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I'm still trying to catch up on my feeds (400+ behind) since we've been back visiting family, but I'm trying to get caught up and point you to some interesting places.
Like this one: JollyBlogger has an interesting and thoughtful post on "Ten Things I Think About the Spirit World and Spiritual Warfare." Here's a brief overview of his main points:1. I think I think that creation was a two stage process. We know all about the creation in Genesis, but passages like Job 38:4-7 talk about morning stars singing and angels shouting for joy at the time of the creation, which suggests that they were created first.....Good stuff to chew on and test with Scripture. Read his entire post here.
2. I think I think that the spiritual or heavenly realm is far more diverse and interesting than we realize....And, heaven is filled with the presence of God, but it also inhabited by different kinds of spiritual beings. The souls of departed believers are there. Seraphim are there, worshiping God day and night. Angels are there....
3. I think I think that the distinction between the heavenly realm and the spiritual realm looks different to us than it does to God. What I mean is that the spiritual realm is invisible to us but not to God....
4. I think I think that the wall I spoke of in point #3 deals more with our vision than with actual separation of the two realms. In other words, the sense in which there is a wall between the heavenly and the earthly is the sense in which we of the earth can't see what is happening in the spiritual realm. But that doesn't mean that the spiritual and earthly don't interact - in fact they do....
5. Thus, those people who think there is a demon behind every bush are right - there is indeed a demon behind every bush.
6. But if there is a demon behind every bush, there is more behind the bush than just the demon....
7. Thus, I think I think that if you are a Christian, Satan and his demons have more reason to fear you than you have to fear them....
8. Because I think I think that spiritual beings can manipulate matter I therefore think I think that some of the more spooky stuff you hear about and read about regarding demon possession and the paranormal is true....
9. I think I think that though the spiritual realm is real and interacts with us far more intimately than we realize we are not to try to peer into the unseen realm....
10. I think I think that just as the activities of spiritual beings influence events on earth, so the activities of earthly beings influence events in the spiritual realm.
How often does the spirit realm come up in your day-to-day thinking? Over the past couple years during my time with Peru Mission, we've had some great discussions about this. Generally, I think that much of Reformed Theology doesn't have a category for the demonic realm. What I mean is that everything--meaning all sin and evil in this world--is ultimately traced to man, and in particular, to man's total depravity and nothing else practically speaking. IOW, if the demonic realm were taken out of our theology, not much would be affected.
I'm grateful for the godly men that I had the privilege of serving alongside of in Peru Mission, and for their stimulating conversations. I think I heard my friend, Wes, preach on the Devil more times in the last two years than in all my Christian life put together. And of course, I especially loved Wes' emphasis on putting fear in the devil by singing the war psalms of the Prince of Peace.
1 comment:
I agree that we give the spiritual realm short shrift most often than not. Of course, it can be taken too far, a la 'Touched By an Angel' but it is real.
In Job we are told that Satan WALKED THE EARTh. And, of course, there is the description of the spiritual warfare that is occuring all around us in Daniel 10:12-14.
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