Part Three, Entry 2: For We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood - "Watchers, Nephilim and Evil Spirits, and their Hierarchy"
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Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
“(10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:10-12 KJV
Holy
Spirit: The Restrainer –
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The Holy Triune.
n.d. artist unknown
When the end times or the study of eschatology is talked about on the internet and publications; writers, bloggers and video producers on various webpages and YouTube, rightfully so, focus on the prophesies Jesus told His apostles in Matthew 24 . Beginning with false christs and false prophets saying they are the/a savior or representative of God, respectively; global and regional conflicts and wars between nations and kingdoms; epidemics and pandemics like the Coronavirus disease, Zika virus, Ebola outbreak, SARS, avian influenza; famines; and natural disasters, which are all called “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:4-8,KJV) or “the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:8, NIV) because they happen prior to the beginning of the Great Tribulation and the revealing of the Antichrist.
The next four topics in addition to Matthew 24 are about the
Antichrist, who is also called the Beast (Revelation 13:1-4); the False Prophet (Revelation
13:11-15), with the general consensus amongst many contemporary evangelical
Christians believing the Pope and/or the Vatican is the false prophet or a
representative of the false prophet, respectively; the Mark of the Beast (Revelation
13:16-18); and lastly, debates on whether the Rapture (1
Thessalonians 4:16-17) will be Pre-tribulational
premillennialism, Mid-tribulational premillennialism, or Post-tribulational
premillennialism. There are additional fringe beliefs about the rapture mentioned
on the webpage I have hyperlinked above.
It is important to teach about, learn about, and know about the
prophesies Jesus told his disciples after they had left temple in Matthew 24:1-3, and what God revealed to
John when he was imprisoned on the isle of Patmos in Revelation 1:1-2. But what is equally
important to teach, learn and know about, but seems to be rarely
mentioned is the Holy Spirit, and what He has been/is
doing before what I am calling the Day of Revealing (2 Thessalonians 2).
There is much I can write about God the Holy Spirit based on the
Bible verses I have listed below, starting with–
Genesis 1:2, KJV:
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Or 2 Samuel 23:1-2, KJV:
“1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,
2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.”
Or John 20:19-23, KJV:
“19 It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.
20 After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”
22 When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
Or Revelation 2:11, KJV:
11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”
As the verses above shows, there are many things about the Holy
Spirit we should know. Which I will write about in later blog entries, but for
the purpose and focus of this entry, my focus is on how the Holy Spirit relates
to Ephesians 6:10-12, and what He is doing as described in 2 Thessalonians 2:7.
2 Thessalonians 2:7, NKJV:
7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”
Apostle Paul tells us, God the Holy Spirit is holding back
the mystery of lawlessness till it is time for Him to be taken
away. But who is the mystery of lawlessness? 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 answers
that question.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12:
“1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Now, I want to examine verse 9 in this chapter, where Paul writes
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders” because it will not only help
in understanding the antichrist, but who the principalities, powers, rulers of
the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places we wrestle
against are.
First, Paul reveals Satan’s emissary, the lawless one will receive
his authority and power from him, the god of this world (2
Corinthians 4:3-4 ) after the Holy Spirit allow the
Day of Revealing to happen, which marks the beginning of the antichrist reign
over of the earth.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 KJV:
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Second, the lawless one, using the authority and power Satan gives
him will “[work] all power, signs, and lying wonders.” Exactly
how will he do this? What we learn from 2 Corinthians 2:4 is Satan, the god of
this world will/has blinded the lost, all those who will not hear, believe, nor
have faith in the word of God.
Next, we learn in Matthew 24:24 , Revelation 13:11-18 and Ephesians 6:10-13. about who and what the power, signs, and lying wonders are -
Matthew 24:24, NKJV:
24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Revelation 13:11-18, NKJV:
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Ephesians 6:10-13,
NKJV:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Hierarchy of Fallen Angels and Demons –
Dictionnaire Infernal illustration, 1863. Illustrated by Louis Le Breton.
The Hierarchy Of Hell: The Demons Under Satan Who Run The Underworld (And What They Do)
Below are some explanations from sources dealing with this subject matter, and
as interesting all this may be, I strongly request that you always pray and ask
God the Holy Spirit to give you understanding based on God’s word. And do what
Apostle Paul tells us to do in Ephesians –
Ephesians 1:15-21,
NKJV
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
“Satan: The name is derived from the Hebrew word meaning “the adversary.” Most instances of the word Satan that appear in the Old Testament are intended not as a proper name, but a function. In the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, the fallen angel Samael is described as the chief of the Satans, further indicating that this was less a name and more of a function. Nevertheless, over time Satan developed into the Adversary par excellence, the Lord of Demons who commands the armies of Hell.”[1]
Lucifer: Lucifer
has come to be one of the most recognizable names for the Devil. He is depicted
variously as Satan, the Serpent in Genesis, and the Dragon in Revelation. The
name Lucifer itself is derived from a passage in Isaiah 14:12,
translated in the King James Version of the Bible to read: How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations! The word translated here as Lucifer
is the Hebrew helal, meaning “morning star.” The word Lucifer itself
comes from the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible. In Latin, lucifer means
“light-bearer.” At the time that the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible was
being translated, the word lucifer referred specifically to the planet
Venus in its capacity as the morning star. Saint Jerome, the translator of this
passage, was not in error when he parsed the Hebrew helal for the Latin lucifer,
as both words refer directly to an astrological phenomenon, not an individual.
Later readings of the passage, however, interpreted Lucifer as a proper
name. Notably, most modern biblical scholars assert that this passage in Isaiah
referenced not the fall of an angel, but the fall of the king of Babylon. A few
lines earlier, in Isaiah 14:4, the portion of the text that includes the
reference to the fallen morning star is introduced as an extensive taunt to be
taken up against the king of Babylon. Despite this, early Church fathers took
Isaiah 14:12 as a direct reference to Satan, connecting it with Luke 10:18,
where Jesus declares, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” The only
real connection between these two passages, at least linguistically, is the
reference to a fall. Saint Paul helps enable the association between Satan and
the Light-Bearer with his passage in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that says, “…even Satan
disguises himself as an angel of light.” Through these three passages, plus the
story in Revelation where the Devil is cast out of Heaven, a rich mythic
history about Lucifer has evolved.”[2]
A Dictionary of Angels including the fallen angels by Gustav Davidson says –
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Hierarchy-of-Demons. By Hierarchy Structure |
“Satan: the Hebrew meaning of the word is “adversary.” In Numbers 22:22 the angel of the Lord stands against Balaam “for an adversary” (satan). In other Old Testament books (Job, 1 Chronicles, Psalms, Zechariah) the term likewise designates an office; and the angel investing that office is not apostate or fallen. He becomes such starting in the early New Testament times and writings, when he emerges as Satan (capital S), the prince of evil and enemy of God, and is characterized by such titles as “prince of this world” (John 16:11) and “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).”[3]
The Encyclopedia
of Demons & Demonology by Rosemary Ellen Guiley defines demons and Lucifer
as follows –
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Fallen Watchers List. By Jason
Guenther |
“Demons and
demonology: A type of spirit that interferes in the affairs of people. The term
demon means “replete with wisdom” and is derived from the Greek term DAIMON.
The daimones were both good and evil and even included deified heroes.
In most cultures, demons are troublesome rather than helpful; some are evil. In
Christianity, all demons are evil and serve SATAN for the purpose of
subverting souls. Demons can cause unpleasant hauntings, often involving INFESTATION,
OPPRESSION, and POSSESSION. The study of demons is called
demonology. Like ANGELS, demons are numberless.”[4]
Lucifer: FALLEN
ANGEL sometimes equated with SATAN. In Latin, Lucifer means “light
bringer,” and he originally was associated with Venus, the morning star.
Lucifer’s identity as a prideful angel cast out of heaven with his followers –
who became DEMONS – rest mainly on legend and poetic literature, such as in the
works of Dante and John Milton.”[5]
In my next post, Part Three, Entry #3: For We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood - "Watchers, Nephilim and Evil Spirits, and their Hierarchy" I will continue with this topic, and write about what happened on Mount Hermon during the Days of Noah & the Pre-Great Flood fallen angels known as the Watchers.
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Here is the sinner’s prayer if you are moved to give your life to Christ –
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.”
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Leni D. Anderson BA ArtH., MLIS, MA in Apologetics & Cosmogony (candidate), Regent University School of Divinity.
[1] Belanger,
Michelle, “The Dictionary of Demons: Names of the Damned, 1st
edition,” Satan (Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 2010), 274.
[2] Ibid.
Lucifer. 191-192.
[3]
Davidson, Gustav, “A Dictionary of Angels including the fallen angels,” Satan
(New York, New York: The Free Press, Macmillan, Inc., 1967), 261.
[4]
Guiley, Rosemary Ellen, “The Encyclopedia of Demons & Demonology,” demon
and demonology (New York, New York: Visionary Living, Inc., 2009), 55.
[5] Ibid.
Lucifer. 153.
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