And our role in it.

There is a war that has been happening for thousands of years, since the dawn of man, that is completely ignored or forgotten by the majority of people. Every single human that has existed has been a part of this war, whether they know it or not. This war is invisible, almost intangible, but it affects every part of the world as we know it. 

This is the war between Heaven and Hell. Good and evil. Light and darkness. A Spiritual War.

This war affects the world we inhabit. We see it in the corruption of leaders, in the injustice, discrimination, and terror perpetuated by individuals and nations. It’s the reason why children die, and why war itself exists. The physical world is a stage on which the spiritual world is superimposed. Things that happen there are played out here. Victories and defeats.

The world cannot be healed until the war is over.

The Phases of War

As it plays out, we can see that it is much like other wars, even if it doesn’t fully take place on the physical plane. There is a middle and an almost-not-yet stage. A turning point and one day, a conclusion. But where did it start?

Preparation

Before a war can even begin, there has to be a defection or tension, like between the North and South United States before the Civil War. There has to be something that’s “not right” enough to even spark the idea of war.

This “not right” started in the heart of an angel. The most beautiful angel, second only to God. And in his desire to be higher than God, he caused one of the most catastrophic messes in heaven and on earth. A mess that resulted in a third of the angels falling from Heaven, and this angel, Lucifer, to fall like lightning from the sky.

The preparation had begun.

Initiation

Normally, a war is initiated when something of great significance changes, like when an army invades, or when a new policy is enacted, the way this war started was much quieter, at least from the human perspective. This war started in a garden, a perfect garden. The turning point was a piece of fruit, and a sly voice whispering, “You will be like God.” They already were.

Eve was deceived. Adam was complacent. And Lucifer, the Satan, tipped the scale. We have been at war ever since.

But even in the darkness, as the first humans were removed from the garden so they could not live in their sin forever, God promised a victor, whose heel would be bitten by the snake, but who would crush the snake’s head. A wounded savior.

Until that person returned, however, the full effects of war would take hold of the world. Starvation, injustice, unrest, fear– now a part of the human experience. The change had come. Death, the ultimate enemy of God, was now a reality.

Turning Point

In one way the Spiritual War isn’t like any other. There are two endings to it, and in some ways, it ended before it really began. Usually, wars end much like they begin, with a decisive action that changes everything, like a treaty or defeat followed by smaller messy conflicts and then–peace. 

However, the Spiritual War was not won by the enemy being killed, but by the victor. This victor is Jesus Christ. His victory seemed like a defeat. He died, but His victory was His resurrection. The war started with death and sin and it ended with them being defeated in one moment. 

And then Jesus gave us our orders. “I’ve saved you. The powers behind the war cannot permanently kill you’re soul anymore. Now go and show others how you got out. Show them to me. I saved you from the battle, now it’s time to go back and get others out.”

Conflict

Right now we are in the conflict. And just like any soldier we have jobs-

Gather intelligence. In The Art of War Sun Tzu said “Know the enemy and know yourself in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.” We have the playbook. We know how it ends. But that doesn’t excuse us from being aware of Satan’s tricks and our own shortcomings.

Ignorance might be bliss but knowledge, especially spiritual knowledge, is power. It is the only way we can do any of the other steps. We need to start with knowledge so that we can gain God’s protection.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” – Ephesians 6:10-18

Defend the strongholds. Our churches are the first line of defense between the powers of the dark world and the people of God. C. S. Lewis said, “Church is a war room where we make plans for the next offensive. It is serious business and no wonder that our Enemy wants to keep us and others away.” Satan is always looking for ways to pull us from our support. Our church communities are like troops, we have to trust each other, plan, and work together.

Protect Our Fellow-Soldiers. “I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery, I may never fly o’er the enemy, but I’m in the Lord’s Army!” If you grew up in church you probably have heard this familiar song. The second we become Christians, the true fight for our souls starts. We become soldiers for Christ and begin to experience demonic resistance that we never had before. Now we’re a threat to Satan and the dark forces of the world.

Just like in our defense of the strongholds of the Church, we need to protect our fellow soldiers, the ones who make up the church. Encouragement, instruction, and community worship are all ways we can uplift each other. Prayer for the people of God is giving your friends spiritual ammo against the devil.

Take ground. Just like how the battle is not fought on physical soil, we are not looking to take a physical place, but souls. The invasion has captured many individuals already, enslaving them to their sin, Satan, and ultimately resulting in death. Through the power of the Spirit, we pull people out of the darkness and into the light. In our weakness, God helps us fight off the darkness that still clings to us. We take ground in our hearts and try to enable others to do the same, all for the Eternal Kingdom of God.

Final Resolution

We know the war is already won, but it is not finished. The first coming of Christ was the turning point and the second will be the final resolution. 

“Revelation reminds us that life for the church is war. It’s a war that Satan has begun in heaven and which he continues upon the earth. His aim is to destroy the church and devour it. He’s a specialist in deception and his malevolence know[s] no bounds. He will stoop to any means to achieve his ends.” – Peter Hastie

Revelation shows us what the end will look like. Until then, we must continue to gain kingdom ground and take people for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Satan will not succeed. The war is not finished, but it has been won.

Thanks for reading. God bless!