The Angelic Conflict

Spiritual Combat

From the moment of salvation, every believer, regardless of age or sex, regardless of status in life, is in the midst of a great spiritual conflict. The creation of man is the result of this conflict, which has existed since some time in eternity past. It is a conflict in which the fallen angels are pitted against God, against the elect angels and against believers. Exactly how long this conflict has been raging is a matter of speculation, since God has not seen fit to reveal this information to us. The first phase of the angelic struggle was completed before man was created. Man entered this spiritual combat from the time that Eve, at the subtle suggestion of Satan, partook of the forbidden tree in the Garden; and man will continue to be in combat until the Second Advent of Christ.

The Church Age in which we now live is unique. It is the age in which Jesus Christ as the God-Man is glorified: He is seated at the right hand of the Father in His resurrection body, as far as His humanity is concerned (His deity was always glorified), and therefore, the angelic conflict has shifted gears. Until the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ, it was the intent of the fallen angels to frustrate the incarnation of Christ and to thwart the dissemination of information regarding Him. Since Christ did go to the cross and is now glorified, the former purpose has changed. Every believer is the target in the angelic conflict, which has greatly intensified. In fact, the New Testament uses actual warfare as a basis for illustrating the great spiritual battle in which we find ourselves.

Billions and billions of years ago in eternity past, God knew about every need believers would have at every stage of this intensified conflict. He knew we would live in a very difficult period of our own national history, as well as in the spiritual history of mankind. He knew about the dramatic rise of Communism with its anti-doctrinal aspects. He knew about the internal disintegration of our nation through drugs, the rise of theological liberalism, and the failure to recognize divine laws relative to police and military activities; He knew that confusion with regard to the gospel would result from the Satanic utilization of those who choose ecstatic and emotional criteria rather than Bible doctrine as their modus operandi. Furthermore, He knew that, as individuals’, we would have to face national crises, personal crises and local church crises, and that we would encounter an accumulation of pressures at any point where His Word might be revealed. Accordingly, in the Church Age everything is vitally different from any previous age, and God’s provision for every believer in this Dispensation of the Church is phenomenal.

Characteristics of the Church Age

No believer of any past age had the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which occurs at the point of salvation and which results in a never-ending union with the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:25,26)! No believer in the past was indwelt by the Holy Spirit (John 7:39; 1 Cor. 6:19)! In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit had a ministry of enduement in order to empower certain people, such as kings, priests, prophets and the writers of the Old Testament. But this was a specialized ministry for enabling power to perform a God-given task. The universal indwelling of believers by the Spirit belongs only to this Church Age and

to the Millennium.

Since Jesus Christ is now glorified and is seated at the right hand of the Father (Heb. 1:13), every believer is an ambassador for Christ and is His personal representative here on earth during this intensified period of the angelic conflict (2 Cor. 5:20)!

For the first time in history, every believer is a priest (1 Pet. 2:9). If you have believed in Jesus Christ, you are a priest!

For the first time in history, the believer has a supernatural way of life which is in no way connected with any trend toward asceticism and which excludes

every aspect of legalism; further, he has a supernatural means of execution the filling of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).

The grace apparatus for perception

Through the filling of the Spirit, the believer has access to God’s gracious provision whereby he can assimilate and apply Bible doctrine, and this “grace apparatus for perception''' (or GAP) does not depend upon human IQ or human ability. The operation of GAP depends upon the true function of the local church in which the gift of pastor-teacher was designed by God primarily for the authoritative communication of Bible doctrine under the concepts of (1) isagogics, which is the interpretation of the Bible in the framework of its historical setting; (2) categorical teaching, based on comparing Scripture with Scripture to determine doctrinal classification; and (3) exegesis, which is verse by verse syntactical analysis of the Bible to determine its exact interpretation.

To understand the mechanics of the grace apparatus for perception, we must understand that in essence the human soul is made up of self-consciousness, mentality, volition, emotion, conscience, plus the old sin nature. The mentality of the soul includes a left lobe (the perceptive lobe) and a right lobe (containing the conscience and where frame of reference and divine viewpoint are stored). As doctrinal information is received into the left or perceptive lobe of the believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit, it is understood. The Greek word “gnosis” specifically refers to doctrine that is in the perceptive lobe and understood by means

of the filling of the Spirit.

Once you comprehend the doctrine, then you have an attitude toward it negative or positive volition. It is not usable or applicable until it is believed. Positive volition expresses itself by faith. By faith this “gnosis” is transferred to the human spirit, where it becomes “epignosis” or full knowledge. The human spirit serves as a storage place for epignosis,’’ and from there it is cycled to the right lobe of the mentality, where it becomes divine viewpoint, where it serves as a frame of reference and memory center, and where it becomes the new norms and standards and the new conscience. This “epignosis’’ in the right lobe is your primary means of applying doctrine.

The edification complex of the soul

Doctrine or “epignosis” stored in the human spirit is the basis of the erection of the “edification complex of the soul.'''' The first “floor” of structure is grace orientation; the second is mastery of details of life; the third is capacity to love in all three categories (No. 1, toward God; No. 2, toward opposite sex; No. 3, toward friends); the fourth is a relaxed mental attitude; and the penthouse is perfect inner happiness.

This edification complex enables the believer to become mature, to produce divine good, and to become spiritually self-sustaining. Through it God is able to provide you with everything that He designed for you in eternity past. Grace found a way! Further, this edification complex is developed only through constant, daily absorption of the Word of God. That is why we at Berachah Church have Bible class Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday nights, Monday morning and three times on Sunday, as well as why we have a tape ministry!

Now, inevitably, man’s days are going to be short and full of trouble because he was created as an extension of the angelic conflict. Before we proceed with the details of the angelic conflict, it should be made clear that all of the “flack’” you get in your Christian life is not necessarily because of the angelic conflict. Some things cannot be directly attributed to the angelic conflict, but to the old sin nature. Of course, the old sin nature is definitely in the angelic conflict; but if you

manufacture your own misery through mental attitude sins or through emotional revolt of the soul, don’t blame it on the angelic conflict. If you’re one of those people who say, ‘’The Devil’s after me,” you probably know nothing about either the Devil or the angelic conflict. The Devil is not omnipresent and therefore can be in only one place at a time. And he’s after bigger game than you or I. The reason this is so important is that if you start attributing everything to the angelic conflict, you may forget to rebound, and you may become a casualty.

Since we must first of all examine creatures which we cannot see, creatures who hover about us, who indwell some members of the human race; creatures who have a great deal to do with the course of history; creatures who influence rulers and kings; creatures who simulate certain things, such as tongues and healing; creatures that definitely influence people in this world today, we are going to begin our study of the angelic conflict with the angels themselves.

Description of angels

The Bible reveals the existence of a higher creation, and the Word of God is very lucid on this subject. The word “angels” is used repeatedly throughout the Scripture. Before the canon of Scripture was completed, angels often became visible to members of the human race. The Age of Israel was characterized by the appearance of angels. This world, as well as the universe around us, is filled with angels, and there are untold numbers of these beings.

Many details concerning the angels have been a source of controversy over the centuries, but few have ever been resolved.

Not all angels look the same; some are described as being very beautiful and some are not. Apparently they are all male. If there were ever any female angels, it is not revealed in the Word of God. Only one sex among angels means that all angels were directly created. This explains in part some of the events of Genesis 6. Also we learn from this passage that at one time in history fallen angels had sexual relations (with the daughters of men).

The best we can do on the composition of angels is that they seem to have a body, but one which is quite different from ours. Our body is corporeal; theirs is immaterial. From the name “Lucifer,” which is the Hebrew noun “helel” (derived from the verb “halal”), meaning “bright and shining one ‘’ we learn something

of the substance of their bodies. The angelic body appears to be composed of light; and since light has content, it could make a definite body and one which could

easily become invisible or visible. Their bodies are further differentiated from ours in that wings are often attributed to them. Not all angels have the same number of wings (Ezek. 1:6; Rev. 4:8). Some angels are super angels in beauty and strength as compared to others. These super angels are called “cherubs” (cherubim - plural from the Hebrew). A cherub, therefore, is not a little baby with wings. He happens to be the most beautiful and most magnificent creature that ever came from the hand of God. Some of the cherubs are actually named: the leader of the elect angels is called Michael; the leader of the fallen angels, Lucifer, or Satan or the Devil. These two angels are apparently the most beautiful of all creatures. Lucifer is described in terms that exceed any other Biblical description of a creature (Ezek. 28:14-15). No one is more beautiful or more personable than Satan. Of course, that eliminates the usual representation of Satan with a red epidermis, slanted green eyes, a forked tail and a trident. Knowing something of the pride which the Scriptures attribute to Satan, I suspect that he isn’t at all flattered by this image of himself

Gabriel seems to be another of the cherubs. He has a responsibility that far exceeds the power of any person in the human race. Gabriel is the one who keeps human dictators or rulers from going berserk, unless this is a part of God’s plan. Gabriel went to the court of Cyrus in Persia to keep him from being attacked by demons (Dan. 10:13 — Gabriel is speaking in this verse).

Nothing in history escapes angelic observation. There is no major event in history that does not have and is not a part of the angelic conflict, from the fall of man to the Second Advent of Christ. Angels were involved in the fall of man, and angels will be involved in the Second Advent. At the Second Advent, angels will follow Christ (Matt. 25:31); angels will be involved in a war (Rev. 12:7); and fallen angels will be removed from the earth during the Millennium (Rev. 20:1-3).

The Book of the Revelation is a book of angels. There are: more references to angels in this book than in any other book in the Bible because the conflict is entering its last stage before the fallen angels are removed from the earth; therefore, the intensity of the angelic conflict is portrayed very clearly. The twelfth

chapter of Revelation, for example, teaches how Satan seeks to destroy the Jews. He has always tried to destroy them, in fact, and when he is not trying to destroy

them directly, Satan is responsible for anti-Semitism. The rumor that the Jews are the reason for all the troubles of the world is from the Devil. The Samaritans

under Sanballat, the Chaldeans, the Persians at one time in their history, the Assyrians many times in their history, the Syrians and even modern races and

peoples have subscribed to this idea that the Jews are the source of all trouble.

Under the angelic conflict, Satan has a battalion of teachers, who teach false doctrine to unbelievers, and are also allowed to push false doctrine into the souls of believers where scar tissue opens the “mataiotes” (vacuum — Eph. 4:17-19).

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times (end of Church Age) some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing

(deceiving) spirits, and doctrines of devils (demons)” (1 Tim. 4:1).

So whether you realize it or not, all the history which you have read and the events of the present are related to angels.

Categories of angels

As far as the angelic conflict is concerned, angels exist in two categories: the elect and the unsaved angels. The elect angels, which were always sinless, even be-

fore man was created, are generally designated in Scripture by one of two names: “holy” (Mark 8:38), and “elect” (1 Tim. 5:21). The fallen or unsaved angels

are divided into two groups: the imprisoned angels, those “which kept not their first estate” (Jude 6), and the operative fallen angels, generally called “demons”

(Mark 5; 1 Cor. 10:20,21; 1 Tim. 4:1, etc.). The imprisoned angels were involved in the great revolution and infiltration of the human race of Genesis 6. They are locked up in Tartarus (2 Pet. 2:4) until a point of time indicated in the Revelation.

These two categories did not always exist. Prior to history, there was a conflict in heaven among the angels and a division ensued. Angels were originally in a state of innocence, just as man was; then, when Satan fell by exercising negative volition toward God and toward grace, a great portion of the angelic structure chose to go along with him. “And his tail drew the third part of the stars (angels) of heaven, and did cast them to the earth . . )1 (Rev. 12:4). The angels which followed Satan had the opportunity to reverse their decision, and over a period of possibly a million years refused to do so. Therefore, in prehistory we actually have a court held at the end of the period of consolidation.

A trial was inevitable because of the essence of God. God is. sovereign and dominates creatures; He is perfect righteousness and cannot tolerate anything less than that; He is justice; and righteousness plus justice demands that at certain times in the history of creatures a trial be conducted. So the trial was first of all based upon God’s righteousness and justice.

God is also eternal life, and He provides eternal life for any creature who, from his own free will, goes the grace way. Hebrews 2:2 indicates that angels had a choice of whatever means of salvation existed for them. All these creatures had this choice in common with us. Angels have souls, which include their volition; they have perceptive ability which is greater than ours; they have some form of conscience, which is brought out by the third chapter of Genesis. They also have self-consciousness (awareness of their own existence), and they have emotion. The fallen angels have some type of old sin nature, which distinguishes them from the elect angels.

However long it took, the trial was fair in every sense of the word. God is omniscient He knows all the facts; He is omnipresent He was an observer;

He is omnipotent He has the power to execute justice; He is immutable God is incorruptible as a Judge; and He is truth (veracity). Satan was a liar from the beginning (John 8:44), and those angels who went against God and followed Satan followed a lie.

At the end of the trial, Satan and all the fallen angels were sentenced to the lake of fire (Matt. 25:41). In this pre-period of history, the period of angelic creation only, a sentence was passed, but not executed. All during human history, the sentence is suspended. After the end of man’s history (the end of the Millennium with the destruction of the world and the universe), the sentence will be carried out.

Now, we can immediately infer something from this: if the sentence is pronounced before man was created but not carried out until after man’s history is concluded, then man was created by God to resolve something that happened at the end of that trial. The words “diabolos’’ and “Shatan’’ both tell us what happened because “Satan’’ and “Devil” are not names for the super angel but titles. His name is Lucifer, Son of the Morning (Si. 14:12). “Satan” and “Devil” means “adversary,” “accuser” or “attorney’’ — someone who goes to court and appeals. Satan appealed the case. So, by putting together certain evidences which occur throughout Scripture, we can begin to see why man was created.

It is true that man was also created for the glory of God; but that doesn’t explain many other questions, such as, why sin? why suffering? why free will? why establishment? The fact that we are here to glorify God is a generality. When we discover that by nature we don’t or can’t glorify God, we must dig a little deeper

for a more detailed explanation. Under the grace plan, God can be glorified; but there is only one thing that really answers all the why’s, and that’s the angelic

conflict. It’s important for us to understand the angelic conflict because our existence on the earth after salvation is directly related to it. So are the doctrines, the

promises, the commands and the provisions of Scripture.

Satan’s objection

The greatest attacks Satan has made against God were made before man came into the picture. Satan is a super genius; he is smarter than any created being who ever lived! Before anyone existed on this earth, he had his back to the wall with a divine judgment upon himself and millions of angelic creatures who followed him. Obviously, Satan would not like the judgment, and in seeking to do something about it, made a very strong objection an objection that was, in effect, an appeal which demanded a new trial, a new case. Based upon a knowledge and understanding of Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20, his objection can be deduced very simply: “How can a loving God cast His creatures (fallen angels in this case) into the lake of fire?” The answer is interesting to us, because as human beings, we have become involved in the same objection from every mamby-pamby, maudlin, addle-brained type of individual! This, of course, originates from Satan himself, and the answer has to do with man’s free will and God’s grace.

Angelic free will had an opportunity under grace and rejected it. Therefore, while the fallen angels were saying, “Not fair!” God created man in order to demonstrate to them that His position in grace was valid, that love can only express itself through grace, and that God cannot change His character to accommodate any creature, whether angel or human being. God’s perfect character included love for the angels; but God cannot love in a way that is inconsistent with His other characteristics. When Satan went negative and said, “I will be like the most High” (Isa. 14:13,14), God had to make a decision, one that was compatible with His righteousness and justice, as well as with His love. So God created man to show Satan how a loving God can SAVE a creature and maintain His righteousness. Since Satan had implied that God would lose His righteousness if even one of the fallen angels goes to the lake of fire, Satan concluded that God was no longer God, but that he (Satan) was.

The great underlying issue in history is always the character of God, of which love and righteousness are a part. When you understand reconciliation and propitiation, you can see that God has done some of the most astounding things and yet never lost or compromised one bit of His character. In other words, the Devil was “ACED” BY GRACE! There is no way the Devil can win! He couldn’t change God, and you can’t change God, nor can any other human being. In fact, our security is in the fact that He cannot change. That’s why we have the assurance, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). (Yesterday” — the angelic conflict; “today” — human history and the extension of the angelic conflict; “forever” — eternity. The big issue in the angelic conflict is God’s character! In all of history, we have certain creatures going for Satan in prehistory, the angels; in history — man. Only God remains intact

The pattern of angelic rejection

The pattern of angelic rejection has to do with the angels’ free will. We know that angels had free will because Satan, who is the ruler of fallen angels, went negative toward God. The first sin of any creature was one of negative volition, when Satan said to himself five times “I WILL” (Is. 14:12-14). This tells us a great deal, because the negative volition of man Adam and the woman and the negative volition of Satan all add up to a parallel situation. It also adds up to another principle, that God created man to resolve the angelic conflict and to overrule the objection of Satan.

In Hebrews 2:2, we have the angelic rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ “… the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward (swift justice).’’ This Scripture relates man’s salvation to angelic salvation, and mankind and angels are both involved in the same principle of negative volition. We do not know the mechanics of the grace salvation for angels; but, since Satan had sinned, every angel had had his opportunity to make a decision for or against Christ before man was even created.

Resolving the angelic conflict

To resolve the angelic conflict, a creature inferior to angels was created and placed on one planet (Psa. 8:5; Heb. 2:7). Now you have to understand something about angels: they were created with the ability to travel throughout the universe with all of its galaxies. Generally their abode was in the second heaven, and they had access to the third heaven for angelic convocations (Job 1:6). Certain angels, such as Lucifer, lived in the third heaven (Ezek. 28:13-15). But when the angelic fall occurred in the third heaven, and after the revolt that took a third of the angels with him, he established headquarters on a very tiny planet which we call “earth.”

Apparently, the earth was a very beautiful place at that time (Gen. 1:1), and he liked it. He had one fantastic time here and finally got our planet in such a mess that God destroyed it (Gen. 1:2; Jer. 4:23-26). Under Satan, the earth had become what the original language describes as ‘’tohu wa-bohu,” which means that it was desolate, unsightly, ruined. So the Lord said, “I am going to cut Satan off from his headquarters here.” He covered the whole earth, which was now no more than a garbage dump, with an ice pack (as indicated in the Hebrew). It stayed that way for an unknown period of time, during which time the fallen angels had their trial and were sentenced. The earth had been in existence for perhaps billions of years; its antiquity is unknown and even carbon dating cannot help us. But when Satan made his objection, God (the Holy Spirit) removed the ice pack and set about reestablishing the earth and putting it in order. In six days (literal days), God reestablished the earth and made it habitable for a new creature — man. To put it briefly: in order to resolve the angelic conflict, an inferior creature (man) was placed on one planet (the earth), possessing one thing which the angels had — free will or volition (Psa. 8:3-5; Heb. 2:7). Chapters 1 and 2 of the Book of Hebrews actually give us the whole story.

Volition tested

Now, since God does not desire to coerce love and obedience from His creatures, man’ volition must also be tested. Human volition on the earth was tested in the same manner as angelic volition. As a matter of fact, there were four parallelisms involved: (1) both angels and mankind began in status quo innocence. (2) Both angels and mankind went negative and sinned (Si. 14; Gen. 3). (3) God had to provide for this contingency, which He had anticipated. Therefore, for the angels He provided a salvation which is unknown to us at this time. For mankind He provided a salvation which is known to us the cross. (4) For this reason both angels and men are divided into two categories elect and fallen angels, and saved and unsaved mankind (Heb. 2:2; John 3:36). The two categories of mankind can be very simply stated: positive volition is believing in Jesus Christ; negative volition is rejection of Christ, which is always preceded by negative volition at the point of God-consciousness.

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened (Rom. 1:21).

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him

(John 3:36).

The Test Under Perfect Environments There were two tests instituted for man’s volition: Adam had two, and since then, all mankind has two. First, in innocence and under perfect environment, Adam’s negative volition was tested with a tree. There was just one tree that was forbidden (Gen. 2:17). The only way he could sin was to go negative and partake of the fruit of that one tree, and this he did. Genesis 2:17 also describes the penalty for sin in connection with that tree: “...for in the day that thou eatest thereof, dying thou shalt surely die” (literally from the Hebrew). The word “dying” refers to spiritual death (separation from God in time); “thou shalt surely die” refers to physical death.

Adam did not die physically the moment he sinned. He died SPIRITUALLY! He was cut off or separated from God. He did not die physically until he was 930 years old (Gen. 5:5). Therefore, “the wages of sin” obviously is not physical death (as is taught in just about every Bible school in the United States). The wages of sin is spiritual death (Rom. 6:23).

The Test Under Sinfulness. Secondly, Adam’s positive volition was tested under sinfulness, and this too involves a tree the cross. After he had sinned and had become separated from God, salvation was promised to him and to the human race (Gen. 3:15).

And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed (Christ); it (He) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (the cross).

Salvation would be provided through the virgin birth of Christ (Gal. 4:4,5). All Adam had to do to become spiritually alive again was to exercise positive volition (faith) toward the Lord Jesus Christ, who would provide salvation in toto. The moment Adam sinned, he died spiritually. We are BORN spiritually dead (separated from God), though physically alive. However, we too can become spiritually alive by the exercise of positive volition (faith) toward the work (spiritual death”) of Christ on the cross. The two tests of mankind’s volition under sinfulness (after the fall of Adam, man can only be tested under sinfulness) occur (1) at the moment he becomes aware of or conscious of God and (2) at the moment he hears the gospel. Man’s faith in Christ, which is a non-meritorious expression of positive volition toward the cross, resolves the initial phase of the angelic conflict (Col. 2:14,15; Heb. 1:4-14; 2).

Angelic observation

When you accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, the elect angels rejoiced while Satan’s crowd groaned. Why? Because you responded to grace from your own free will.

The issue in angelic observation is, will man, who is inferior to angels but equipped with the same free will, choose for or against the plan of God? Will man respond to grace or reject it? The angels can understand why they are condemned when they observe human beings on the earth placing their trust in Jesus Christ, thus demonstrating that the free will of man does not necessarily choose against God, as Satan and the fallen angels did in eternity past. This explains the rejoicing of elect angels over the sinner who repents (changes his mind about Christ — Luke 15:7,10).

There are many passages in the Bible that teach that angels are observing man. First of all, angels observed the Lord Jesus Christ in His humanity just prior

to the Church Age (Matt. 4:11; 28:2; Luke 2:13; Acts 1:10; 1 Tim. 3:16). Angels observe believers in Phase Two (1 Cor. 4:9; 6:3; 11:10; Eph. 3:10; 1 Tim. 5:21; 1 Pet. 1:12). Fallen angels are organized under Satan’s command to resist and oppose believers. They must observe believers in order to do this (Job 1:6:2:1-3; Eph. 6:12).

Angelic observation and participation in this spiritual conflict constitute a major reason for putting the emphasis of the Christian life on knowing doctrine not simply DOING something. We tend to get off into minor concepts and to think in terms of doing something such as praying, witnessing, giving or certain other activities of the Christian life. These are legitimate and bona fide functions; but because of the angelic conflict and the necessity of orienting to the grace of God and knowing His will, the great emphasis is on knowing doctrine. For the believer-priest, doctrine is the equipment that makes witnessing, praying, giving, etc., effective. It is only through knowing doctrine that you are able to enjoy these activities.

Results of the angelic conflict

Phase One. There are three phases to the plan of God for believers: Phase One, salvation; Phase Two, the believer in time; Phase Three, the believer in eternity. The result in Phase One is salvation. At the moment he is saved, the believer enters Phase Two and is positionally higher than angels (Heb. 2:7). This is the first victory of the angelic conflict. How does God accomplish this and why does He do it for believers in the Church Age only? When we accept Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit enters us into union with Christ (baptism of the Spirit). So, since the humanity of Christ is now seated at the right hand of the Father and has been made higher than angels, and since we are in union with Him, we too are made higher than angels positionally. This was never the case before because the intensified state of the angelic conflict did not exist prior to the Church Age.

Phase Two. There is also victory in Phase Two for the believer who operates under GAP and builds an edification complex of the soul. Such victory comes from suffering, for it is through suffering that the believer utilizes God’s grace and develops the faith-rest technique to the point of occupation with Christ (Rom. 5:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:7,8).

Phase Three. In Phase Three, which begins with the Rapture of the Church, every believer will receive a resurrection body exactly like that of Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:21). Through the possession of this resurrection body, believers will be experientially and physically superior to angelic creatures.

Freedom From Satanic Control. Through the fall of man, Satan gained control of the earth. Satan is spoken of in Scripture as the ruler and the god of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2). However, he did not necessarily gain control of man on the earth.

Man’s volition makes him a free agent in the Devil’s world, and he can choose between the plan of God and the plan of Satan. Salvation through faith in Christ frees man from Satanic control and domination.

After salvation, the great thrust is knowledge of doctrine, acquired by means of GAP. The more doctrine the believer has in his human spirit and the more doctrine he has in the right lobe of his mentality, the more freedom he possesses in operating independently of Satan. One of the great issues in the Christian life is divine guidance, and the whole basis for knowing the will of God on any particular point, or in general, is Bible doctrine in the right lobe. Remember, doctrine in the left lobe, the perceptive lobe, does not go straight across to the right lobe as with human knowledge; it must go through the process of cycling to the human spirit by faith and then to the right lobe. It can be hindered because of negative volition toward doctrine, and it can be short- circuited by mental attitude sins. As a category, mental attitude sins represent the greatest enemy of the Christian life.

Now, to sum up the reasons for the angelic conflict, let us see the answers to several basic questions of life.

Questions answered by the angelic conflict

Why Does Man Exist? As we have seen, mankind exists to resolve the angelic conflict. Man approaches the cross with free will and, under God’s plan, has the right to express positive volition by faith in Christ and to enter into God’s plan to be born again. Or, he has the right to exercise negative volition. When a person rejects the righteousness of God, which is imputed through the cross, and rejects the administration of the justice of God in pouring our sins out upon Christ, then God’s righteousness and justice would be compromised if He did not penalize the unbeliever with the lake of fire forever. Therefore, God is just as fair in casting the unbeliever in the lake of fire as He is in providing eternal life for the believer.

Colossians 2:14, 15 and the entire second chapter of Hebrews go even further and put the cross in a new focus. These passages demonstrate how the cross relates to the angelic conflict by showing that the angelic conflict would be resolved and the doom of Satan and the fallen angels would be certain if only one person in the human race should believe in Jesus Christ.

Why Does Sin Exist? Many people, especially idealistic people who tend toward asceticism, have great difficulty with the origin of sin. First of all, sin did not originate with God; it is absolutely incompatible with His character; it is utterly impossible for Him to sin, to cause temptation, or to be the origin of sin in any way. We have direct statements of Scripture to the effect that God is not the author of sin (Jas. 1:13). But even from the standpoint of essence alone, He could not be. Why, then, did God permit sin?

The fact that man had to be given free will in order to resolve the angelic conflict also made it possible for man to sin. Actually, Satan set the pattern. His was the first sin, and it was a voluntary act involving his free will. The fallen angels followed suit by also making decisions of negative volition. Similarly, original sin in the human race, involving first the woman and then the man, stemmed from the exercise of negative volition by each of them.

Had man been created without the freedom to make his own choice (either negative or positive), there would have been no parallel to the case of Satan and the fallen angels, and the angelic conflict would not have been resolved. Angelic sin was judged; the sins of the world were judged. Christ chose of His own free will to go to the cross; He chose to be judged for the sins of the human race. He was qualified to be judged for sin, having no sin of His own (2 Cor. 5:21). So Christ is the issue of salvation, and since He is the issue, we have free will. Our free will can express itself in faith in Christ and we can be saved; or we can reject Christ and spend eternity in the lake of fire.

Why Does Suffering Exist? There are numerous reasons for suffering as far as the angelic conflict is concerned, and we can easily understand that man’s fall and departure from innocence would inevitably lead to all kinds of suffering. Equally obvious is the fact that Satan with all his genius is incapable of handling his own kingdom this world. Suffering exists in this world to the extent that Satan cannot cope with the problems of the human race. He would like to create an ideal environment for humanity in his world, and he has attempted to do so by introducing the concepts of socialism, by declaring all men to be born equal, by trying to provide enough money and a job for everyone, by supplying so-called “social security” for all, etc. In every case his solution has failed. The United Nations (and the League of Nations before it) represents a Satanic effort to create a perfect environment and to eliminate warfare; however, its interference has only led to greater problems, and it will continue to do so. Satan is not “like the most High,” and whatever he has tried by way of panaceas has merely complicated matters and intensified suffering.

While the Church is on the earth, God permits suffering for the purpose of blessing. Through suffering, He demonstrates to you and to me that His grace provision is greater than the suffering itself and that He has provided for every difficult circumstance through Bible doctrine His perfect plan. Now it doesn’t mean that you are going to be blessed just because you are suffering. It all depends on your use of grace. One of the greatest blessings of suffering comes through faith-rest which leads to occupation with Christ. When suffering is caused by discipline, the use of 1 John 1:9 turns the cursing to blessing.

Why Does the Church Exist? Why has the angelic conflict shifted gears? Why do we have a change of Dispensation? First of all, the previous Dispensation, Jewish Age, could not handle the resurrection, the ascension, the priesthood of Christ, nor His glorification and the giving of the Holy Spirit to every believer. Colossians 2:10 is the key to the new Dispensation, the Church.

And we are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.

Since Christ is absent from the earth during this Dispensation, His Body (the Church) continues to represent Him as ambassadors. This Body, of which Christ is the Head, is composed of all regenerate persons of the Church Age. When it is completed, the Body will be removed to heaven by the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:14-18); and once in heaven, the Body will become the Bride of Christ. The Bride will be prepared by receiving a body like Christ’s (1 Cor. 15:51-58; Phil. 3:21; 1 Thess. 4: 16,17; 1 John 3:1,2); the old sin nature will be eradicated (Phil. 3:21); and all human good accumulated in Phase Two will be removed (1 Cor. 3:15). This cleansing and preparing of the Bride results in her return to the earth with Christ at the Second Advent (Col. 2:15; 1 Thess. 3:13; Rev. 19:6-8).

But in the Church Age, the believer is the battleground for the angelic conflict, which is now inner, hidden and subtle. Only in the Tribulation will it come out in the open (Rev. 12). To survive in this conflict, we must have training, which comes through knowledge of Bible doctrine. Therefore, we will study a passage of Scripture which deals with our training and the equipment which God has provided for us to overcome and to move and to be victorious in the angelic conflict.

God’s provision for the angelic conflict: the whole armor of God

In Ephesians 6:11-17, we have a military analogy to teach us the principles of combat in the spiritual realm.

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye maybe able to stand against the wiles of the devil (verse 11).

This verse begins with an aorist middle imperative of the Greek word “enduo.” It means to put on equipment, to equip ourselves for battle. The aorist tense refers to any point of time when the believer functions under GAP. The middle voice indicates two things: (1) our positive volition toward Bible doctrine and (2) the benefits which are derived by the exercise of positive volition toward doctrine. The imperative mood indicates an order. We are commanded to put on “the whole armor,” which is the Greek word “panoplia” — the complete equipment.

There were three kinds of soldiers in the Roman army who had this complete equipment. First of all, the “hastati.” They were the young recruits, analogous

to new believers or spiritual babies. “Hasta” is the Latin word for javelin, which was their chief weapon. The “hastati” were out in the first line of battle. When they

had thrown their javelins, they passed back through the ranks and were not used again in the tactical situation. In the second line of battle were the “principes,” the

young, vigorous and strong soldiers, analogous to the spiritual adolescents. Finally, the “triarii,” who made up the third line of battle, were the most experienced

veterans, analogous to mature believers.

Comparatively, the adolescent believer has enough doctrine (“epignosis”) in his human spirit to be developing a frame of reference in his right lobe and a fairly consistent exhale toward God and production of divine good. The mature believer has a complete edification complex of the soul and is a producer of triple divine good. The new believer is simply starting under GAP. The spiritual moron will never make it. He is a casualty in the angelic conflict. He is the person who operates on emotion, and who gets involved in every emotional activity from the Satanic tongues movement all of the way to some system of social action. Maybe he simply spends his time in little Christian Endeavor-type devotionals, followed by meaningless decisions throwing a fagot on the fire, dedication, rededication, and all of the other things which are substitutes for learning Bible doctrine.

Now the principle is that ALL believers must wear the armor, regardless of their spiritual growth. Certain things are provided just as much for the new believer as for the mature believer; and of course this would refer to such things as the filling of the Spirit, the faith-rest technique, the occupation with Christ principle. The source of these things (the complete equipment) is of God.

“That ye may be able to stand . . , The word for ability is “dunamai” — ability which is the result of GAP and the edification complex, the latter of which is the chief launching pad or weapon in the angelic conflict. The present tense indicates that this ability always belongs to the believer on the basis of the function of GAP. The active voice — every believer must stand on his own doctrine; he must stand in his own armor. Furthermore, your attitude toward doctrine determines your fulfillment of the plan of God, your orientation to grace, the development and the erection of your edification complex. What is the primary purpose of the Christian life? To erect an edification complex and to acquire maximum doctrine in the right lobe.

Once you put on that equipment, you are TO STAND (“histemi”) .It is used here in a technical military sense, and it means to stand fast under combat conditions. You see, in the third and fourth chapters and halfway through the fifth chapter of Ephesians the training period was set forth: every believer has been given a spiritual gift; he has been provided with Bible teaching, a grace apparatus for perception, an edification complex and everything that pertains thereto. When you are trained, when you put on the armor, you are ready for spiritual combat. The active voice means that you have to fulfill your own part on the combat team!

‘’Against the wiles of the devil” is literally “face to face with the strategies of the Devil” — hence, the combat situation. You are to put on the armor of God and you are to have the equipment necessary to face the Devil’s unseen forces in a spiritual combat. Satan has an objective, and it involves strategy which is directed toward every facet of life in the human race believers, unbelievers. divine institutions, etc.

The enemy forces

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 (verse 12).

We must put on the whole armor because of (not “for”) Satanic strategy, because Satan is the ruler of this world, and because we reside in “cosmos diabolicus.” “Wrestle” actually refers to combat. It could be any kind of personal combat, such as boxing or wrestling; but in our context it has a military connotation and refers to our personal combat with the enemy. “Because our combat is not with human beings (flesh and blood); but, in contrast with mankind, our combat is with an unseen enemy, the demon army.” The angelic conflict finds the believer pitted against the army of fallen angels as a part of Phase Two.

Satan’s demon organisation

Now, let us notice something of Satan’s demon table of organization, spoken of in this verse as ‘’principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of the world,

and spiritual wickedness in high places.” First of all, we have “principalities,” which is the Greek word “archon,” one of the words for highest rulers. “Archon”

was first used in Attic Greek in the day of the Athenian democracy. The “archon” was the president or the preeminent decision-maker in Athens the highest ruler.

From the Age of Pericles in the Fifth Century B.C., the word “archon” has gone through many transitions, but it has always retained its exact meaning. It is one of those words that went from the Attic Greek to the Alexandrian Greek to the Koine Greek, all the way down to New Testament times with exactly the same meaning highest ruler. So the Satanic organization has a certain number of five-star generals the exact number unknown. There are probably millions and millions of demons.

We have a secondary group of rulers called “powers.” The Greek word, “exousias” (authorities) is comparable to commissioned officers. So at the top, Satan has an unknown number of “archon,” who are army commanders. Under them he has an unknown number of corps commanders, divisional commanders, brigade commanders, combat team commanders, battalion commanders, company commanders and platoon commanders!

These also have supporting-type organizations. For example, an infantry division will have so many batteries of artillery, and in certain terrains it will

often have attached to it various types of armor; it will have supporting organizations from the quartermaster (supply) and transportation corps. There will be assigned to it a number of engineers with certain responsibilities, along with special weapons-type organizations. So, then, any military organization has many supporting organizations attached to it, and that is exactly what we have in Satan’s table of organization.

The third category is “rulers of darkness of this world.” This is “kosmokrator” — one word in the Greek. “Krator” is ruler and “kosmos” is world; therefore, a worlds ruler not “rulers of darkness.” The word “darkness” comes later in the sentence and is the Greek word “skotos.” The phrase should actually read, “world

rulers of darkness.” What is this organization called “world rulers of darkness”? It is Satan’s elite corps of “rangers” that are used in attacking rulers, national

entities and VIP’s .Each “kosmokrator” is in charge of his own territory.

This elite corps attacks rulers, as in Daniel 10:13. Daniel’s prayer did not receive an answer for three weeks because Gabriel was busy fighting the “ranger) organization of demons, led by the “prince of Persia,’’ Satan’s “kosmokrator” over Persia. In verse 20, another world ruler of darkness is mentioned; this time it is the “prince of Grecia.” This same organization attacks national entities. Any national entity that functions under the Divine Institution of Nationalism and which evangelizes on the inside and sponsors missionary activity on the outside is going to be under attack. Also VIP believers are under attack, as illustrated by the Apostle Paul. In addition, all believers who are in the vicinity of a VIP believer are under attack. That is the history of the attack on Corinth. When Timothy, a VIP believer, went to Corinth, the same thing happened. Before Timothy, it was Apollos. Any time there is great exposure to Bible doctrine, this specialized Satanic organization attacks.

There is a fourth category in Satan’s table of organization mentioned in verse 12 of Ephesians 6. The translation “spiritual wickedness in high places” is wrong, wrong, wrong! The literal translation is “spirits of evil in the heavenlies,” and this actually refers to the rank and .file of demons, which perform numerous functions. Some of these demons indwell people unbelievers only to induce sickness. When Satan calls out the demons, the unbeliever is miraculously healed in order to promote some person as a healer. Then there are those who control the vocal cords, such as the “eggastromuthos’’ (ventriloquist) demons; and their control

of the vocal cords of an unbeliever involves a simulation of “tongues” in order to attract people in that direction.

There are demons who perform certain extranatural activities for Satan, such as those recorded in 2 Thessalonians 2. Although no believer can be demon possessed, demons can cause pressure situations to develop. Then, too, there are certain members of the human race, who, under demon possession, are very brilliant and are able to make predictions in order to gather followers and to point people in a given direction usually toward religion, social action, or some form of human good. There are demons designated to encourage sin, though sin is not the great objective in the Satanic system. The old sin nature actually takes care of the basic sin concept. The world (cosmos diabolicus), the flesh (sin nature) and the Devil are involved in temptation, but all sin the human race originates from the old sin nature.

The armor

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (verse 13).

“Wherefore” — because of the angelic conflict, because of Satan’s strategies, because of the divine reconnaissance (location and organization of the enemy) and the information found in the first part of our passage we are given a command: “Take.” This word (“analambano”) means “to take, to receive or to seize,” and to do it over and over again. You don’t put on the uniform or battle equipment once you put it on again and again and again. This is a reference to Bible doctrine, with emphasis on the function of GAP the daily, repeated intake of doctrine. Nothing short of this will build up stability in that right lobe for the time of crisis.

Analogy to the Roman Soldier. Verses 14 through 17 analyze the items of our equipment. You will never look at any combat soldier without noticing that he has belts and buckles and pockets and various pieces of equipment, each of which has a very definite purpose. At the time of the writing of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul was under house arrest and had a member of the Praetorian Guard with him at all times. Now, a Praetorian was not an ordinary infantryman; he was in training to become an officer, and the Praetorian camp was as close as we can come to West Point, Sandhurst or Saint-Cyr. It was a military academy, and the men who guarded the Apostle Paul would one day be officers in the Roman Army. And so, as Paul was writing this particular chapter, he could look up and observe the various articles of equipment of the Roman soldier who was in attendance.

The Belt of Truth. “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness’ (verse 14). Although the word “stand” in itself is the ordinary word for standing under almost any condition, in this instance, with the military uniform involved, it means to stand in ranks, to be in the proper place in a combat situation. The aorist tense means that it is to be done in a point of time; the active voice indicates that volition is involved in obedience to a command; and the imperative mood strengthens the fact that there must be obedience to the command.

Since there are a series of aorist participles occurring in the verses that follow, it is necessary to stop here and recognize the principle governing them: the action of the aorist participle precedes the action of the main verb. From this structure, we will see that the items of equipment represent training and preparation so that we may be able to stand fast in the battle situation. The main verb “to stand” (“histemi”) is given right at the beginning of verse 14, and it has reference to the actual combat situation. Everything else is preparation for it. Each one of us, as a believer, is in combat; we are in the unseen angelic conflict. In addition to that, we are in full-time Christian service, and we are faced with adverse circumstances in the Devil’s world and with various needs in our lives. Each item we are going to examine represents preparation and training for our combat, which will continue as long as we live on this earth.

The Greek word for “girt about” is “perizonnumi,” and it is an aorist middle participle, “Peri” means “around” and “zonnumi” means “to put”; that is, to

put around the waist. The Roman soldiers wore a very wide belt, which was actually the foundation piece for all their military equipment. At one place on it there

was a loop for the “machaira” (sword) scabbard; at another point there was a loop from which a couple of ropes dangled, together with a sack for rations. Items

of equipment were attached all the way around this belt, which was designed in a manner to insure that it would remain firmly in place at all times and so that the

equipment would be easily accessible when needed. No Roman soldier ever fought without his belt, for it carried all of his equipment.

This military belt is said to be “truth,” but the Greek word, “aletheia,” does not mean truth as such. It is a technical word, which has the connotation of Bible doctrine not in its simple presentation but in its categories. The belt of truth, then, is a reference to the whole principle of GAP. This is the basis for learning

Bible doctrine or putting on the “belt of truth.”

The Breastplate of Righteousness. Verse 14 goes on to say, “and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” The Greek word for “having on” is “enduo,” meaning to “put it on.” It is an aorist middle participle to indicate that over a period of time, if you are consistent in Bible study, you gradually will build up an

accumulation of Bible doctrine in the human spirit, which in turn will lead to the erection of the edification complex of the soul. Without this edification complex or doctrinal structure in the soul, there is no maturity and, basically, no happiness in the Christian life.

“Thorax’” is the Greek word for “breastplate.” This piece of armor is a very interesting article. Most of the ancient peoples wore breastplates, which were made up of many layers of cloth or linen. Some were made by attaching bits of horn or hoof to a heavy cloth foundation. Later, they were made of bronze and even

of iron. The Roman breastplate was made of metal and protected the upper part of the body the vital spots. In order to keep it in place, little rings were affixed to

the lower edge, and it was secured to the belt by means of thongs which were drawn through the rings. Putting on the breastplate took some time. In our passage, this breastplate is analogous to the edification complex. We put on the belt (GAP) first, then the breastplate (edification complex). We do not become mature believers overnight. It takes time to develop an edification complex in the soul. Pressure and suffering accelerate the building of an edification complex.

The Roman soldiers did not wear any protection on their arms. Being very offensive-minded, they liked to have their arms free. The hauberk, which was a chain mail covering for the body and arms, came into use during the Middle Ages and indicated the defensive-mindedness of that period. But the Romans had the idea of aggressiveness and wanted freedom to move. And this is exactly what we have in our passage. The breastplate of righteousness gives you freedom for production and action. It is not the actual production, but, rather, the FREEDOM to produce.

The Feet Shod. ‘’And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace’’ (verse 15) It is inevitable that the Apostle Paul, in describing the great spiritual warfare — the intensity of the angelic conflict — should eventually come to the feet. The infantryman moves into battle on foot. Weapons may change, but

warfare demands the presence of the infantry. The success of the army Depends upon the feet of the army.

The Roman soldier wore a very heavy-soled leather sandal, the soles of which were studded with cleats to give the soldier firm footing. This sandal was called a “caligula”; and since they were issued in pairs, the pair was referred to as “caligulae.” These were the Romans’ “GI” shoes, and they were worn only by the

infantry. The aorist tense of “shod” indicates a constant series of learning certain types of doctrinal information so that when we arrive at any particular battlefield we

are ready to use that information. This is our preparation, this is our readiness: having our feet shod by means of the readiness of the gospel of peace (reconciliation Eph. 2:7-19).

I want you to notice that every believer, not just some believers, is commanded to put on these GI shoes. So the first thing we learn from having on GI shoes is the fact that every believer is in full-time Christian service, of which witnessing is apart. Therefore, it is imperative that every believer be shod and ready for action at any time. As we move through life, it is our responsibility to be, as it were, on our feet and ready to meet situations which demand that we witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The word for “preparation” (“etoimasia”) means full preparedness. Now, there is one thing the infantryman does he marches somewhere, often many miles.

Preparation is being able or fully prepared to move on your feet over a long period of time so that you can arrive at some point where you can use your weapons effectively and work in conjunction with others. One of the worst things in the world would be to march miles and miles to the battlefield and then step into battle without shoes! You must arrive with the ability to fight ready to go into action, ready to use your weapons. You must be well organized. Readiness means that you can march for many miles to the battlefield and be ready to go into action, to be a part of your organization, and to be ready to function with them as a team.

Our full preparedness is here said to be with “the gospel of peace.” “The gospel” refers to a specific type of Bible doctrine. The Greek word is “euaggelion.” “Eu” means “good”; “aggelion” — “announcement.” This is generally translated “good new .’’ We have some good news, but it cannot be communicated unless it is understood. Evangelism does not belong solely to the pastor behind the pulpit. EVERY BELIEVER must be ready at ALL TIMES to communicate this good news.

Through the principle of GAP, you must know certain doctrines, you must have correct information about the gospel. You must know your subject, and the objective is to communicate the information accurately and clearly so that the hearer can make a decision.

There was one thing about the Roman soldier with the caligulae on his feet: he was flexible to move! How you communicate the information is going to depend upon your vocabulary, your personality, your ability to estimate a situation, your relaxed mental attitude. The real key, after you have assimilated a certain amount of Bible doctrine, is your flexibility. You must never get the idea, even when someone responds to your communication of the gospel, that there is only one way to do it. You will probably never handle any two situations in exactly the same way. There are many approaches, but stay flexible!

The Shield of Faith. ‘’Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (verse 16). “Above all” means “in addition to.” It does not mean that the next item is greater, but in the Greek this is “en pasin,” which means in addition to the items previously listed: the belt, which represents the principle of GAP; the breastplate of righteousness, which refers to the edification complex of the soul; and the feet shod with the preparation for declaring the gospel, which of course has reference to witnessing.

“Taking the shield of faith ....” “Taking” means to “pick up” — in this case, to pick up something lying on the ground, just as a Roman soldier would pick up his shield when he fell in for his formation and for action. Since the action of the aorist participle precedes the action of the main verb, “stand” (and “stand” means to be in battle array, ready to go into action), it indicates that before you can go into action you must have the shield. The shield (“thureos”) was a large shield carried by the Romans to protect the entire body. “Faith” refers to a principle which I call the “Faith-Rest Technique.” It consists of (1) acquiring a knowledge of the promises of God through the utilization of GAP and (2) appropriating these promises and provisions by faith.

There are five ways to fulfill the command to pick up the shield of faith: (1) By the daily function of GAP. You need your shield every day (Rom. 10:17). (2) By the exhale of doctrine claiming the promises (Heb. 4:1,3). (3) By the filling of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). (4) By picking up the shield in combat (1 Pet. 1:7,8). (5) By occupation with Christ, which principle is actually an extension of the Faith-Rest Technique (1 Pet. 1:8 compared with Heb. 12:2).

“Wherewith” (literally, “with which shield”) ye shall be able . . .” “Able” (“dunami”) is a word for ability or power; but the future tense anticipates the battle and indicates that there is a training period before the use of the shield. And that is exactly the way it is in the Christian life. You begin through the function of GAP by learning some promises and then you learn some doctrines; and that is the training period.

“ .. . with which ye shall be able to quench (or extinguish) the fiery darts of the wicked one).” This latter phrase is literally, “missiles which have been set on fire.” The missile itself was called “bele” or “belos,” which is taken from “ballo,” meaning a projectile. The word “fire” is a perfect passive participle of “puroo,” which means “having been set on fire” And so we have missiles which have been set on fire. This type of fire arrow was a very ancient weapon. The Persians used it in their invasion of Greece in the days of Xerxes, and it is said to have existed long before then. Herodotus, Thucydides and Livy all make mention of this weapon. “Of the wicked” (“ho poneros”) is literally “Of the wicked one,” and refers to a specific person, i.e., Satan.

In line with Paul’s analogy taken from ancient warfare, the principle involved here calls for the use of a shield to meet all of the pressures, all of the problems of life and the organized opposition of Satan in whatever form it comes. Further, a shield was used in a flexible manner. The Romans had a whole manual of arms for the shield, and they were flexible and reacted differently to meet each situation.

Throughout the whole realm of the Christian life, there is the principle of claiming doctrine and promises, the principle of flexibility in handling difficulties and problems of all kinds, all of which makes faith-rest the basic precept the shield that quenches the missiles which have been set on fire by “the wicked one.”

Thus, God has made provision for your protection from these “fiery darts” which Satan projects toward you from all sides and all directions.

The Helmet of Salvation, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (verse 17). The word “take” is an aorist active imperative from the verb “dechomai.” In this verse, it means “to receive,” and to receive gladly or to receive with happiness. The aorist tense is the point of time when the individual goes into combat. The active voice: each individual makes the decision for himself. And the imperative mood gives the individual believer the opportunity of utilizing the helmet of salvation. Literally, then, “receive the helmet which is salvation.”

The helmet is something which is placed on the head for protection. Now the human soul resides inside the head. It is the soul which is said to be saved at the point of salvation (Psa. 19:7; Mark 8:36; Heb. 10:39), and therefore it is apropos that the Roman helmet should be used to illustrate the principle of salvation. You are never in the plan of God until you have personally accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. Since this passage is addressed to the believer, the helmet of salvation specifically refers to knowing the doctrines pertaining to salvation, and thus having the assurance of salvation and eternal security.

The Roman helmet or casque was by far the best in the ancient world and was the only one that was absolutely foolproof. It was composed of four parts.

(1) It had a very excellent liner, which was made of skin. This skin lining emphasizes the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The first reference to skin in connection with salvation is found in Genesis 3:21, where the Lord made Adam and Eve coats of skin. Since skin is obtained by the shedding of blood, this lining reminds us that when we are cleansed by the blood of Christ (that is, the spiritual death of Christ), we receive the imputed righteousness of God.

(2) Generally, the helmet proper was made of bronze, which is tough and durable and able to withstand anything that hits it. This emphasizes the permanence of the plan of God in Phase One.

(3) The helmet of the Praetorian who was guarding Paul would have had a gold crest; and this emphasizes the unique Person of the Godhead who is our Savior Jesus Christ, the God-Man. Thus it refers to the doctrine of the hypostatic union.

(4) The chin strap gave the helmet stability in battle and kept it on. This of course would refer to the principle of eternal security. Once you have believed in Jesus Christ, you cannot lose your salvation (John 10:28).

The Sword of the Spirit. Up to this point Paul has referred to items of equipment which are defensive in nature. In the latter part of verse 17, he directs attention to the only offensive equipment mentioned — “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The Greek word for “sword” here is “machaira.” This was a Roman invention and was probably one of the most unusual and ingenious inventions of ancient warfare. Unlike the lengthy, two-handed broadsword, which was used by the Gauls and the barbarians, the machaira was only

about eighteen inches long; but it was sharp on both edges and had a sharp point. It was a very maneuverable weapon, and all parts of it could be used. Its outstanding advantage was that the soldier was never off balance while using it.

The Greek word for “Spirit” here is “pneuma.” It refers to God the Holy Spirit, and it is in the genitive case that is, genitive of source so that literally we have “the sword from the Spirit.” God the Holy Spirit is the source of this sword, which is the “word of God.” The word used here is “rhema,” which means “the saying or the category or the concept.” It is a word for doctrine, and it connotes specific doctrine, presented exegetically or categorically; it can also mean “mandate.” And “of God” is again the genitive of source. Thus, we have “the sword from the Holy Spirit, which is the doctrine from the source of God.” This is our offensive weapon.

So from a brief study of this passage, we can see clearly that, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, our lives have meaning and purpose and definition; further, we are personally involved in this great conflict. It is also clear that God has graciously made every provision for the believer in the present Church Age the Age of the intensification of the angelic conflict. He has provided the grace apparatus for perception in order that you might comprehend His Word and know what His will is for your life. There is no limitation to the things that can be understood; nothing is hidden; everything is to be comprehended! He has made it possible for you to erect an edification complex in your soul in order that you might be equipped to do His will. And, by these provisions, He has made it possible for you to meet the challenge of the intensified angelic conflict with stability, confidence and complete inner happiness.

Thus, it is by virtue of man’s faith that the angelic conflict is resolved. Angels observe man’s positive volition as he first receives salvation through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then as he demonstrates the adequacy of God’s provision through daily study and appropriation of the contents of God’s Word.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen (Eph. 3:20,21).