War: Spiritual Warfare

In this episode of The Heartbeat of Faith Podcast, we dive deep into the age-old battle between the forces of light and darkness, as vividly depicted in the Scriptures. Join Dr. Andrew Farley as he unwraps the epic saga of "The Beast and the Hero." In this gripping narrative, we witness the relentless rise of the beast, a symbol of evil's might, and the valiant stand of the white rider, a beacon of hope and righteousness. Their cataclysmic clash serves as a poignant reminder of the eternal struggle between good and evil. As Dr. Farley explains, with the conquering Hero of Heaven by our side, no darkness can overcome us.

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As we venture further, we unveil the spiritual realm's intricate dynamics. Satan, often accompanied by his legion of demons, relentlessly seeks to disrupt God's created order and corrupt human culture. With poignancy, we reflect upon the celestial battle as narrated in the Book of Job, where the accuser faces the Almighty. Yet, amidst the darkness, there is light. Angels, God's messengers and agents of divine justice, play a pivotal role in countering the malevolent forces. As we conclude, remember that angels and demons are not the sources of our choices; they merely serve as conduits for our ultimate decisions. With Jesus as our conquering Hero, we face the future with unwavering faith, armed to confront any challenge that comes our way.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Let us pray for our wrestling is not against flesh
and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against
the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians,
chapter six, verse twelve. Dear Lord, to day, I declare

(00:26):
that you alone hold authority over the forces of darkness
at work against me. I will not fear or tremble
at the strategies of Satan, because I know you have
power over them. Greater are you, who live in me
than he who is in the world. Lord, I am
more than a conqueror in you, and the evil one

(00:47):
cannot touch me. Help me to walk confidently in your
victory and fight the good fight ahead. I put on
the full armor of God to day and look to
Jesus Christ as my protection from all that would seek
to destroy me. In the strong name of my Lord
and Savior, I pray, Amen, Thank you for praying with

(01:12):
me today. Now discover the profound intricacies of scripture through
prey dot COM's podcast The Heartbeat of Faith with doctor
Andrew Farley. Stay tuned after this quick word from our
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Speaker 2 (02:30):
Satan is accompanied by demons fallen angels bent on destroying
humanity and God's created order.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
I watched as the beast rose up against the white rider.
He gathered the evil armies of the earth and ran
towards him. The mighty horseman and the beast clashed with
a swoop of his sword. The rider enveloped the armies.
The beast raged against him, but he was not equal
to the Lord of lords.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
With the conquering Hero of Heaven within us, no darkness
can overcome us. Hello, I'm doctor Andrew Farley with today's
episode of the Heartbeat of Faith podcast. Today concludes our
mini series on war wrestling through Biblical conflict and turmoil

(03:23):
by revisiting some of the more violent Biblical stories. By now,
I hope we all understand even better how to relate
to God, ourselves, and each other in a healthy and
grace filled way. Remember, peace is not the absence of conflict,
it's the presence of God's love and justice in the

(03:46):
midst of it. So far, we've looked at humanity's struggle
with God, with each other and within our own lives.
But there's another war waging all around us, a battle
for the souls of men and control of culture. This
spiritual struggle occurs between Heaven's hosts and the enemy's servants.

(04:11):
This struggle is also known as spiritual warfare. Genesis three
introduces us to a fallen angel known as Satan, which
means the adversary. Satan entices Eve to disobey God, creating
a divide in humanity's relationship with God.

Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yet in the garden there was a lurking evil in
the form of a serpent. He was crafty and a
deceitful messenger, determined to lure men away from God's loving presence.
While God spoke life into existence, the serpent spoke death.
His words directed towards Eve. Trying to twist and deceive,

(04:58):
He approached her saying, did God really say you could
not eat from any tree in the garden. Eve replied,
we may eat of the fruit of the trees in
the garden. However, God instructed us not to eat of
the fruit of the tree of good and evil, nor
shall we touch it lest we die. The serpent, knowing

(05:20):
that pride was the path away from God, said, you
will not surely die. God knows that when you eat
of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like him, knowing all good and evil. This enticed
Eve and has enticed humanity for all generations after her.

(05:41):
The possibility of being our own gods has directed the
path of evil for thousands of years.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
Notice that Adam and Eve's first temptation involved self improvement. Yes,
Satan suckered them with a sales pitch of self improvement.
Your eyes will be opened and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil, Satan said. The lie was that

(06:09):
God was holding out on them and that they could
somehow improve their condition. Notice also that Satan wanted them
focused on good and evil, a system of morality and ethics,
rather than trusting God himself as their source of life
and godliness. Temptation is the same for us today. We

(06:34):
begin to presume God is holding out on us and
that we can somehow find fulfillment apart from him. Furthermore,
we sometimes buy the lie that if we just know
right from wrong, good from evil, that we're living the
good Christian life. But remember that anyone can act moral

(06:56):
and ethical even without knowing Jesus. What God really wants
from us is our faith, our trust, our dependency on him.
As we trust the indwelling Christ and bear the fruit
of God's spirit. That's all the goodness we need to
worry about. That's what pleases God anyway, our faith in

(07:20):
his Son. So Yes, the enemy is telling the same
lies today that he's always told, and Satan is accompanied
by demons, fallen angels bent on destroying humanity and God's
created order. Throughout the Bible we get a clearer picture

(07:40):
of who these demons are. Their mission is to bring
about the demise of humankind through corruption, possession, temptation, and accusation.
There's a well known dialogue between Satan and God that
was poetically expressed in the Book of Job.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
In a different form of space and time, near the
shining presence of the Almighty, the accuser Satan appeared before
the Lord. From Where have you come? God asked? The
two did not stand as equals. Satan was allowed to live,
but only under the permission of God. I have traveled
to and fro on the earth, seeking who may be

(08:28):
led astray. Satan said. His tone was slithery and his
countenance was bitter. He looked at God with equal reverence
and hatred. The Lord spoke, saying, have you seen my
servant Job? There is none like him. He fears me,
turns away from evil, and walks blamelessly before his peers.

(08:50):
God's voice was elated with pride as he spoke of
his beloved job. It made Satan writhe where he stood.

Speaker 2 (08:58):
But what about the good guys? The heavenly beings were
most familiar with are angels, and God sends them out
to work on his behalf for the benefit of his people.
In this way, angels do the opposite of demons. Sometimes
angels even deliver justice on God's behalf.

Speaker 3 (09:25):
Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah prayed silently in the cool
of the night. The gentle evening breeze caressed the backs
of their heads. As they bowed in prayer. The wind
whistled down the hills and through the camp. Down below.
With the breeze came a terrifyingly silent presence. An angel
of the Lord's stepped foot into the Assyrian camp. He

(09:47):
walked its alleys unseen. He passed by tents and fires
without casting a shadow. As a silent thief. The angel
of God stole the life away from Sanacarib's warriors one
their spirits were taken from them. It was a gentle
yet terrifying slaughter, and as quickly as the angel came,

(10:08):
he left with the wind.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
Other times angels are deliverers or messengers.

Speaker 3 (10:20):
Yet Peter continued to pray for deliverance, and only hours
before he was to appear before Herod to be judged,
he heard the sound of chains cracking. Peter looked down
to see his chains had been removed. He looked up
and saw a light shining through the cell. It was
an angel of the Lord. Arise. The angel said, be

(10:43):
quick and dress yourself, wrap your cloak around you, and
follow me. Peter did not ask questions. He draped his
hood over his head and moved through the prison halls.
It was damp and dark, but the light of the
angel lit Peter's path so he would not stumble. As
Peter followed the angel so past the second guard, he
could not help but wonder if he was dreaming. However,

(11:04):
Peter was quickly proven wrong. As he stood at the
large iron gate that separated the prison from the outside.
He looked down at the locks on the gate, and
they were left wide open. Peter walked right through and
went to visit Mary and John.

Speaker 2 (11:20):
Angels serve a significant purpose in God's plan. They are
messengers and servants of God, carrying out his will and
protecting his people. They bring comfort, guidance, and protection to believers.
Angels remind us of God's love and care for his creation.

(11:41):
They're a reminder of the supernatural realm and the spiritual
battles that take place. We can take comfort in knowing
that angels are working on our behalf, fighting for us
and ministering to us. Their purpose is to glorify God
and assist in his divine plan. Demons are a different story.

(12:07):
Jesus came to dispel the works of darkness caused by sin, death,
and Satan during his earthly ministry. He displayed his authority
over demons ultimately when he hung on the cross and
proclaimed it is finished. He declared victory over the sinful

(12:28):
work of Satan. And at the very end we'll get
to see Jesus's victory over Satan and his demons sealed
once and for all.

Speaker 3 (12:42):
I watched as the beast rose up against the White writer.
He gathered the evil armies of the earth and ran
towards him. The mighty horsemen and the beast clashed. With
a swoop of his sword. The rider enveloped the armies.
The beast raged against him, but he was not equal
to the Lord of lords. His horns were ripped from
his head, and his knees were torn from his limbs.

(13:04):
With decisive justice, the hero of history cast the beast
into the lake of fire. God's chosen hero, the Messiah,
Jesus Christ, had defeated evil once and for all.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
With the conquering Hero of Heaven living in us, no
darkness can overcome us. After all, he who is in
us is greater than he who's in the world. God
has equipped us with everything we need to resist the
enemy's schemes. We've been sealed with the Holy Spirit, and

(13:40):
the evil One cannot touch us. Yes, he can lie
to us and deceive us, but he can't actually harm
us because of the finished work of Christ. You might
just say the enemy is all bark and no bite.
Thank you for listening to today's episode of the Heartbeat

(14:01):
of Faith podcast. Follow the podcast so you can learn
the Bible in this entertaining and inspiring way. Download the
Prey dot com app, and for more encouragement in God's grace,
visit Andrew Farley dot org. That's Andrew Farley dot org.