lesson here is that we ultimately display the characteristics/nature of the one who possesses us. We cannot say we belong to the Lord without eventually exhibiting His nature.

John 8:

31 ¶ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?"

34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

35 "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.

36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

37 "I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.

38 ¶ "I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father."

39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus *said to them, "If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.

40 "But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.

41 "You are doing the deeds of your father." They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God."

42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.

43 "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.

44 "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

45 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.

46 ¶ "Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?

47 "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God."

These passages from John give us the same picture from a different angle. The Jews with whom Jesus was speaking claimed God as their father, even as Jesus did. But in reality, those Jews were of a different spirit. Jesus says that if God was truly their father, they would love him, meaning Himself. He then tells them they are of their father the devil and want to do the desires of their father. Jesus says the devil was a murderer from the beginning and that there is no truth in him. He then hits the nail on the head as it pertains to this study: “When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature.” We take on the nature of the one whose dominion we are under.

Let’s return to Psalm 106 that we were reading from in the previous chapter:

28 They joined themselves also to Baal-peor, And ate sacrifices offered to the dead.

29 Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, And the plague broke out among them.

What does it mean they joined themselves to Baal-peor? Baal-peor was the god of the Moabite mountains. His name was taken from Mount Peor. In Num. 25:1-3 we have the story Ps. 106 alludes to.

1 ¶ While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.

2 For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel.

4 The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel."

5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor."

Mystical truths are revealed to us in these passages. Not only did Israel enter into physical relationships with the daughters of Moab, but there was spiritual intercourse with their gods. When Israel sacrificed and bowed down to their gods and ate things sacrificed to demons, they were spiritually bound to those demonic forces. It was the same as physical intercourse. Paul says in 1st Cor. 16:16, “Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH." The same is true with spiritual forces. That’s why Paul went on to say that he who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. This explains the phrase used in verse 28 of Psalm 106: “They joined themselves also to Baal-peor.” This phrase is also used in Hos. 4:17 in reference to Ephraim:“Ephraim is joined to idols; Let him alone.”

Just as the physical act of joining oneself to a prostitute creates a bond by which her sins and uncleanness pass to the violator, uncleanness also passes through the openness to spiritual forces. Look at what is said years later in reference to the incident that occurred with Moab:

Jos. 22:

15 They came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying,

16 "Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the LORD this day, by building yourselves an altar, to rebel against the LORD this day?

17 ‘Is not the iniquity of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the LORD...

This concept of spiritual adultery is also addressed in Ezek. 23:27: "For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Thus they have committed adultery with their idols and even caused their sons, whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire to them as food.”

Let’s read now Paul’s exhortation to us concerning uncleanness:

2nd Cor. 6:

16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

17 "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you.

18 "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.

2nd Cor. 7:

1 ¶ Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Let’s examine two more passages from Psalm 106:

37 They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons,

38 And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with the blood.

Verse 37 confirms again that the idolatry Israel practiced wasn’t just superstitious ignorance, but rather coming under the dominion of other spiritual powers. When verse 38 says they sacrificed their sons and daughters to the idols of Canaan, it means they were practicing an abomination called “passing through the fire.” This phrase is used several times in the Scriptures. It was the utmost abomination in God’s eyes.

Deut. 18:

10 "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,

11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

12 "For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you.

13 "You shall be blameless before the LORD your God.

The practice of forcing the children to pass through the fire was a perversity of satan that counterfeited the true moving of God. The Canaanites forced their children to pass through the fire as a sacrifice to their gods. The passing through the fire destroyed their sons and daughters. But the true God, Jehovah, causes His sons to pass through the fire as well. It is the fire of His dealings. The outcome of His fire, however, is not death, but life. We are to be living sacrifices unto the Lord (Rom.12:1). While the sacrifice of children to heathen gods consumed them, God’s fire refines and purifies us to walk in His presence. It doesn’t consume us, but restores us to the fellowship with God that was lost in the Garden of Eden. The satanic practice of forcing the children to pass the through fire was aimed at destroying the offspring of God. That was the hidden motive in introducing this practice to the nations. It was set to destroy the spiritual lineage of God, just as when Pharaoh attempted to kill all the male children to destroy Moses, and Herod had all the male children under three years old killed to destroy Jesus.

Ezek. 16:

20 "Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me and sacrificed them to idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter?

21 "You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire.

Notice it says, “You took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me.” And then, “You slaughtered My children...” All the conflict in the world can be narrowed down to one simple motive: Satan’s intent to destroy the godly seed from the earth. Regardless of how unrelated various kinds of evil are on the surface, at their root is the prevention of God’s progeny from coming to maturity.

The ritual of causing the children to pass through the fire was related to the firstborn. Ezek. 20:25-26 states: "I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live; and I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the LORD." Mystically, the firstborn points to Christ. He is the firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15). We see once again that satan’s only war is against Christ. It’s the Firstborn coming forth in His sons that satan wars against. Rom. 8:29-30 tells us Christ is the firstborn of many brethren:

29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Graven Images

We have already discussed that the idol itself was only a representation of a spiritual force. Why did the other heathen nations have graven images and fashion idols as their gods? What was the purpose of these physical symbols? The physical idol became a contact or channel to bond those possessing them to the spiritual forces they represented. Let’s read some passages that reveal God’s heart concerning graven images.

Deut. 4:

14 "The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.

15 "So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,

16 so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky,

18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth.

19 "And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

20 "But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.

Deut. 27:15:

‘Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’

Moses emphasizes to the Israelites that they did not see any form on the day God spoke to them at Horeb from the midst of the fire. They were to be bonded to the Lord by His word in their hearts rather than a graven image. This is the meaning of the exhortation by Moses in Deut. 6:

4 ¶ "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

6 "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.

7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

All the words of Moses are pointing toward one thing: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” John 1:1-3 tells us Christ is the Word. All the heathen nations worshipped gods outside themselves. Their idols and graven images were connections to the spiritual forces they served. But God’s intent was to dwell in His people. “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people 2nd Cor. 6:16).”

Gen. 1:26-27 says that God made man in His own image. This is a prophetic passage. To be in God’s image is to bear His nature. Man was created a living soul. Let’s read Paul’s explanation in 1st Cor. 15:

45 So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.

47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.

49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

The spiritual is not first, but the natural. As we have borne the image of the earthly, we are to bear the image of the heavenly. The heavenly image is the nature of God. It’s His nature in us. This explains why it was such an abomination to create a graven or molten image to worship. It was more than just substituting a foreign god for the true God. It was taking on the image, or nature, of those foreign entities. The Lie, which is fathered by satan (Jn. 8:44), presents a God apart from us. The Lie will acknowledge God from afar, but that acknowledgement cannot produce a nature change. Just as satan is the Lie, Jesus Christ is the Truth. It’s only when we open our hearts in such a way as to allow Christ to live in us that we begin to take on God’s nature and become those people for His own possession.

Acts 17:

22 ¶ So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.

23 "For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

24 "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;

25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;

26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,

27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’

29 "Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.

Notice carefully verse 29. It speaks of the divine nature. God’s own nature is to abide in us. His purpose is to supplant our fallen natures with His own. 1st Cor. 6:17 tells us he who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. The point was made earlier that all spiritual forces seek ownership of the human race. People tend to take on the influence of the governing spirit around them and the spiritual force is colored with the life force of the people. A mutual exchange takes place. Mystically, this is referred to in verse 29. The images formed by the art and thought of man are the result of an inter-mingling of man and the governing spirits. In the idolatrous practice of worshipping and serving other spiritual forces, there is a pseudo-creativity that works through the fallen, adamic nature. The result is man bringing forth works that are an expression of spiritual forces other than the one true God. Man worshipping the work of his hands is a practice that carries on to this day. It goes far beyond just fashioning a statue out of stone or some precious metal. All of man’s creativity is colored by the spiritual forces that influence him. There is a distinction between living works and dead works. Rev. 17-18 speak of the glory of man and all that he has created. Mystery Babylon is the root of it all. Rev. 18:2 says Babylon is a dwelling place of demons and a hold of every unclean spirit. The forces that have moved upon man and inspired him will be judged and broken. All the work of man’s hands is destined for destruction. It remains to be seen what shall come forth through God’s people as His nature is formed in them. “LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us. O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name (Isa. 26: 12-13).”

It has always been the pattern that the false precedes the true. For example, Ishmael came before Isaac, the true child of promise. The false always shows up before God brings the true manifestation. Let’s read another example.

Acts 5:

35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men.

36 "For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

37 "After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

38 "So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown;

39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God."

Satan has a way of anticipating what God is going to do and mimics it in order to discredit the true manifestation when it comes. Today, God is opening up a higher realm of the kingdom of God. The day of spirit is dawning for God’s people and it has been preceded by the rise of the occult and the New Age movement. These Ishmael manifestations have come to bring reproach upon God’s true moving.

In Gen. 3 we have a foreshadowing of God’s ultimate purpose for man and the Ishmael manifestation that precedes it.

1 ¶ Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?"

2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’"

4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 ¶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 ¶ Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."

11 ¶ And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

14 ¶ The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life;

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

Verses 14-15 are the ones we want to focus on. In these two passages we see the judgment of the serpent for its seduction of Eve. While what occurred in the Garden of Eden is not in question, one must look past the picture presented to grasp the spiritual truth behind it. The serpent did more than just seduce Eve to pull some fruit off of a tree and eat it. It goes much deeper than that. One must also understand the serpent was more than just a snake standing upright and talking. Everything that occurs in the Scriptures carries underlying truth. The word pictures on the surface give our finite minds a certain understanding, but the deeper spiritual truths must be revealed by the Holy Spirit.

Satan is represented by the serpent. What took place in Eve’s disobedience was a penetration of satan’s nature into Eve. This is the beginning of the fallen, adamic nature. Because something of satan was sown into the Adamic race, its propensity for corruption and evil would grow. This is evidenced by the fact that by the time of Noah and the flood God was testifying that the thoughts and intent of man were on evil continually (Gen. 6:5). The preceding verses in Gen. 6 give us some insight as to why evil and corruption multiplied so fast within the human race.

1 ¶ Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

3 ¶ Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

4 ¶ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

The Nephilim have been the source of much debate. Some have implied that what took place in these verses was sexual intercourse between fallen angels and human women. Any interpretation that tries to explain these passages on a natural plane is going to come to the wrong conclusion. These verses are depicting spiritual realities. Who were the sons of God? Who were the daughters of men? These questions are not as important as the truth they convey. What’s being revealed here is the continued penetration of the satanic seed, or nature, into the human race. This takes place on a spiritual plane, not a physical one. It’s no coincidence that these passages lead into verses 5-7:

5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 ¶ The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

7 The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."

Back in Gen. 3:15 it says God would put enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. This speaks of enmity between two different natures. The seed of the woman points to Christ. Gal. 4 states:

3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things (elemental spirits) of the world.

4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Christ was born of a woman. This can be interpreted both literally and spiritually. Jesus was born of Mary, which literally occurred. Mystically, He is also born through the Church, which is depicted as a woman. Being born through the church means His nature and life is formed in a people. This is typified by the manchild in Rev. 12. Jesus embodies the divine nature of God, and that nature is to be created in us as we are conformed to His image (Rom. 8:29). The enmity is between the nature of Christ formed in His people, and the nature of satan, which rules in the old, adamic nature. This is the “war between the states” that exists in every Christian as Paul explains in Gal. 5. The victory of Christ in His people is the victory over the old nature that has ruled them. We have a great promise at the conclusion of Gen. 3:15: “He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." Its Christ’s nature formed in His people that ultimately bruises the head of the serpent. Paul writes in Rom. 16:20,“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” The divine nature formed in us is God’s solution to Adam’s disobedience. Only God can overcome and make right the disobedience that occurred in the Garden of Eden. This is precisely why Jesus had to die on the cross for us. Man could not, and cannot, save himself from what he is.

Verse 16 from our text in Deuteronomy four says that they were not to act corruptly and make graven images for themselves. How could a graven image corrupt them? The corruption came because the graven image opened the door and bonded them to what it represented. We saw this principle in Joshua 22. It bears reading again:

15 They came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying,

16 "Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the LORD this day, by building yourselves an altar, to rebel against the LORD this day?

17 ‘Is not the iniquity of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the LORD...

Corruption was created by Israel joining itself to Baal-Peor.

Let’s finish the passages from Deuteronomy four:

20 "But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.

21 "Now the LORD was angry with me on your account, and swore that I would not cross the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

22 "For I will die in this land, I shall not cross the Jordan, but you shall cross and take possession of this good land.

23 "So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you.

24 "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

25 "When you become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God so as to provoke Him to anger,

26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed.

27 "The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you.

28 "There you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

29 "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

This is what we just discussed in Genesis. The penetration of man by the spirits behind his idols is what furthers the corruption of the adamic nature. The Scriptures speak of two mysteries. The first is the mystery of God, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). The second is the mystery of lawlessness (2nd Thess. 2:7). Both these mysteries work within us. One is the source of life and renewal, the other a corrupting influence.

Earlier, in reading from Genesis chapter three, it was stated that we have a foreshadowing in those passages of God's ultimate purpose for man and the Ishmael manifestation that precedes it. The Ishmael manifestation is a satanic seed incorporated into the human race via its fallen nature. Eph. 2:1-3 bears repeating here: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

The fallen nature is satan’s attempt at producing sons. This was his motive in the Garden of Eden. It wasn’t just to corrupt God’s plans for mankind, or somehow thwart His purposes. Isa. 14 is an allusion to satan:

12 "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!

13 "But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.

14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

15 "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

Satan desired to be as the Most High. He understood that in the creation of mankind God was creating offspring, those who would bear His nature. It was jealousy that prompted satan to entice Adam and Eve. He coveted sons of his own. In Jn. 8:44 Jesus tells the Pharisees that they are of their father the devil and that they want to do the desires of their father, which is to kill Him. Both Mat. 27:18 and Mk. 15:10 state that it was because of envy that the Jews delivered up Jesus. Jealousy, or covetousness, is equated with idolatry in the New Testament. It is the driving force of the fallen, adamic nature.

Paul uses the phrases “sons of disobedience” and “children of wrath, even as the rest” in our text from Eph. 2. The rest of what? The human race! Something of the satanic seed is bound up in the adamic nature of man. The devil has sown something of himself into what God originally created.

We see this principle expressed in the parable of the wheat and tares in Mat. 13.

24 ¶ Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

25 "But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.

26 "But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.

27 "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

28 "And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’

29 "But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.

30 ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."‘"

When the tares are discovered in the landowner’s field, the slaves ask the landowner if he wants them gathered up. The landowner says no because the wheat might be uprooted with the tares. “Allow them both to grow together until the harvest,” he says. This corresponds to the passages in John 15 concerning the vine and the branches. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. The branches that bear fruit the Father prunes that they might bear more fruit. Look at what Jesus says about the branches that don’t bear fruit: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” This is the same fate as the tares in Mat. 13. The tares and wheat grow together. Both the tares and the wheat are God’s people. The burning of the tares and the dried branches does not mean they are sent to hell, it means the output of their lives is burned up because it wasn’t the product of the Lord’s life within them. They suffer bitter loss.

1st Cor. 3:

11 ¶ For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.

14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.

15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

While the tares are bundled and burned in our parable, the landowner’s wheat is gathered into his barn. Although everything grows together for a season, eventually there is a separation. The harvest is not a one time deal. There is a perpetual harvest taking place within us. God continually “gathers the wheat into His barn” as the tares of our life are burned up.

Continuing in Mat. 13:

36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."

37 And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;

39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

40 "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.

41 "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,

42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

43 "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Jesus’ explanation to the disciples of this parable is that the tares are sons of the evil one. It’s the devil who sowed the tares into the field. This is not a contradiction to the tares also being God’s people. There is only one group of people in this parable. The “sons of the evil one” represent the fallen nature. The devil has indeed sown that nature into us. But the wheat, which symbolizes the sons of the kingdom, represents those who have had that nature dealt with, which produces the fruit of Christ’s life within them. The last verse of Jesus’ explanation of the parable is, “"Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” It’s only the Lord’s nature in us that is righteous. It’s Christ’s nature that shines forth as the sun in us, sealing us as sons to the Father. Jesus’ last words in this parable are,“He who has ears, let him hear.” This indicates there is more to this parable than meets the natural eye. Spiritual truths are being revealed and they must be heard with spiritual ears.

The true manifestation of God, or the true Isaac, is Christ formed in His people. Col. 1:25-27 tells us that the mystery of God, which is "Christ in you, the hope of glory," was hidden from past ages and generations. In other words, Christ’s nature formed in us is not damage control due to Adam’s disobedience. It was God’s purpose from eternity. Let’s read a few more passages and nail this down.

1st Cor. 2:

6 ¶ Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;

7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;

8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

Eph. 3:

4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;

6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.

8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,

9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;

10 that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Notice that verse 10 says that the wisdom of God is made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. The eternal purpose of God is revealed through His people. This purpose is Christ in them, the hope of glory. It is through Christ in His people that the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places are brought into subjection.

We will read one more passage of Scripture:

Rom. 16:

25 ¶ Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,

26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;

27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

From these passages we see God’s purpose has always been to incorporate His nature into His people. His nature formed in us is what qualifies us as His sons. It’s hard to fully grasp the following passage: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified (Rom. 8: 29-30).”

God’s predestination of His people to be conformed to the image of His son included the foreknowledge of a fallen nature and the need for redemption. The mystery of lawlessness always precedes the true because the truth must be made manifest. Why is it that the false always springs up amid the true? Peter said, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves (2nd Pet. 2:1).” This principle is repeated again and again through the Scriptures. It is related to free choice. God wants our hearts and that involves becoming freewill offerings to the Lord (Ps. 110:3). God cannot have a people for His own possession that have not given themselves freely and made certain choices. Satan has no such qualifications. He possesses by stealth and by deception. But as Paul says in 2nd Cor. 13:8, we can do nothing against the truth, only for the truth. All of God’s purposes will be realized.

From the beginning it was God’s purpose to incorporate Himself into His people. The issue has always been sons: True sons, bearing the nature of God, and false sons, bearing the nature of lawlessness.

The Morning Star

We do not perceive how much the behavior and actions of the human race is influenced by the spirit realm. Specifically, the satanic presence in the earth is not perceived. We relate to the actions of evil in people as something sovereign within them, and in a sense that’s true. Everyone is accountable for his/her actions. But that does not diminish the influence of principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph.6:12). If we could imagine the satanic influence in the earth as a huge energy source, such as the natural sun, constantly beaming its rays into the lives and affairs of mankind, we would have a very accurate picture of what is really taking place. Or, imagine this: You turn on a light and people begin behaving a certain way, turn off the light and their behavior changes. So it is in reality.

Why is satan called the god of this world by Paul in 2nd Cor. 4:4? Why does John say in 1st John 5:19, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one?" The answer can be found in Ezk. 28.

12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13 "You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared.

14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

15 "You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you.

16 "By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire.

17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.

These passages begin with “Take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre." Mystically, they are a reference to satan, and the passages give us insight into his downfall. Satan was in the Garden of God. Isa. 14:12 refers to him as the star of the morning, son of the dawn, or, as translated by the KJV, Lucifer, which means light bearer. We will return to that definition later. Verse 14 from our text in Ezekiel is the one we want to examine. "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.” Satan was the anointed cherub who covers. This means satan was given the stewardship and authority over God’s creation. We should all be familiar with the passages in the New Testament that teach that the man is the head of woman and Christ the head of man. A husband is his wife’s covering just as Christ is the church's covering. Being a covering over someone implies authority and stewardship. Such was satan’s place before he fell.

We have already seen in previous chapters how the spirit realm affects all creation. It’s the spirit of futility that God Himself imposed on creation after Adam and Eve’s fall that accounts for the “law of the jungle” we see in nature. This is where people like Darwin and other naturalists have missed it in regards to evolution and natural selection. They can only see and record the end result in this natural realm of the many forces in the unseen realm. They can only perceive the effect, not the cause. This is the day of God’s creation, that is, those in Christ beginning to see and move in the unseen realm. The realm of spirit is the unseen realm. It is prophesied by Daniel that those who know their God will be strong and do exploits. Let’s read from Dan. 12.

8 As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?"

9 He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.

10 "Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.

God is granting insight and understanding to those who are being purged, purified, and refined. The spirit of futility in the earth is to be broken.

Rom. 8:

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 ¶ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

Why was creation subjected to futility? We could say because of Adam and Eve’s sin and that would be partially correct. But it goes deeper than that. We saw earlier how satan was the anointed cherub that covered. He was the covering over Adam and Eve and over their authority to manage the earth. In the beginning chapters of Genesis when God creates the earth, each day of His work is declared good. After the completion of God's work on the sixth day He declares, “It is very good.” That which was created perfect could no longer be allowed under the covering of evil. Once evil entered the realm of God’s creation, God Himself cursed the earth. It was no longer blessed to naturally bring forth its fruit. God told Adam, “Cursed is the ground (earth) because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." God cursed the earth, sending a spirit of futility into it. But there is a new creation in Christ and it begins in the hearts of those of whom Daniel spoke.

Isa. 65:

8 ¶ Thus says the LORD, "As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’ So I will act on behalf of My servants In order not to destroy all of them.

9 "I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, And an heir of My mountains from Judah; Even My chosen ones shall inherit it, And My servants will dwell there.

10 "Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks, And the valley of Achor a resting place for herds, For My people who seek Me.

11 ¶ "But you who forsake the LORD, Who forget My holy mountain, Who set a table for Fortune, And who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny,

12 I will destine you for the sword, And all of you will bow down to the slaughter. Because I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not hear. And you did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight."

13 Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

14 "Behold, My servants will shout joyfully with a glad heart, But you will cry out with a heavy heart, And you will wail with a broken spirit.

15 "You will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones, And the Lord GOD will slay you. But My servants will be called by another name.

16 "Because he who is blessed in the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Will swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My sight!

17 ¶ "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.

18 "But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness.

19 "I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.

20 "No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.

21 "They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

22 "They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.

23 "They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them.

24 "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

25 "The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the LORD.

Verses 16 and 17 speak of a new creation, a new heavens and a new earth. The former things are not brought to mind. The former things are the days of evil and the days under the curse of futility. While we can spiritualize the new heavens and new earth as a work done in us, it’s also literal. Peter refers to this prophecy in 2nd Pet. 3:

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

11 ¶ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!

13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Verses 18-25 in our text from Isaiah all allude to a realm beyond the curse. 2nd Cor. 5:17 states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (NKJV).” The words “is” and “he is” do not appear in the original manuscripts. What Paul is saying here is that Christ is the new creation. If anyone is in Christ, the new creation, all things have become new.

What begins in a people will spill over into every realm of creation. It’s not God’s purpose that the earth remain in a state of perversity and corruption forever. Paul paints a picture of two realms of reality. “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13).” The domain of darkness and the kingdom of His beloved Son characterize two distinctly different realms of reality. One is visible and the other at the present time invisible. But by the Spirit we have access into the invisible realm, and as we live that realm, its reality overshadows all others.

At the present time one age is passing away and another is dawning. It’s at the consummation of the age that both good and evil are at their zenith. The prophecy from Daniel said that the wicked would act wickedly and none of the wicked would understand. Jesus also likened these days to the days of Noah (Mt. 24:36-39). What were the days of Noah like preceding the flood? In Gen. 6:5 we read: “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Why was this? The preceding verse gives us some insight.

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

This is a difficult verse to understand and there has been much speculation on it. We examined this passage in the chapter Graven Images. We must look past any interpretation on a natural plane and understand the passage is speaking of spiritual realities. It’s very much related to the satanic seed or nature penetrating into the human race, incorporated into man’s fallen nature. This brings us back to the beginning of this chapter. The influence of the satanic spirit in the earth so easily directs and controls the behavior of man because something of satan’s own nature is bound up in man’s fallen nature (Eph. 2:3). Let’s read one more passage concerning the days of Noah.

11 ¶ Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

13 ¶ Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

The days before God’s judgment were filled with corruption and violence. The level of corruption, perversity, and violence is at an unprecedented level today. Fifty years ago one could not even have imagined what is going on in the world today. But the restraints are being removed to allow for everything to come to its final conclusion.

We began by talking about how satan was originally the anointed cherub that covered. He was the covering over Adam and Eve and all of God’s creation. Satan perverted that responsibility for his own ends which we also discussed in a previous chapter. Let’s read the final conclusion to the corrupted covering being perpetuated by the god of this world.

Isa. 25:

6 ¶ The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.

7 And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

8 He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

9 ¶ And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."

The prophecy says, “The Lord will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain...” What mountain is that? The symbolism points to Mt. Zion, the realm of Christ’s kingdom. All through the Scriptures the term "God’s mountain," "the Holy Mountain," etc., is used. It depicts a spiritual realm in God. It’s the realm of sonship. The breaking of deception in the earth begins on Mt. Zion. In other words, it begins first in God’s sons. It begins in those who are learning to walk in the new creation. As one realm of reality is supplanted by another, the judgments of God come forth out of Zion.

Isa. 2:

2 Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.

3 And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

4 And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

This is not theoretical pie-in-the-sky. The same word that brought judgment in the days of Noah is tied to the judgment of this hour. Read what Peter says about it:

2nd Pet. 3:

1 ¶ This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

3 ¶ Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Look carefully at verse seven. The same word that brought judgment in the days of Noah is the word that brings judgment in this hour. If the word came to pass the first time, it will surely come to pass the second time because it’s all part of the same word.

Let’s finish this chapter in Peter.

8 ¶ But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

9 ¶ The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

11 ¶ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!

13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,

15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,

16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,

18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Verses 11-14 are the keys here. Peter says that since all these things are going to come to pass, what sort of people ought we to be, looking for and hastening the coming day of the Lord. And then he says, “Since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.” God’s sons are the progenitors of the new age that is being established. And now we come to 2nd Pet. 1:19:

“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

“Until the day dawns, and the morning star arises in your hearts.” What exactly does this mean? The dawning of the new day also signals the dawning of a new order of authority. Remember how we began this chapter? It was said that initially satan was a light bearer or star of the morning. But he fell. Much controversy exists over this passage in Isaiah. How could satan be called a son of the dawn, or light bearer, when others passages of Scripture plainly point to Christ as the morning star? Thus, people indignantly accuse certain translators of blasphemy for inferring that the term “Lucifer," or light bearer, has any connection with satan. They go to great lengths to prove that the passages in Isaiah do not refer to Satan at all. One point that is always missed, however, is that these passages refer to satan before he fell, not afterward.

Now, in Rev. 22:16 Jesus Himself says, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." Christ is the true morning star. In Rev. 1:5 He is called the Faithful Witness. He is the Light Bearer; He is the exact expression of the Divine Nature (Heb. 1:3). It’s a mystery how God created all things, yet evil sprang up in the midst of perfection. In the parables of Mat. 13, Jesus teaches clearly that evil springs up in the midst of righteousness. This is the mystery of lawlessness (2nd Thess. 2:7). Jesus said in Luke 11:

34 "The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness.

35 "Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness.

36 "If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays."

Verse 35 says watch out that the light in you is not darkness. This is a veiled reference to satan and evil itself as it is manifested in the fallen nature. Ultimately, all things are rectified in Christ. God Himself becomes the solution to all that is corruptible.

2nd Cor. 5:

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, (he is) a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

It’s the divine nature incorporated into creation through Christ that ultimately becomes the solution to sin and its propensity to corrupt. “He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth (Eph. 1:9).”

In Rev. 2:18-27 Jesus addresses the church in Thyatira. At the end He states:

26 ‘He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS;

27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father;

28 and I will give him the morning star.

All that is prophesied concerning Christ is also spoken to those who overcome in Him. The reference in verse 26 about giving authority over the nations and ruling them with a rod of iron is related to Christ, as Rev. 12 and 19 indicate. Yet in this verse Jesus says it’s given to those who overcome. Those who come forth in Christ are synonymous with Christ Himself. The giving of the morning star is connected to His authority over the nations and ruling them with a rod of iron. It pertains to the responsibility of being the covering that satan perverted and corrupted. Being given the morning star is synonymous with functioning as a light bearer in Christ’s authority. Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." Those who are entering the realm of sonship become sharers with Christ as luminaries, or lights in the world.

This new day we are entering is characterized by the aforementioned sons in Christ moving into the authority and dominion usurped by satan. Satan took for himself that which was but a stewardship and perverted it for his own ends. The dominion and authority over the earth was lost through Adam’s disobedience, and it’s returned through the second Adam, which is Christ, manifested in His sons.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright and Contact Information

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Elemental Spirits

3. The Land is the Relationship

4. Under the Lord's Dominion

5. Under the Lord's Dominion – Part 2

6. Graven Images

7. The Morning Star