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Spiritual Warfare

 

Walking in the Authority that Christ has given

 

 

An understanding of three levels of

Spiritual Warfare:

Individual level

Local Church level

International level

 Paul Galligan

 

Revival Ministries Australia Ltd. ACN 082081098 is a registered church ministry in the Commonwealth of Australia with a mandate to conduct international ministry, and to commission & ordain ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Revival Ministries Australia, PO Box. 2718, TOOWOOMBA Q.4350, Ph. +617 46130633

Location address: SHILOH Centre, 19 Russell St. Toowoomba, AUSTRALIA

Email: rma@revivalministries.org.au  Website: www.revivalministries.org.au

 

 

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Walking in the authority that Christ has given.

 

There are clearly three levels of spiritual warfare: the individual level, the body of believers under the eldership of a city or locality, and the international or worldwide church under the leadership of apostles and prophets. However these realms of spiritual warfare/opposition to the church/believers, intermesh. The devil is totally indiscriminate in his attack on individuals, local churches and international apostolic ministries. The main point is to recognise our placement in the body of Christ and to  know our standing in Christ as an individual believer, as a member of a church fellowship and as part of “the whole building, being fitted together, growing into a holy temple in the Lord.” Eph.2:21

The second main point is to have a growing knowledge of “Christ in us”. The Scripture says that Christ has “disarmed principalities and powers; He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.” Col.2:15 The Scripture also says “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1Jn.3:8 When we come to know the word of God through being properly discipled [Jesus’ command in Matt.28:19-20] we realise that we are able to walk in victory and freedom at every level.

 

FIRST LEVEL OF WARFARE

Individual Level

This is the realm of authority given by Jesus to every born again believer in Mark 16:17 “… these signs will follow those who believe; in My name they will cast out demons …”.  If there is a demon inhabiting a human being then the believer has authority from Jesus to command that demon to leave, in the name of Jesus. The casting out of a demon is often not necessarily simple or straightforward but there is no doubt that Jesus has given this authority to every believer.

James 4:7 gives another key for the authority of the individual over the devil. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We are to ‘submit’ to God, and then we will be able to resist the enemy when he comes against us. Many make the mistake of trying to drive the devil away when their life is not in submission to God. Submission to God means walking in obedience through faith in the Word.

1Pet.5:8-9 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” To come under attack from the devil, to be tested and tried by him is something that everyone experiences and it will cause suffering, but the word of God promises us that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Peter then goes on to promise us that “the God of all grace who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” 1Pet.5:10

Notice that when our Lord Jesus came into the fullness of sonship at His baptism, receiving the Spirit without measure, the first step in His ministry was to be led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matt.4:1). This confrontation was on a personal level for Jesus. Jesus had victory over the devil by taking up “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God” Eph.6:17. The Greek word ‘rhema’ is the word in this verse and also is the word used in Matt.4:4 “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Jesus demonstrated perfectly the use of the sword of the spirit by responding three times with the rhema word, which was quickened to Him. The devil was deceitfully quoting from the ‘logos’, the written word, but by the Spirit, Jesus brought the ‘rhema’ [quickened] word, which gave Him the victory over the devil

The ‘rhema’ is the Greek word in Rom.10:17 also “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word [rhema] of God”

Young men; ministers in training

Luke 10:17 “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’” Here we see that the trainee evangelists or witnesses raised up by Jesus, going out in the authority of Jesus, had authority over devils. In v19 Jesus said to those disciples “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Jesus is speaking to the seventy witnesses that He had appointed and sent out (v1), after giving them some basic training and clear guidelines for the conduct of the ministry they were to exercise (v2-12).

This is the authority Jesus gave to ministers-in-training to actually overcome, or tread upon, all the authority of Satan when he comes against you. This is power to resist Satan, to overcome Satan, even when all the authority of Satan is coming against that minister. This authority is not just to cast out a demon but authority to overcome all the power of the devil totally when that power comes against those who are disciples, ‘young men’ who are beginning to function in ministry. Whether it is a principality, the beast or the false prophet, Jesus has given authority to stand and even to overcome. When the enemy trespasses into our territory we have authority to fully resist him.

Young men are ones who are able to overcome the wicked one because the word of God abides in them, 1 John 2:14 “you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘BIND THE STRONG MAN’?

In Matthew 12:29 Jesus says “how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man”.  

Who is the strong man? The context of this passage is of Jesus healing a demon-possessed man, who was blind and mute (v.22). The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out the demon by the power of the devil. Jesus tells the Pharisees that a house divided against itself is not able to stand. Jesus is referring to a demonic spirit in a ‘house’. This house is the individual’s life, not a principality in the heavenlies. When a person is possessed by a demon, they need to be delivered of that demon. Jesus clearly says that we do this by ‘binding the strongman’ [evil spirit] first and then with the person’s agreement we cast it out. The strong man spoken of is a demonic strong man on a human level, not in a heavenly realm. This is deliverance of an individual. Jesus set the man free from a deaf and mute spirit.

In Matthew 12:43-45 Jesus speaks of an unclean spirit that has been cast out of an individual. Such a spirit goes to a dry place; it is not for us to decree where the unclean spirit goes. The ‘house’ from which the spirit has come, refers to the individual from which the spirit has been cast out. In v45 Jesus is saying that when a generation turns to wickedness they will be infected with demons. Each individual will be demonised because they have given themselves over to evil.

When a spirit is cast out of a person, that person must be lead to full salvation, including water baptism, according to the Scriptural pattern and filled with the Holy Spirit, so that they no longer have an empty house.

A person who is saved can have a demon; they may not have fully turned from evil. The person needs to repent, humble themselves before God, confess their sin, remove    the demon or have the demon removed, and be filled with the Spirit of Christ.

Casting out demons is successful when the minister [or believer] knows their authority and standing in Christ. There is no need to shout at demons but rather speak with authority in Christ. I have spoken in whispers to demons on occasion and they have obeyed me! 

STEPS IN CASTING OUT A DEMON

1. Establish that the victim wants to be free of the demon. I have been asked to deliver a woman once but when I was getting nowhere, I asked her if she wanted to be free. She indicated she did not. That woman changed her mind later and was set free. An adult person needs to agree or purposefully seek deliverance. In the case of children, a parent or guardian can bring them for deliverance.

2. Bind the demon in the person and then communicate with the person, not the demon. Sometimes the victim may be in a trance or overtaken in some other way by the demon. Having bound the demon, call the person out of the trance. You need to be able to communicate with the person. Do not enter into communication with the demon.

3. Find out the person’s name and ask them if they want to be free. Then ask them to confess Jesus, the name above every name! At this point the demon may resist and try to prevent the person speaking.  The demon needs to be effectively bound and not entertained. Simply command the demon to be quiet even as Jesus did.

4. Lead the person in a prayer of command in Jesus name, agreeing together that the demon must depart. You can tell when the demon is gone by the peace that comes; sometimes it will be a ‘sigh’ from the person or some other sign, not necessarily audible, but you will know [discern] that the demon is gone.

5. Make sure the person is a believer, that they have received Christ into their life. If not, lead them to Christ.  Then pray for them to be filled with Holy Spirit – the house that has been cleansed [swept clean] must be filled with God. Otherwise the demon will return with seven more demons worse than itself. Water baptism is also essential if the person has not been baptised as a believer.

WARFARE IN THE MIND

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 is also speaking of individual warfare. It is primarily talking about warfare in our minds. These Scriptures are not referring to demonic strongholds except that there are demonic forces at work to deceive people in terms of what they believe. However the warfare that Paul speaks of and instructs us in, is in the context not of the demonic but of the mind: thoughts, imaginations, arguments, beliefs and the attitudes that come from those beliefs that often end up being very strong, aggressive expressions that lead to all of kinds wrong behaviour and interpersonal problems.

v. 3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.” We are by nature children of the flesh; that is our condition, but once we are the Spirit-born children of God, we now have the very Spirit of God at work in us. Consequently we no longer need to be governed by fleshly principles and such principles are of no avail when it comes to the renewal of the mind.

v.4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” The Spirit of Christ gives us weapons and imparts to us the power to effectively overcome the fleshly principles that govern our life by nature. He gives us spiritual weapons: the spiritual ability to be transformed through the renewing of our minds. Rom.12:2

A stronghold is a place of belief and thought pattern in our lives that has been firmly established often from birth by the environmental circumstances that we grew up in. We are to pull down such strongholds in our own thinking, in the wisdom and power of God. These strongholds can be deep things that have been bred into us since birth, such as racial strongholds between fair and dark skinned people groups. These strongholds can be cultural, national, tribal, religious, denominational, or inter-faith  beliefs, [eg. Islam and Christianity] that we take for granted and we do not even question their validity. We have grown up with such attitudes and beliefs. People act, and have even killed, out of such strongholds. These strongholds are in the lives of  believers. Paul says that we have the power of God in us to pull down such strongholds. We need to re-examine our hearts, our thinking and become obedient to the gospel.

It is the word of God only that is “quick and powerful and sharper that any two edged sword” and is able to pierce “even to the division of soul and spirit … and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb.4:12 There is no other power or agent in the universe that is able to do this. Therefore the most powerful weapon that God has given us is the Word of God, the Bible, the ‘Logos’ of God. There is no substitute to regular committed Bible Study and committed discipleship wherein the teacher teaches the word to the believers. It is very important for the believer to learn Scriptures off by heart, thus wielding this two-edged sword.

v. 5 “Casting down arguments … ‘Arguments’ refer to our own belief systems or opinions about things, eg. the doctrine of evolution. People who are full of wrong doctrine just want to ague about everything. These are arguments in our minds and again Paul is saying we have the power to pull them down. That power is the Spirit-empowered word, coupled with all kinds of prayers in the Spirit. Eph.6:18

… and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, … ‘high thing’ this can refer to our own pride and prideful things, opinions, attitudes. In the Old Testament, after the reign of King David, there is continual reference to the ‘high places’. When reforming kings were on the throne they destroyed idol worship in the high places but often the worship of YAHWEH continued in the high places, whereas the word of the Lord had made it very clear that the worship of YAHWEH was to be in the place of His presence [the Tabernacle and then the Temple]. God’s people are similar today: each group, each denomination, worships in their own way, in their own place and scant regard is given to the clear teaching and practice concerning the church of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. It is only as the apostolic doctrine is restored and adhered to that there will be a pulling down of the high places and the people of God will return to the true worship of the Father in Spirit and in truth, Jn.4:23-24.

… bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” ‘Every thought’ that is, things that we set our minds on, a contrivance of the mind which can act as a trigger or a device of the mind to which we react in a specific way. It is something that triggers a person to have a certain response and that response makes the person act/react in a wrong way, leading to strife and condemnation. A thought is not a demon that needs to be cast out; these Scriptures refer to people thinking and acting out of wrong mindsets. Paul says that each one of us has the power to pull these things down and to bring them into captivity to the obedience of Christ. We are to take every thought captive. In other words, through being spiritual people, we are meant to rule over our minds, learning to judge ourselves by the spirit man within us. We are to recognise that our thoughts are in the realm of the soul. Do not be ruled by the soul. 1Cor.2:10-16 teaches us that “the spirit of the man which is in him knows the things of the man” and because we have received the Spirit of God we may “know the things that have been given freely to us by God.” The spiritual man is able to judge all things, “yet he himself is judged by no one.”  

v. 6 “And being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” The object is that our obedience will be fulfilled and when this happens for us we will be able to help others come out of their disobedience. Obedience has to do with “how we hear”! It is Strongs #5218 ‘hupakoe’, literally to hear under. The word signifies attentive hearing, to listen with compliant submission, assent and agreement. In the New Testament it is used for obedience in general, for obedience to God’s commands, and for Christs’ obedience. We must humbly receive the word as the word of God, a word that has ultimate authority and we must be willing to obey the word that we hear - that is faith in action.

SECOND LEVEL OF WARFARE

Ephesians 6:12 “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.”

No longer are we talking about demons who possess or harass human beings on the earth; we are now talking about the powers of the devil in the heavenly places. Because the nature of the enemy is now that of princes and powers and rulers, the warfare is now on a corporate level, that of the local church. The local church Scripturally, is made up of elders and saints, the elders having been appointed [ordained] by an apostle. This means the local church is in proper Biblical order and therefore has apostolic authority delegated from Christ through the apostle to the elders. This authority gives the local church the standing they need to withstand the attack of the enemy.

In Ephesians 1 the Scripture clearly says that God has “seated Christ at His right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, … And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him head over all to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” 20-23. Then in Eph.2:6 the Scripture says God has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” We learn from these verses that the church has been placed in Christ Jesus in the heavenly places far above all principality and power. As we accept this revelation and come to know the reality of where the church is placed, our attitude and approach to spiritual warfare in the heavenlies is vastly changed.

Notice that the teaching on spiritual armour and the revelation of who we struggle against in the heavenly realm [second heavens – where the demonic rulers are] is in chapter six of Ephesians. To fully comprehend and apprehend the authority and resultant protection and offensive warfare through the word, the saints, including the ministers, need to be fully instructed in the deep and awesome teachings of chapters one to five of Ephesians. Then and only then is the church in a position to effectively stand against the attacks of principalities and powers.

A Brief Summary of Ephesians

Chapter one: the heavenly blessings, including “adoption as sons”, the prayer for revelation and enlightenment, and the awesome statement of where Christ is in His ascension “far above all principality and power”.

Chapter two: by faith we are seated with Him in heavenly places (v6). We are His workmanship, v10. We have been brought near by the blood of Christ; we are part of one new man, Jew and Gentile together and we are being built into the house of God.

Chapter three: Paul reveals deep insights into the mystery and in v10 declares that it is when the church walks in the knowledge of the mystery that there will be victory over principalities and powers. Paul prays another powerful prayer for us.

Chapter four: the oneness of the Lord and His body, v4-6. The revelation of the five-fold ministries bringing the church to perfection in love; the nature of the new man.

Chapter five: walking in love, light and wisdom; the revelation of the mystery of Christ and His church.

Chapter six: v1-9 right order in the family and the work place.

When the church is walking in the light of revelation and obedience to the word of God taught in Ephesians, then the church will effectively “stand” against the attacks of the evil one.

Eph.6:10 “…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” The exhortation is to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, not to fight with spiritual powers, or to fight the devil, but to be strong in the Lord and to know the empowerment of the Spirit within. Eph.3:16

In verse 11 Paul tells us to “put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” We are to stand against the devil, knowing that he is scheming against us all the time. The context is the church as a body, not as a group of individuals. We need to put on the whole armour of God.

Then in Eph.6:12 Paul tells us that there is a wrestling at a supernatural, demonic level. There is a battle against powers in the heavenlies. We are on the earth and it is when these powers try to interfere with us on the earth as we seek to fulfil the Great Commission, that we have a wrestling. These powers are able to influence individuals, governments and leaders. When Christians start to rise up there is a wrestling with these powers. This can be manifest through false religions becoming militant against Christians and the Gospel, through governments and authorities legislating and decreeing anti-Christian laws and rules, and through the spirit [power] of Jezebel who is attacking the churches by continually infiltrating the church.   (Rev.2:20-26)

However in verse 11 we are told to ‘stand’ not to wrestle, bind or provoke. Verse 13 then says “Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” We are to ‘withstand’, that is to stand your ground because something is coming against you. When the attack comes you can withstand the powers of the devil, because you have already learnt to stand. Paul exhorts us again in verse 14 to ‘stand’. This teaching is to enable us to stand and withstand any attack of the devil. This is no longer talking about individual warfare, but fellowship warfare involving the local church of the city or the town and the elders and saints together in that city. We are not told to fight with the powers, but to stand against the powers. Jesus proclaimed in Matt.16:18 “I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” Our job is to function in ministry for the building up of the body of Christ until we all come to maturity. As we function in this clearly God-given ministry, the enemy will attack but we are instructed in these verses and in many other places in the word of how to withstand the attack of the enemy.

Verses 14-17 list the six pieces of armour and verse 18 tells us that the seventh aspect of ‘standing’ is in prayer: prayer for all the saints! All kinds of prayer in the Spirit! It is a corporate activity and action: PRAYER

A REVIEW OF THE ARMOUR:

Belt of truth – Jn.17:17 “thy word is truth.” The first way to stand is to be girded with the truth of the word. 1 Pet. 1:13 says we are to gird up the loins of our mind. We need to have the truth in our minds and in our thoughts. The promise of the New Covenant in Jer. 31:33 – “I will put My law in their minds and write My law on their hearts.” Learn the Word of God so that it is in your mind. The mind must be comprehensively taught in the word of God. This is the work of discipleship and is basic to the fulfilment of the Great Commission, Matt.28:19-20.

Breastplate of righteousness:

Righteousness is only by faith and faith comes by hearing the word, Rom.10:17. The breastplate is protecting our heart and it is “with the heart that one believes unto righteousness” Rom.10:8-10. So this is believing the word in your heart. The word goes from your mind to your heart bringing forth righteousness. If we are walking in righteousness then the devil cannot accuse of anything.

Shoes of gospel of peace:

This refers to our ‘walk’. Once you have the word of truth in your mind and are believing it in your heart then you are able to walk in it. This is enabling us to begin to stand and to withstand the attacks of the devil.

Shield of faith:

Rom.10:17 “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” This is the ‘rhema’ word, the quickened word (Matt.4:4). Once we have begun to learn the word in our minds, believe the word in our hearts and are walking in the truth of the word, the next part of the armour is to receive that quickened word in the moment of attack or trouble. It is the word of faith that comes into our heart and understanding so that we are able to use that word to extinguish the fiery darts of the devil that are coming against us. These darts can be in the form of doubts, hurtful things that have been said to us or about us and such like.

Helmet of salvation:

A helmet covers the head, which represents our decision-making faculty, the place of authority. From the previous pieces of armour we can say that our mind is filled with the word and our heart is believing the word. Now we can make Godly decisions, which is the faculty of the will. When we are in the battle we need to be able to make Godly decisions, our mind, will and emotions all being immersed in the truth of the word of God. We are seeking the Lord’s will for every decision; we are at war, but being totally led by the Lord, submitting our decisions to the will of the Lord, being led by the Spirit.

Sword of the Spirit:

This is the ‘rhema’ word of God; Matt.4:4 & Lu.4:4 give good examples of spiritual warfare using the sword of the spirit. Jesus used the ‘quickened word’, the “sword of the Spirit” to overcome the devil. This is the “the word of Christ that is to dwell richly in us” Col.3:16. “That is the word of faith which we preach; the word that is near, in our mouth and in our heart.”Rom.10:8

Prayer for all the saints v18:

Lastly we are told to pray “always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” for all the saints. We are commanded to be in constant prayer for all the saints, so that as a body we will be able to stand and withstand the devil.

The Strategic Role of the Apostle

In verse 19 Paul requests prayer for himself “and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.” For us to be successful in this warfare that we are in, and to go forward, we need to pray for the apostle or the one appointed by the apostle who has the responsibility of bringing forth the word in the local fellowship. Paul knows that he needs to speak boldly, so that the saints will receive the word and grow up in Christ and be able to stand and withstand the attacks of the devil in the evil day. Without apostolic teaching, “the whole counsel of God” Acts20:27, the local fellowships will not be successful in withstanding the attacks of the devil and will be deceived and sidetracked by his schemes without even being aware of it.

The Power of Preaching the Gospel

In Acts 8 Philip, an ordained deacon, had gone to Samaria to preach the gospel and there were powerful results. This city had been under the control of a sorcerer who had exercised power in that city, v.10. Philip came alone, preaching the gospel; the people witnessed miracles, healings and deliverance, v.6-7, and many believed. Here we see the preaching of the gospel, with signs and wonders overcoming the powers. One man, discipled, trained and sent out by the apostles was able to preach with signs and wonders and affect a whole city. There was a greater power with the man of God. He simply preached the kingdom of God and even the sorcerer became subject to his word and was baptised, v13.

We must Know our Authority in Christ

In Acts 19 we read of Paul in Ephesus.  In verse 13 some local exorcists heard Paul dealing with the devil in the name of Jesus, so thought they could do this also. But when they were confronted by the devil, he asked them “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” v.15. They tried to cast out devils in the name of Jesus whom Paul preached; they had no authority of their own and so were attacked themselves by the devil.

v. 17-20 The effect of this was that the whole city came under the fear of God and the name of Jesus was magnified, and the “word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”

Paul was preaching the word, reasoning daily; the result was that the demonic realms were overcome. The city got into an uproar; the demonic powers had overstepped the mark by attacking some Jewish exorcists, but the name of Jesus was magnified and the people came out of occultism and turned to the Lord.

There is no evidence of binding of the powers, only the preaching and teaching of the word of God.

When we are together in fellowship under elders appointed by apostles, then the local church has authority to stand against principalities and powers.

SPHERE OF AUTHORITY

The individual has all authority over: self, and as a parent over the family [in the order of headship ordained by God], and over the family business. A school teacher has authority in their own classroom to resist and not allow devilish activity, but does not have authority over the whole school. Each one needs to know their sphere of authority. The principal of the school has authority over the whole school, but in some areas will also be subject to the school board or the Department of Education that has appointed the principal. We need to stand under the right authority to be able to exercise authority in the sphere of our own responsibility. When the church comes into proper apostolic order, then the local church will be able to stand against the demonic, not only to withstand but to overcome.

THIRD LEVEL OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE

This is the international worldwide level of warfare.

There are three world powers and they are mentioned in Revelation 16:13-14 “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” The dragon, the beast and the false prophet together form the triumvirate of evil on the earth.

Rev.13:1 speaks of the “beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.” This beast was worshiped v.4. He was given authority for a short limited time v.5. He spoke blasphemy “against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.” v.6 “It was granted him to make war with the saints and to overcome them” v.7. He was given authority over everybody and was worshiped by all except those “whose names have been written in the Book of Life” v7-8.

Rev.13:2 says that “the dragon gave him his power, his throne and great authority.” People “worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast” v.4.

Rev.13:11 “Another beast came out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.” This beast is identified as the False Prophet (Rev.16:13, 19:20). The False Prophet “causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, v.12, He performs great signs, v.13, He deceives those who dwell on the earth, v.14, He causes all to receive a mark” v.16.

The Dragon is the devil of old, also known as Satan and the serpent. The dragon is committed to death and destruction; the international manifestation of terrorism in recent years throughout the world is the manifestation of the dragon causing death and destruction through indiscriminate acts of terror. The Rwandan genocide of 1994 and the brutal killings of civilians, both before and after that crisis, in warfare in various places also clearly illustrate the devil’s goal of death and destruction.

The Beast is given authority to war against the saints and has authority for a season to overcome the saints. The beast is manifest through human government and is always seeking to establish anti-christ rules and systems, thereby causing persecution of the church. An example of this beast at work is seen in the laws passed in India outlawing conversion to Christianity. As a result pastors have been imprisoned. Another clear manifestation of this beast at work is the imposition of Sharia Law by fundamentalist Muslims when they gain control of government in any region or country.

The False Prophet [the second beast] manifests in all the world religions including the many forms of religion that bind so many people who claim to be Christians into traditions and church dogmas and divisive beliefs that effectively disempower the church. The power of Jezebel is a manifestation of the second beast (Rev.13:11) in relentless attacks upon the church, by infiltrating the ranks of the church.

All the major world religions have manifest a ferment and a rising up of fundamentalism and extremism in recent decades. There has also been the flourishing and multiplication of all sorts of cults and false religions.

These are the international powers of the devil. These powers are not limited to a territory or area. They cannot be bound or destroyed as only Jesus can do that and He will do that at His second coming. The beast and the false prophet will be “cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Rev.19:20  The devil [dragon] will be bound with a great chain and “cast into the bottomless pit and shut up for a thousand years.” Rev.20:1-3  However in the meantime the church must be equipped to stand and withstand the attack and oppression, persecution and tribulation brought about by these world powers of evil.

Only when apostles and prophets are leading national and international churches, properly set in order, will the church once again rise to be an international force and Godly power that will turn nations, cities, and people groups to the Lord Jesus Christ. Even then, the Scripture tells us that the beast will have authority to overcome the saints for a season and kill some of them. This is prophesied in Dan.7:21 and Rev.13:7. It is in the face of this beastly power that the “patience and faith of the saints” Rev.13:10 will be manifest and the victory of the saints will be paramount even through martyrdom.

THE APOSTOLIC COMPANY

In the times of restoration in which we are privileged to live, God has ordained the formation of apostolic companies around the world. An apostolic company is a body of saints who have been called together in commitment to see the kingdom of God established on earth among the nations. These saints have been called out of institutions and organisations into a walk of clear obedience to Christ and the word of God. In these companies all the ministries and gifts that God has given in the New Testament find their place and full expression. These companies stretch across nations; are led by an apostle[s]; are characterised by all the company members having a clear understanding of the call of God and a powerful revelation of sonship.

The first example of an apostolic company is the 120 believers in the upper room in Acts 1. This company was an elect group of disciples in one accord, continuing in prayer and supplication; it was to this company that God sent His Spirit.

Apostolic companies are the vanguard that God is raising up to demonstrate to His people the victory He has given us over the devil and Satan.

THREE IMPORTANT WEAPONS Rev. 12:11

1) By the Blood of the Lamb 

In teaching from Rev.12:11, it has become clear that the victory over Satan, the accuser of the brethren, is only possible as a corporate [plural] body of believers, properly joined together, overcome him. The Scripture says 'they overcame him'. It is as the saints are joined together in apostolic company - a pattern people who are committed to walking in maturity - that "the blood of the Lamb" works to give the saints the victory.

How does the blood of the Lamb work?  1Jn.1:7 tells us,"if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." Brethren, it is essential that we walk together in the light of Jesus Christ, being led by His Spirit in the light of His word, being in open, respectful and loving fellowship and submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. According to Eph.5:18-21 a submitted life to the brethren in the fear of God, is a sign of a Spirit filled life. Therefore whenever difficulties, disagreements, misunderstandings or any other problem arise between brethren, we must keep very short accounts and be reconciled quickly to one another in the fear of Christ. This is how the “blood of Jesus Christ” works in the body: whenever a problem [sin] arises it is to be dealt with immediately by repentance and confession, allowing the blood of Christ to cleanse. Thus the relationships in the body are restored in the short term, allowing true fellowship and enabling the saints to walk in the light together. While there is vital need for each individual saint to walk in the light of Jesus Christ, it is the corporate experience and expression that God is looking for – the church walking in maturity – and it is the corporate expression that will overcome the accuser of the brethren, providing for all the members in the fellowship to be walking in victory.

2) By the Word of Their Testimony

Secondly they overcame the accuser of the brethren "by the word of their testimony". Notice again it is a corporate confession, 'their testimony'. This takes us again to Phil.3:15-17 "as many as are mature, have this mind ... Let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind." Let us "be a pattern people"!

In the Spirit Filled Life Bible the Kingdom Dynamics underneath Rom.10:9 comments on the word 'confess' Greek 'Homologeo': it has the connotation of 'a binding public declaration by which a legal relation is contractually established'. Literally this word means 'to speak the same word'. Remember we have talked about Heb.3:1 and the confession of Jesus our Apostle [this confession has been missing from the church for 1800 years].

The word of their testimony is the apostolic confession of "the faith once and for all delivered to the saints" Jude 3. This is the testimony: the knowledge of the mystery; the fellowship of the mystery (Eph.3:2-11); the reality of adoption as sons (Eph.1:5). It is to the company, the church corporate, that God gives "the mind of Christ" 1 Cor.2:16.

So the word of our testimony is our understanding and confession of who we are: the body of Christ, the elect of God, the saints, and the high calling [attaining to the resurrection of the dead, Phil 3:11] and purpose of God which He has already accomplished in Christ Jesus (Eph.3:11) and is now bringing to pass in the last days church.

This testimony includes the knowledge of the mystery, “the fellowship of the mystery” Eph.3:9, whereby God now intends “that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenlies.” v10 Can you now see how the corporate church walks in victory, overcoming the accuser of the brethren?

3) Loving not their own Lives to the Death 

Thirdly they overcame him "loving not their own lives to the death". This is the outworking of 1 Jn 3:16 "by this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." Loving not our lives to the death speaks of our commitment to the fellowship, to the apostolic company and our appreciation of our placement in the body of Christ, "we were bought with a price." The ultimate price is martyrdom, and martyrdom is not only 'dying for the faith' but it is also laying our lives down for our friends. In recent times the Lord has made it clear to us that He wants us ‘to give our heart to Him and to one another’. This is the nature of apostolic company. I have given my heart to my brethren. My brethren have given their hearts. As the reality of ‘loving not our own lives to the death’ becomes known to us, the committed relationships that we enjoy become a powerful bulwark against the enemy’s attack, which mostly comes through accusations.

Conclusion

We have briefly outlined the three levels of spiritual warfare. [Further insights are available on DVD upon request to Revival Ministries.]

An important warning and instruction to bring to the church at this time is as follows:

there are no directions in the New Testament nor authorisation for the church or individual members or groups to go about seeking ‘to bind’ and ‘pull down’ principalities and powers in the heavenly realm over cities, regions, states or nations.

Much of the teaching that has been popularised in books and other ways, has instructed the church to do such things, including much that is taught as ‘spiritual mapping’, is not Biblical teaching at all. There is no evidence in the Gospels or in the Epistles wherein Jesus or the apostles teach us or model for us such action and such forms of spiritual warfare.

As a result of wrong teaching many have trespassed in areas of spiritual warfare. There have been many attempts to bind principalities and powers. Time and energy has been devoted to searching for knowledge about satanic strongholds and hidden roots of evil etc. in cities, regions and nations. Many churches and individuals have suffered loss, and problems such as sickness, insanity and even premature death. Some churches and some pastors have been destroyed, because they have gotten out of the will of God and trespassed into enemy territory.

We have been immature, not exercising our spiritual senses “to discern good and evil” Heb.5:14. We have been ignorant of the mystery and the awesome revelation that it is through the

“preaching of the unsearchable riches of Christ, and the making of all to see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hidden in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now to the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eph.3:8-10

We have outlined briefly the individual realm of authority, the local church [set in apostolic order] realm of authority, and the international realm wherein only the church that is walking in the revelation of the mystery and authority of sonship, led by properly functioning apostles and prophets, can effectively stand and withstand the attack of the devil. If we trespass outside of our realm of authority we can suffer unnecessary attack and experience destruction in our lives, in our church, or even on a national and international level.

Paul Galligan 19/08/2006