Sometimes we have to take a few minutes to really look in
the mirror. What do we see, a few new
lines, a couple more grey hairs, maybe a few less hairs. We see the toll the world takes on our
physical bodies. We feel a few new aches
and pains when we try to exercise to reverse aging, which seems funny as the
aches make us feel old. When we do stop
by the mirror we don’t really see our spiritual man, we can’t see what we
really look like in the spirit. What
would we see if we had spiritual eyes, what would we look like?
Lucifer had sanctuaries, not one sanctuary but multiple
sanctuaries. Maybe this would be similar to him being the head of a “denomination”.
This seems like something someone should have told us about. Perhaps people are afraid to bring this up
because they don’t know what to do with it.
If Lucifer had sanctuaries then I would imagine he knows how to run a
sanctuary, and he knows how to make it a success or a failure. Now I’m sure I’m going to be stepping on some
toes with this but is it possible that Lucifer knows how to distort
church? I have to wonder if we have ever
seen a non distorted church. This is just
my thinking out loud, but what do you suppose Lucifer’s sanctuaries looked like
before an abundance of perversity and moral evil was found there? Were there buildings with stained glass or
choirs in choir lofts? I don’t know but
he had sanctuaries before perverseness was found in him. Who has the sanctuaries now? Do they sing
songs and hear a sermon? Or is it more ritually based such as a temple service?
I don’t have any answers except what I can find from the context.
Ezek 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the
multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will
I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will
bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
KJV
By the multitude
of OT:7230 rob (robe); from OT:7231; abundance (in any respect):KJV -
abundance (-antly), all, common [sort],
excellent, great (-ly, -ness, number), huge, be increased, long, many, more in
number, most, much, multitude, plenty (-ifully), very [age].(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
Thine iniquities
OT:5771 `avon (aw-vone'); or `avown (2 Kings 7:9; Ps 51:5 [OT:7]) (aw-vone');
from OT:5753; perversity, i.e. (moral) evil: KJV - fault, iniquity, mischeif,
punishment (of iniquity), sin.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:5771 `avon or `avown (2 Kings 7:9; Ps 51:5 [7]) —perversity,
depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity a) iniquity
b) guilt of iniquity, guilt (as great), guilt (of condition) c) consequence of or punishment for
iniquity (from The Online Bible
Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright
© 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute
for Creation Research.)
By the iniquity of
OT:5766 `evel (eh'-vel); or `avel (aw'-vel); and (feminine) `avlah (av-law');
or `owlah (o-law'); or `olah (o-law'); from OT:5765; (moral) evil: KJV -
iniquity, perverseness, unjust (-ly), unrighteousness (-ly); wicked
(-ness).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:5766 `evel or `avel and (feminine) `avlah or `owlah or
`olah —injustice, unrighteousness, wrong
a) violent deeds of injustice b)
injustice (used of speech) c) injustice
(generally) (from The Online Bible
Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright
© 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute
for Creation Research.)
Thy traffic
OT:7404 rekullah (rek-ool-law'); feminine passive participle of
OT:7402; trade (as peddled):KJV - merchandise, traffic.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:7404 rekullah —merchandise, traffic, trade(from The
Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew
Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed
from the Institute for Creation Research.)
Thou hast defiled
OT:2490 chalal (khaw-lal'); a primitive root [compare OT:2470]; properly, to
bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a
person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an
"opening wedge"); denom. (from OT:2485) to play (the flute):KJV -
begin (X men began), defile, break,
defile, eat (as common things), first,
gather the grape thereof, take
inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self),
prostitute, slay (slain), sorrow, stain, wound.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
OT:2470 chalah (khaw-law'); a primitive root [compare
OT:2342, OT:2470, OT:2490]; properly, to be rubbed or worn; hence
(figuratively) to be weak, sick, afflicted; or (causatively) to grieve, make
sick; also to stroke (in flattering), entreat: (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
Thy sanctuaries OT:4720
miqdash (mik-dawsh'); or miqqedash (Ex 15:17) (mik-ked-awsh'); from OT:6942; a
consecrated thing or place, especially, a palace, sanctuary (whether of Jehovah
or of idols) or asylum: KJV - chapel, hallowed part, holy place,
sanctuary.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:4720 miqdash or miqqedash (Ex 15:17) —a sacred place, a
sanctuary, a holy place a sanctuary 1)
used of the temple 2) used of the
tabernacle 3) used of Ezekiel's
temple 4) used of Jehovah (Yahweh) (from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon
and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible
Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation
Research.)
Whatever the holy place was that Lucifer had he wounded or
sickened it. He did it by morally evil
merchandising. I’m not sure what that is
exactly, it seems like prostitution, but that may not be as we know it with hookers
and johns. He may have prostituted
things or ideas, morally corrupt practices.
If we look at this in a simplified way, he may have been “selling
something “whether ideas, or products. But
Revelation does say Babylon makes merchandise of people as in buying and
selling people, which seems like slave trade.
Rev 18:11-13. He had an abundance
of perverseness, which tells us this was not just an isolated incident, as in
one mistake, but in many repeated offences.
When God finally said that is enough, he no longer was in charge of
these sanctuaries. And in verse 19 of
Ezekiel 28 we know in the future he will be no more.
We live in that in-between time from when Lucifer rebelled
to the time he will be bound for one thousand years. While in the middle of this time period,
Jesus made a way for us to be overcomers.
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to indwell in people,
giving people an inherent power. Let’s first remember what God says about us
from Psalm 8.
Ps 8:5 For thou hast made him but little lower than God, and
crownest him with glory and honor.ASV
The word for God is Elohim, some translations do not
translate it God but use angels, which is not the Hebrew word. There is much contention being made a little
lower than Elohim, for one if the Church was the governmental ruling authority,
they would not want their people to know that they were higher in status than
the spiritual or governmental leader.
However God uses the word Elohim, therefore it is up to us to adjust our
thinking to match the word. If we were
made a little lower than the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, (Elohim
plural, three or more) then we are made higher than angels. That also means we are made higher than
demons. And that means we are made above
principalities powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. As we have previously studied this section of
scripture, angels are to minister to us.
However if we have been deceived by evil beings and we think we are
nothing more than dust, we will never rise up to our place of authority. We then will be trampled instead of being
overcomers. Now it is time to rise up.
It seems that before every change in the terms and
conditions of spiritual practice there is a time of departing from current spiritual
practice that precedes the change, that is to say a time of falling away prior
to the change. Adam walked in fellowship
with God but after the fall there was a period where only some people served and
fellowshipped with God while most did not, which resulted in the flood. After the flood we go into what is known as
the Melchizedek Priesthood, where those following God had a personal
relationship with Him, in fellowship, and told others about Him. When people
again fell away from their personal relationship with God they ended up in
Egypt and eventually were in captivity. Then
God brought them out of captivity and showed them his mighty power, but had to
give commandments and laws they could follow.
The high priests were the ones that went in to the Holy of Holies to
meet with God. When Jesus came he prepared the way for salvation and made a way
back to a personal relationship with God by sending the Holy Spirit. The veil of the temple was torn from top to
bottom so that all could go in and meet with God. 2Thessalonians says there will be a falling
away from the faith, once again proceeding a time when there will be another
change of the terms and conditions of spiritual practice. But for the time we
are living in now we have not been left helpless. God had a secret plan.
Eph 3:9-11 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of
the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who
created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed
in Christ Jesus our Lord: KJV
The mystery was hid from the beginning of the world, and now
the principalities and powers in heavenly places know through this new thing
called the Church, the new indwelling of the Holy Spirit which makes us one
body in Christ. Now they know what God’s wisdom was in sending Jesus
Christ. Remember we saw how the heavens
declare our redemption and that every constellation tells a story of Jesus as
our redeemer, coming to redeem. Remember
the sheepfold, the church? The
principalities and powers did not know that it would be Christ in us the Hope
of Glory. They did not know that the
Holy Spirit would come bringing us power to preach Jesus. The principalities
and powers may have thought God would establish a group, a sheepfold, but they
did not know the sheepfold would be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the
earth. KJV
Col 1:26-27 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages
and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:27 To whom God
would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the
Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: KJV
This mystery was hidden from all the heavenly beings, good
and bad. The heavens do not tell of
those who believe on Christ receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This was a well kept secret. And the evil
principalities and powers and rulers, even satan himself messed up, as if they
would have known they would never have crucified Jesus. It is much easier to keep track of one
person, Jesus, rather than all the saved spirit filled ones who come to preach
Jesus in the Spirit and in power.
1 Cor 2:1-8 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not
with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony [mystery]of God.2 For I determined not
to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.3 And I was
with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.4 And my speech and my
preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of
the Spirit and of power:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of
men, but in the power of God.6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are
perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world,
that come to nought:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the
hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:8 Which none
of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory.KJV
This was ordained before the world for our glory. Remember we saw that we are eternal beings
and that we were sealed with the Holy Spirit.
If we could really see what we look like spiritually we would be amazed.
We would stand up straighter, throw our shoulders back, puff out our chest, push
up our sleeves, clench our fists, and start swinging at all the principalities
and powers that have beat us down. We
were made a little lower than Elohim, and now we have the Holy Spirit in us, we
are more spectacular than we know. Let’s
explore these beings who rebelled along with Lucifer. Knowing that when satan is cast out of heaven
to earth he will be among one third of the sons of God, they have been working
to oppress us and keep us from speaking about Jesus Christ. We are wrestling
with them all the time.
Eph 6:12 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.KJV
Principalities
NT:746 arche (ar-khay'); from NT:756; (properly abstract) a commencement, or
(concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank):KJV
- beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power,
principality, principle, rule.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Powers
NT:1849 exousia (ex-oo-see'-ah); from NT:1832 (in the sense of ability);
privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or
(objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of
control), delegated influence: KJV - authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power,
right, strength.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance
with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft,
Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Rulers NT:2888
kosmokrator (kos-mok-fat'-ore); from NT:2889 and NT:2902; a world-ruler, an
epithet of Satan:KJV - ruler.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Darkness NT:4655
skotos (skot'-os); from the base of NT:4639; shadiness, i.e. obscurity
(literally or figuratively):KJV - darkness.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's
Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright ©
1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Spiritual NT:4152
pneumatikos (pnyoo-mat-ik-os'); from NT:4151; non-carnal, i.e. (humanly)
ethereal (as opposed to gross), or (daemoniacally) a spirit (concretely), or
(divinely) supernatural, regenerate, religious:KJV - spiritual. Compare
NT:5591.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Wickedness
NT:4189 poneria (pon-ay-ree'-ah); from NT:4190; depravity, i.e. (specifically)
malice; plural (concretely) plots, sins:KJV - iniquity, wickedness.(Biblesoft's
New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
High
NT:2032 epouranios (ep-oo-ran'-ee-os); from NT:1909 and NT:3772; above the
sky:KJV - celestial, (in) heaven (-ly), high.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright
© 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
We are wrestling with these beings all the time. There is no safe place, as Lucifer had holy
places of his own once. Many people have
been disappointed, hurt, or abused in churches, and by people in churches. There is no place where we are not wrestling,
while satan knows how to distort our holy places to hurt people, many are not
aware that Lucifer had his own holy places. He knows how to manipulate and
twist to get people to walk away from God. Remember the seven churches of
Revelation? We are to be overcomers, and we have the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit to do it. We are saved from the
future wrath of the Lamb and the wrath of God if we overcome. We cannot let bad church experiences keep us
from God. Instead we need to come out swinging.
Whether we go to church, home group, or actively study on our own, we
can be overcomers. Jesus spoiled these
very same beings by His death, taking a list of all our sins and nailing it to
His cross.
Col 2:14-17 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that
was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing
it to his cross;15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew
of them openly, triumphing over them in it.16 Let no man therefore judge you in
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the
sabbath days:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of
Christ.KJV
As we saw from the book of Nicodemus, the Acts of Pilate, we
saw what happened when Jesus died and went into hell and freed the believing
line, bringing them to paradise with Him.
All the demonic beings were shocked at what Jesus was doing, the gates
of hell could not hold Him. He made a
big joke out of our oppressors, we should not forget that.
Col 1:16-18 For by him were all things created, that are in
heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones,
or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and
for him:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.18 And he
is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from
the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.KJV
These beings who became our enemies were all created by Him
and for Him. He was before them in
existence, and he is now the Head of the Body, the Church. We have a new church, satan can try and mess
with the churches we have here on earth, but we are of the Body of Christ, a
whole new church.
1 Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins,
the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in
the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached
unto the spirits in prison;20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing,
wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.21 The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.KJV
He preached to the imprisoned spirits, some were disobedient
but he was there to announce his victory.
Because he was raised from the dead, angels and authorities and powers
are subject unto Jesus Christ as he sits at the right hand of the Father, God.
Acts 5:30-32 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye
slew and hanged on a tree.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a
Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of
sins.32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy
Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.KJV
After being filled, the Apostles were now witnessing
repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins through the raising of Jesus from
the dead. They also tell us that God
gives the Holy Ghost to those who obey.
1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been
all made to drink into one Spirit. KJV
We are now, in this time period, after the resurrection of
Jesus and before his coming in the clouds for his body, baptized into one body,
we have been all made to drink of one Spirit.
There is no separation by heritage or cast system, if we receive the
Holy Spirit we are of one body. Here is the best part, while Lucifer had holy
places, or sanctuaries, we are the church. People are the
church, not a building, not a special place, wherever we are, church is. Let’s go back to Ephesians.
Eph 3:10 To the
intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be
known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, KJV
Church
NT:1577 ekklesia (ek-klay-see'-ah); from a compound of NT:1537 and a derivative
of NT:2564; a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a
religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on
earth or saints in heaven or both): KJV - assembly, church.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:1577 ekkleesia, ekklesias, hee a gathering of citizens called out from their
homes into some public place; an assembly
1. an assembly of the people convened at the public place of council for
the purpose of deliberating: Acts 19:39 2. the assembly of the Israelites, Acts
7:38; Heb 2:12 3. any gathering or
throng of men assembled by chance or tumultuously: Acts 19:32,41 4. in the Christian sense, a. an
assembly of Christians gathered for worship: 1 Cor 14:19,35 b. a company of Christians, aa. those who anywhere, in city or village,
constitute such a company and are united into one body: Acts 5:11 bb. the whole body of Christians scattered
throughout the earth; Matt 16:18 cc. the
name is transferred to the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and
received into heaven: Heb 12:23 (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic
Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights
reserved.)tionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and
International Bible Translators, Inc.)
The principalities and powers in the heavenlies know the
manifold wisdom of God because we are the called out ones. The spiritual sign
above our heads must be flashing in neon the word “church”. That is us, wherever we are, whomever we are
with, we are the church bringing church.
This is a mess for those evil beings who thought they could squash us
when they crucified Jesus. You are the
church, you are the holy place, you are the big secret God kept from the
foundations of the world. You are the
called out one.
Now it is time to walk like we are important in this life. We are overcomers, not defeated, but the
church with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Lucifer made a big mistake in crucifying Jesus and while he may know how
to distort organized religious groups, we are the church today. And we have power.
