Hey Pastor John.
A couple things about “Principalities and Powers”:
I thought the way Daniel 10 was translated was really good. I could envision that scene in my mind.
I wasn’t entirely sure what direction this section was heading in the beginning, but when I read the paragraph at the end that starts with “from the beginning, submission to the authorities…,” I could see how it came full circle back to Jesus.
In this sentence:
“Every nation on earth has a wicked spiritual ruler, including the United States, and under each of those invisible rulers are other evil powers which are over provinces and states, and over counties, parishes, and perhaps even over towns” what is the purpose of those rulers? What do they accomplish under Satan’s direction? Do they try people on earth, such as the way Satan did with Job?
I’m looking forward to hearing what you have learned.
Thank you.
Anna
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Very good questions, Anna!
The purpose Satan, “the god of this world” and the purpose of the angels under him who rule over the nations is to maintain order in a world of stubborn, ungodly humans. John said that “the whole world lies in wickedness”, but human wickedness is different from Satan’s. Satan’s is a much higher class wickedness than man’s usually is, and he despises the low-life forms of wickedness he and his angels see among men every day.
Men are rebellious, petty, self-indulgent, and “carried about with every wind of doctrine”. Satan is none of those things. He and his angels have a difficult time governing men, keeping them from blowing themselves up or just ruining every good thing they have, such as clean air, clean water, and healthy soil. Satan “savors the things that be of man”, Jesus said, and the scriptures say that “God has given the earth to the children of men.” Would that not mean that Satan is an environmentalist? I could go on, but you see my point.
The picture of Satan that Christianity has painted for the world is so far from the truth that it would be comical, except for the precious souls who believe that silly picture. My book, God Had a Son before Mary Did, can liberate God’s people from faith in Christianity and all the false pictures it has drawn – if we can just get them to read it!
Jesus said that Satan kingdom was well-organized. But he has yet to find the man who will listen to him, submit to his spirit, and put things in order on earth (the way Satan wants the order to be). Satan will find that man one day, and he will give that man his seat and his power. Then that man, whom God calls “the Beast”, will establish “law and order”, and he will govern the world as absolute ruler until Jesus returns and starts his thousand-year reign.
I hope that short summary helps clear things up for you.
Pastor John
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Hi John,
Your email with Anna made me wonder a few things…
1) Are there divisions in the “principalities and powers” world? For example, certain countries are often contentious with other countries (e.g. North and South Korea, Iran and Israel, etc.). Are some of these contentions inspired by invisible rulers who are also “at odds” with each other?
2) Are spirits of lust, rage, etc. who can inspire (presumably) men to do things that Satan hates (e.g. adultery, school shootings, etc.) at odds with Satan? Does Satan despise some of these spirits the way he despises the men who act under their influence? Or, are all spirits in the invisible world working together under Satan the way he likes it, in very good order?
Thanks,
Taylor
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Hi Taylor.
As for your first question, I have pondered over that a number of times. Was Hitler’s hated of Stalin in the late 1930’s an indication that the “prince of Germany” hated the “prince of Russia”? An even more intriguing question is, can one of the princes in Satan’s kingdom overthrow another and take his place, thus bringing about an overthrow of one earthly government and the establishment of a different one, such as in the American revolution? Or in the case of the American War between the States, did two “princes” share rule, and then turn on each other?
There are different ways to be united and different ways to be divided. Satan’s kingdom is perfectly united in darkness and ignorance of God, but it can still be divided when it comes to having peace among themselves. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”
As for your second question, you are touching on one of Satan’s (and God’s, for that matter) biggest challenges; namely, how does one get humans to recognize authority and submit to it? Humans are rebellious and self-serving by nature. Satan cannot control them very well, yet. He is looking for a man he can use to subdue the entire human race so that he can use the nations to do certain things he wants to do, such as to destroy Israel. The man he eventually will use is called “the Beast” in the Bible. There is no telling what men will call him, but it will be something like what the current President was recently called by one entertainment figure: “our lord and savior”.
So, yes, anarchists, vandals, harlots, drunkards, and the like are not Satan’s servants. They are serving their own lusts, and he despises them. His law and order man is coming, and that “Beast” will destroy them and unite the earth under one government. Their are lower sorts of demons that are despised by other, more sophisticated demons, of course. But how Satan keeps it all under control, the Bible does not say.
Pastor John