Chapter Six
Unto God’s adversary, the prince of darkness, the one that rules over this present evil age and its realm of darkness, the judgment of this world and the prince of darkness is now come. With John 12:31 declaring,
“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out“.
Here we should take note of some of these words and their meanings. “Judgment = Crisis” meaning “a separating, especially of judicial proceedings”. Thus, as the result of judgment, light and darkness know judgment within the vessel. We can now choose to walk in one realm (light) or the other (darkness). “Prince = Archon” meaning “ruler”. The phrase “cast out” means “to thrust without, outside.” This adversary of God, the ruler of darkness who has ruled over this age of darkness and sin promotes a world that has missed the mark concerning God’s purpose and is to be cast out.
Nevertheless, know and understand that this adversary could not nor cannot take hold of Jesus Christ because there was nothing in Jesus that this adversary could touch.
John 14:30,
“… for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me”.
The word “nothing” denotes there was no committed sin in Jesus that evil forces could find and touch. However, what about each vessel of humanity and where do they stand in this judgment? Could it be that each vessel who is a part of the body of Christ, those who are in Him, His first-fruits, they can also be appropriated unto this place of victory? Was not the Holy Spirit sent from the resurrected Jesus to convict man of sin and enable the believer, the first-fruits body of Christ, to walk in righteousness through this time of judgment?
John 16:7-11 says,
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me; Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged”.
The coming of the Holy Spirit compensated the loss of Jesus’ presence at His ascension back to the Father; for Jesus said that He would send Him. The ministry of the Holy Spirit to unbelievers is that of convicting them of sin and will become to those receiving Him their teacher. He uses man’s unbelief to prove the gravity of sin, while the triumphant work of Christ is to prove the availability of righteousness. This righteousness defeats the adversary and proves the solemn certainty of judgment upon all sin, the sin nature.
With the Holy Spirit exposing this adversary, we have found that while the adversary has the power of death, for his dominion includes the realms of death, darkness, and evil, but Jesus Christ has defeated him.
Heb. 2:14,
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He [Jesus] also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the enemy“.
The ultimate purpose of Jesus Christ’ birth was for the destruction of this enemy as well as for humanity’s deliverance from this fear of death. The destruction of this adversary means that his power is powerless in the lives of those who are committed to Christ.
When looking at the dominion of Jesus Christ we observe that His authority rules over the realm of life, of light, and of righteousness.
Heb. 1:8,
“But unto the Son He saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom”.
By being Head or King over such a kingdom, Christ desire was and is to share that kingdom with a people. For this cause, He was willing to overpower that realm of death so that this people who have dwelt in this realm of death, might now receive Him to live in His realm of life.
Acts 3:14-15,
“But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.”
“Prince” as spoken of in this scripture means “leader; one who stands at the head or beginning of a list, or rank.” Being the Prince of Life means, that death could not hold Jesus and we can also know and must understand that His life is greater than death. Therefore, unto the ones who totally receive Christ completely throughout the spirit, soul and then the body, they likewise cannot be captive to death.
Christ Jesus was but the leader, the one who stands at the head or beginning of a list, or rank that follows behind Him. Jesus is the redeeming sacrifice; His sacrifice has given to all receiving believers the privileges that once belonged to ancient Israel. Christ has made us kings and priests.
Rev. 1:5-6,
“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness, and the First Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen“.
The word “washed” in the above scripture means, “loosed.” Thus, He loosed us from our past sins while progressively delivering us from the sin nature as well as the death realm. These sins are man’s failure to hit the mark in a moral sense. Therefore, sin; whether by omission or commission in thought, word, or deed, remains a sin.
If this enemy, the adversary of God, is the god of this age, then our struggle is against this ruler of darkness. One of God’s greatest demands is for His people to rightly discern between the spiritual struggles of man and all other social and personal difficulties. Otherwise, believers become easily detoured, wrestling with human adversaries instead of warring against the invisible works of God’s adversary who works behind the scenes and through the carnal mind.
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.”
Let us look at some of the words used in this scripture:
- Principalities = the chief rule or ruler.
- Powers = authority or delegated power.
- Rulers = world rulers.
- Darkness = the present order of things.
- Spiritual wickedness = spiritual host of wickedness, these are wicked spirits of evil.
- High places = heavenlies, the invisible spirit realm.
Thus, there is a warfare going on. There are the people of the world who refuse to worship God, that refuse to walk in the light of revelation as they serve the god of this world. These disobedient ones are spiritually and morally dead and in need of someone who is able to resurrect their spirits and transform their moral essence. The mood and manner of this world’s society, shaped by the prince of the power of the air, a title for the adversary, as he exercises influence globally and within each culture.
Eph. 2:1-2,
“And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”.
This adversary is the god of this age and as he blinds the minds of the people in their choosing not to believe, this results in their inability to neither see nor come into the glory of Christ. 2 Cor. 4:3-4 states,
“But if our gospel be hid to them that are lost [perishing]: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light [illumination] of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them”.
With Christ presenting to the world the availability of salvation, it remains important for us to see and know the conditions of today’s present world (age). This age knows death, poverty, pain, and sorrow. However, tomorrows world (age) is that which results in change. There shall be a complete house cleaning, starting with the first-fruits. The adversary, with all his evil works is, after God’s first-fruits to progressively bring destruction, but they, the first-fruits shall bring victory. The question asked, how should this be done? The answer; it shall be done by the hand of God under the administration of the Holy Spirit within His first-fruits. Then these sons of God shall rule and reign with Christ on the earth.
1 Cor. 15:22-25 relates,
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order [rank]: Christ the first fruits [the foretaste and pledge of the eternal inheritance, the first-fruits, both head and body]; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming [His presence manifesting through Christ, the head, the body, and the bride]. Then cometh the end [not of this age but the millennial age], when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet”.
Unto all those who trust and believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit has sealed them, maturing them with the mind of Christ. This is the mark of God’s ownership and a covering. The Holy Spirit is but the down payment of the full inheritance that comes as He appears unto those believing and receiving ones. Notice that He shall put all enemies under His feet, that part of the body of Christ being birthed now, the first-fruits. These ones are anointed for this next age appearing.
Eph. 1:13-14,
“In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory”.