Spiritual Warfare and Israel

I will be talking about two subjects this morning that are very dear to my heart. One is Israel, the other is warfare in the heavenly places. If you want more information on either of these two subjects here are two websites you can go to:

icej.org
rkbaxter.com

Exodus 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass,when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 And the LORD said to Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. 15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: 16 For he said, Because the LORD has sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brothers, 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 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. 13 Why take to you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,to stand.

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Prayer Introduction

1. War is a state of armed conflict between different nations, groups or people. From the very moment that the serpent entered into the Garden of Eden to tempt the man, there has been some kind of armed conflict on this planet. The first sin amongst mankind after being exiled from the Garden of Eden was the killing of Abel by his brother. These were the first two children born of Adam and Eve after the Garden of Eden, and one rose up and killed the other!War has been raging ever since.

2. Amalek and the Amalekites were the first nation to rise up against Israel after YHWH delivered them from Egypt. Consequently, God said that Amalek had raised his hand against the throne of God. Then God said two things seemingly contradictory: 1.There would be war with Amalek from generation to generation. 2.God would entirely erase Amalek from the face of the earth.

3. The spirit of Amalek is today manifested in Hamas. It is a hideous demonic spirit that lusts after violence, terror and blood. It actually takes pleasure in making the more vulnerable of the population suffer. There is no honor with this spirit, only terror. There is no negotiating with this spirit.

This spirit raised its head again during the time of king Saul, and then again during the time of queen Esther.
The spirit raised its head up during the time of the Selucids, and later on the Romans. In more recent times it raised up its head during the time of the Ottoman Empire and then the German Nazis.
And very recently, we have seen the spirit of Amalek possess the political party of Hamas and transform it into a blood-thirsty group that has the stated purpose of annihilating every Jew from the face of the earth along with the Christians who support them!
The apostle Paul laid down two complimentary principles in the gospel of the kingdom that we must take into consideration.
The State has been given a divine sword to meet out justice on the evil doer. Romans 13. This is why we are commanded to pray for those in places of civil authority. The sword is there to punish evil doers and to put fear into the hearts that dream of doing evil. This is a New Testament doctrine, and is as much a part of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven as is redemption from sin.
Our war, the battle that falls to the Church of Jesus Christ, however, is not with the material sword. Our battle is against the powers of darkness that have taken control of spiritual principalities. Five reasons why every Christian must stand with Israel
Historical and Biblical value that Israel gives to the Church.
Approximately 75% of all archaeological finds that confirm Scripture have been made since 1975 - corresponding to the time in which the land of Israel was securely in the hands of the Jewish State.
Ultra radical Islamic groups such as Isis have already demonstrated their hatred for historical sites of all kinds. If we surrender the keys of the house of Israel over to Hamas, do we really think they will preserve these sites? No, they will not.
The Pauline prophecies.
God did not reject His people. Roman 11:1
The hardening of Israel concerning the Messiah happened so that the Gentiles could come in. Roman 11:25
All Israel will be saved. Roman 11:26
Every time God has moved significantly in Israel’s history there has been a corresponding outpouring of the Spirit in the Church.
1947-48 with the creation of the State of Israel: corresponds roughly with the healing revivals
1967: the six day war: roughly corresponds to the revival of the Jesus Movement
1973: the Yom Kippour war: roughly corresponds to the outpouring of the Charismatic Renewal
2023: the massacre of 7/10, perhaps the beginning of the greatest revival in Church history
The integrity of God’s Word. The creation of the modern State of Israel is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise:
Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, To your seed will I give this land: and there built he an altar to the LORD, who appeared to him. Spiritual Warfare and Israel Page 3 of 5
Isaiah 66:8 Who has heard such a thing? who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
If we begin to call into question the integrity of God to keeping His Word on the land of Canaan, who is to say that we can trust His promise concerning our eternal adoption as His children?
Purely humanitarian reasons: It has been said that if every Jew laid down their arms, there would be a massive genocide. If every Palestinian laid down their arms there would be lasting peace. War in the heavenly places
The great difference between warfare in the Old Testament and warfare in the New Testament is that only through the Cross of Christ did God open to His people access into the heavenly places.
The phrase « heavenly places » exists only in the letter of Paul to the Church of Ephesus. It roughly corresponds to the atmosphere that envelopes the earth. And it is the place where the war of angels takes place.
Daniel: (chapter 10)
Daniel calculated that the time of the Babylonian exile was complete. So, he set to pray that God would speedily release the Jews to go back to the land that God promised to them.
After praying and fasting for 21 days, he was sitting by the Euphrates river and he sees an angel descend out of heaven and approach him. It was the arc angel Michale who said this to him: I was dispatched from the first day you began to pray, but the prince of Persia withstood me. I battled with him for 21 days, until help came and I could break through and come to you.
Now, many intercessors use this passage to teach on intercession. But we are not relegated to intercede on the same level of Daniel, for Daniel was not born again and filled with the Holy Spirit as you and I.
In reality, Daniel was warring in the heavenly places and was withheld because there was no help for him.
We are not to pray as Daniel prayed. Daniel was bound to earth with no access into the heavenly places.
Now, his prayers were indeed effective. But imagine just how much more our prayers can be?
Ephesians 2:6 And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
We must learn to pray as those who are truly raised up with Christ into the heavenly places with the mandate to execute God’s judgment against the demonic powers that have taken control of the principalities. What is a principality?
We read in Colossians that Principalities were created by Christ and for Christ.
Principalities are like Castles in the heavenly places. They were originally built by Christ to serve the purposes of his kingdom on the earth. They were built to be filled with worship and praise to God. They were intended to influence the spiritual atmosphere over a geographical region. Spiritual Warfare and Israel Page 4 of 5
The most important was the principality was over the Garden of Eden, in which God placed the arc angel Lucifer as the covering cherub. Lucifer was in charge of worship. Something went wrong in Lucifer’s heart after God created man, and he tried to exalt himself above the other angels. So, God cast him out of heaven down to the earth. God’s intention was that through the faith and obedience of Adam, the principality would remain full of praise and worship. However, with Adam rebelled against God the principality fell to the powers of darkness.
Only because of the Cross of Christ has God restored to His people the ability to access the heavenly places and begin to retake the principalities that are there.
The throne of Christ:
Ephesians 1:20 Which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own 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 world, but also in that which is to come.
God’s original throne, and seat of His holiness, is in the third heaven. It is not created as God is not created. So, this is a different throne, for the heavenly places is created.
Through the cross of Christ, God placed His right hand, the hand of authority, into the heavenly places, and thus created a seat of authority for Christ.
In Christ we too are raised up to sit with Christ in these heavenly places as well. But it is for a reason.
God has given to the Church full access into the heavenly places:
Ephesians 3:10 To the intent that now to the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
It is the second mandate of the Church. To sit with Christ in the heavenly places and to manifest the fulness of the wisdom of God to the demonic powers that have taken control of the principalities. Conclusion
We read in Ephesians 6 that we war against principalities and powers of darkness. Most Christians don’t interpret this passage correctly because it comes at the end of Paul’s teaching on the heavenly places that he starts in chapter one.
The verb that Paul uses in verse 12, « to wrestle, » is the only time in the entire Bible that the word is used. So, right away Paul is referring to a struggle that is entirely different that the one each of us has over his soul.
This is a specific reference to the Greek sport of wrestling.
The rules were simple. Two opponents in a circle. Each wrestler would try to either put the other on his back or throw him out of the circle. Who ever first succeeded in doing it three time was declared the victor.
Beloved, the message was clear to the Ephesians. They were to sit with Christ, in his throne of authority in the heavenly places, and through apostolic intercession do battle against the demonic forces that had seized the principality. They would wrestle against these powers until they were cast out of the ring!
The church of Ephesus understood that they to battle against the spirit of Jezebel that had manifested itself in the worship of the goddess Diana. Her temple had stood for nearly a thousand years; and God’s people had just accepted it as part of their reality. But the teachings of the apostle Paul changed that. Christians understood that they had authority in the heavenly places to throw out the demonic powers influencing their region. In just less that Spiritual Warfare and Israel Page 5 of 5 50 years the spirit of Jezebel was cast out of Ephesus, the altar in the temple of Diana broke in two, and the worship of this demon stopped and has never regained a foothold since! Call to Action
We can break the spirit of Amalek today if we earnestly intercede and pray against this hideous anti-Christ spirit.
We can pray against the principality of materialism and the spiritual slumber that hangs over most of America and especially SW Florida.