Jesus Prophesies about the Future II

Mark 13:14-23; Zechariah 14:1-5.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 27, 2020.

Today, we start our look at the second part of the Olivet Discourse.  Days before Jesus will be betrayed and crucified, he gives a detailed prophecy regarding the future from the First Century AD up to his Second Coming.  The answer that Jesus gives to their questions about the future has three parts to it and last week we looked at the first part.

So, let’s look at the first part.

Comparing Mark 13 with Matthew 24 & Luke 21

In each of the three Gospels, the answer of Jesus follows a three-part focus.  The first focus is on the difficulty of the years ahead, before he comes back.  The third focus is on the Second Coming of Jesus.  The focus we will look at today is the second one and is about Judea and Jerusalem.

Each Gospel adds a little something different that the other Gospels do not have, and they also leave out things that the others tell us.  In the first and third focus, it is very clear that they are all talking about the same thing.  Yet, in this second focus, you will see by the chart above that I believe Luke is significantly different from Matthew and Mark.  It is not contradictory because we know that there is far more discussion that has happened than what is written down. 

In the Gospel of Luke, the second focus talks about armies surrounding Jerusalem, and an exile to the nations of Israel.  He states that this will last until the Times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, or come to an end.  This is clearly describing the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 A.D.

Matthew and Mark, however, mention none of these things.  Instead, they talk about the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place of the Temple and a Great Tribulation that is the worst the world will ever see.  They both use language that ties the Great Tribulation directly to the Second Coming of the third focus of the prophecy.  Matthew 24:29 says, “immediately after the tribulation of those days…”  Whereas, Mark 13:24 says, “But in those days, after that tribulation…”  Luke does not use this immediate language.  In fact, his words imply a long period, the Times of the Gentiles, that has no fixed length.  This leads me to believe that Jesus spoke about difficult times that Israel would experience in 70 A.D., particularly in Judea and Jerusalem.  Yet, he also talked about difficult times that Israel would have in the years right before his Second Coming.  These are two different destructive events that have the exact same encouragement, “Get out of the area!” 

The similarity of the imperatives to quickly run to the mountains leads some people to say that the Great Tribulation is speaking about 70 A.D.  However, it seems ludicrous to pretend that somehow the events of 70 A.D., though extremely horrible and difficult, were the worst tribulation the world, or Israel, will ever see.  What about World War II?  Coupled with Matthew and Marks emphasis on the Second Coming happening at the end of those days, the near and far away aspect of this prophesy becomes clearer.

The Greatest Tribulation ever will occur

Hopefully at this point, you are on board that Luke is sharing the prophesy that Jesus gives regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in the First Century, and that Mark is sharing the prophesy that Jesus gives regarding the difficulties that Jerusalem will have in the Great Tribulation immediately before his Second Coming, which is still future to us.  Yes, the Bible describes a future destructive event at Jerusalem at the end of this age, which will be interrupted by the Second Coming of Jesus.

In case you are not convinced yet, we need to look at an Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 14.  Here, Zechariah depicts a partial destruction of Jerusalem that is stopped by the coming of Messiah in great power.  It cannot be forced to fit the destruction in 70 A.D. without making most of it symbolic.  Let me just say once again, that I have no problem with symbolism being employed and used here.  However, I do think it is a mistake to automatically dismiss the literal.  Something can be true both literally and Symbolically.

Zechariah describes “all the nations” coming against Jerusalem.  Yet, the army of Rome was very diverse, but it is a stretch to say that it is talking about the Roman army.  He also states that “half of the city” is taken captive, but not a remnant of the people.  “Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations in that day.”  Again, if we try to make the Lord fighting only symbolic then we would have Jesus symbolically fighting against the nations of the world or Rome.  We could perhaps posit that Christians going into the nations is that battle, and would be somewhat correct.  Yet, Zechariah also pictures the feet of Jesus touching the Mt. of Olives and splitting it in half so greatly that it creates a valley for people to flee from Jerusalem.  At this point, you realize that your symbolism scheme becomes extremely convoluted in order to avoid any literal understanding. 

Yet, it becomes even more difficult for those who only accept a symbolic understanding of this passage.  Verse 5 mentions that all the saints will be coming with the Messiah.  Then, verse 12 describes the way that the Lord will defeat the nations.  “And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.”    Some say that this is all poetic metaphor, such as their ability to see truth and speak wisdom will dissolve, or fall apart.  That may have some truth to it, but it doesn’t pass the sniff test.  It smacks of the same trick that cults do when their prophecies don’t happen.  They try to say it happened spiritually and not literally.  Bear in mind that we can also ask the same question of Revelation 19.  Is it simply poetic metaphor?  Is the rule of Messiah/Jesus over the earth simply poetic metaphor?

We have now gone through a lot of setup for this section, but it is critical to understanding that Luke is picturing a different time than Mark.  Why didn’t they all clearly detail both destructions?  Partially, it would be because they didn’t completely understand the distinctions.  We have the benefit of hindsight.  I would also have to believe that God purposefully led them to detail these separately.

As we go through these verses, we will make it clear that this second section in Mark is talking about a Great Tribulation, which will happen at the end of this age, and may be just on the horizon.

In verse 14, Jesus brings up a phrase that was well known to the Jews of his day, “the Abomination of Desolation.”  This comes from the Old Testament where the term “abomination” is most often used of idols, or images, but its meaning goes beyond them.  It pictures something that is abominable, detestable, and loathsome.  It is used of impure things and activities that God absolutely hates, as well as the righteous.  The word “desolation” refers to being brought into a state of stunned silence, or ravaged silence.  The Greek word used to translate it literally means to be made into a wilderness.  The phrase as a whole basically refers to something so impure, whether an idol and/or an act, that it brings the wrath of God upon the place and is made into a wilderness.  The righteous are always to get away from such a place and its people because they should not want to be caught up in its judgment.

We are told in the text that we should remember that this is spoken about by Daniel the prophet.  We are told that we need to understand this.

The concept or phrase “Abomination of Desolation” is found in three passages of the book of Daniel.  Chapter 9 verse 27 is in the famous Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of Years.  In that passage, we are told that Messiah would be executed, and then the people of the prince, who is yet to come, will destroy the city.  Then it says that the prince who comes later will make a covenant with many for 7 years.  During that period, he will put an end to sacrifices and “on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate.”  Notice that this covenant, stopping of sacrifices (implying Israel back in the land with a temple), and Abomination of Desolation happens after the destruction of the city in 70 A.D. and not before it.

Daniel 11:31 is another passage that mentions the Abomination of Desolation.  This passage so perfectly fits the events of the Greek-Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C. that scholars who do not believe in predictive prophecy say it must have been written afterward and not by Daniel.  Of course, there is no evidence for that.  Daniel in the 6^th century prophesied the events that were nearly 400 years later.  The passage refers to the defiling of the sanctuary and the placing of the “Abomination of Desolation.”  In those days, Antiochus was angry because of a military defeat near Egypt.  He commanded the Jews to worship Zeus, put an idol of Zeus in the courtyard of sacrifice, and had a pig slaughtered on the Hebrew altar in worship of Zeus.  So, the second mention of an abomination is different from the first.  It was fulfilled in 167 B.C. and gives us a picture of what an event would look like that qualified to be called an Abomination of Desolation.

The last passage is Daniel 12:11. Here, an added detail is given.  From the time that the sacrifices are stopped until the Abomination of Desolation, there would be 1,290 days (3 years and 7 months).  This does not fit the events of 167 B.C.  It is most likely a reference back to the Abomination spoken of in chapter 9.

In Mark, Jesus is letting us know that there is another Abomination of Desolation coming of which the events of Antiochus Epiphanes are simply a template or prototype.  Some try to make events in 70 A.D. be a fulfillment of this concept.  There were a few attempts at such a thing.  The emperor Caligula even sent an image to Israel in order to be set up in the temple.  However, he died and the command was abandoned.  It was as if God said that this was not to be the time.  Nothing like we have been describing happened leading up to 70 A.D. that would both qualify as an Abomination of Desolation and serve as a warning for people to flee.  The Abomination of Desolation is still future and will be part of the Great Tribulation, which implies a third temple at some stage of construction.

It is important to note a connection that follows the Antiochus template and is elsewhere in the New Testament.  2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 describes the coming “man of sin,” also called Antichrist, sitting in the temple of God showing himself that he is God.  When this is coupled with Revelation 13, especially the image that will be built to the beast and made to speak, we can see that the warning is of an end times temple of Israel that is co-opted by a global leader to promote himself as God.  In our modern world, this may seem impossible or ridiculous.  However, God warns us that He is restraining this stuff until He is ready for it to happen.

We will look at the rest of this Great Tribulation next week.  Yet, note these things.  The continual focus on peace between Israel and the Muslims of the Middle East continues to beg some kind of peace deal or covenant agreement.  The contention on the Temple Mount is extremely volatile, and yet, not only is there room on the mount for a Temple to be built north of the Dome of the Rock, but there is a move among Muslims to allow it to happen.  The orthodox Jews of Israel have made preparations to quickly build a temple upon any agreement.  The furnishings have been built including an altar.  Money has been raised and priest trained.  They are ready to quickly build what they call the third temple.  Lastly, many rabbis in recent years have begun to state that Messiah is on the earth and waiting to reveal himself.  One rabbi this year has prophesied that this is the last Jewish New Year (Sept. 19, 2020) without Messiah.  In other words, Messiah will reveal himself sometime before September 6 of next year.

People used to look at these prophecies and laugh at anyone who taught that Israel would literally be a nation again, much less have a temple.  Yet, the events of 1948 shocked the world as Israel became a nation again under an existential threat that could have only been neutralized by God.  We must understand that the Times of the Gentiles will eventually come to an end and God will allow the end times scenario to move forward.  Are you ready spiritually?  Do you know Jesus as your Lord and your Savior?  Only he can save you from your sins, and bring you through what lies ahead for this world.

Jesus Future II

Jesus Prophesies about the Future

Mark 13:1-13.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 20, 2020.

Today, we will look at an extensive prophecy that is given by Jesus.  He is more than just a prophet because he is not simply a man telling us what God has told him during prayer, or a vision.  He is the Son of God who has been one with the Father from before Creation.  He is the pure light from heaven that has come down in order to reveal our present predicament and the future, both for the disciples of his day and for us.

We would do well to listen to the words of Jesus and order our lives accordingly.  These are not the times to enjoy the pleasures of sin and this world.  These are not the times to cast off restraint and re-imagine how we can use the Bible to bring about Utopia.  This is the time to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, to keep our eyes upon the prize that awaits those who persevere in faith to the end, those who are faithful to his Gospel, and faithful to his mission to reach as many who are lost as possible.

Don’t be deceived.  We know exactly where things are headed in this world because our Lord has told us so.

The Temple will be destroyed

In the first two verses, we are told that Jesus and his disciples are exiting the temple compound on their way back to Bethany for the night (a bedroom community of Jerusalem).  At this point, the disciples remark on the amazing buildings and structures around them.  There were huge porches that surrounded the temple compound and then the temple itself was even more beautiful.  This was technically the 2^nd Temple because the 1^st Temple that Solomon built was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 B.C.  Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, described some of the stones as being 60 feet long with pillars for the porches that were around 38 feet tall and made of white marble.  Today, people are only seeing the retaining walls that created the flat area for the temple compound.  On top of this we can only imagine the wonder of men who were from rural Israel in the Galilee.

However, Jesus is not enamored with the amazing buildings.  He explains that they will be completely torn down, and so destroyed that not one stone will be left on top of another.  Both the 1^st and the 2^nd Temple had come to be a symbol of pride and false confidence.  Yes, God had told them to build them, but the buildings had become more important than The One who was greater than them.  Forty years later, the Roman General Titus would lay siege to the city and destroy the city and its temple.  It was not normal for the Romans to so completely destroy temples.  However, it is said that a fire broke out in the temple and some of the melting gold went into the cracks of the stones.  The Romans pulled each stone apart and pushed it off of the temple mount down into the valley so that they could recoup the valuable metal.

Christians too may build buildings for the purposes of God, but we can never let those things become an idol in our heart.  How many church buildings will survive the outpouring of the wrath of God depicted in Revelation?  Yes, they are useful for us today as long as we keep them in proper perspective.  Much like our physical bodies, we understand that they are temporary and destined for destruction.  In humility and respect, we do our best to use them for God’s glory, not ours.

The disciples question Jesus about these things

We skip forward to the point where Jesus and his disciples are on the Mt. of Olives east of Jerusalem, most likely enjoying the early evening and the view of Jerusalem below them.  We are told that Peter, James, John and Andrew privately come to Jesus and ask him about the earlier prophecy that he had made.

This portion is sometimes called the Olivet Discourse.   It is also found in Matthew 24 and Luke 21.  When you compare all three accounts, it is clear that there is more that has been discussed than just the temple and its destruction.

The first question is this.  “When will these things be?” Or similarly, when will these things take place?  The second question is, “What will be the sign when these things are to be fulfilled?”  From the context of Mark, we would assume that this question is only about the destruction of the temple.  However, Matthew 24 states that this question includes the 2^nd Coming of Christ and the End of the Age.  We do know that Jesus has been telling his disciples up to this point that he would be killed in Jerusalem, that he would be leaving to prepare a place for them, and that he would come back.  However, they are having difficulty processing how all these things are to flow together and the time sequence involved.  Thus, there are three different components to this question of what will the sign be.  First, they are asking about the temple’s destruction.  Second, they are asking about the 2^nd Coming of Jesus, and third, they are asking about the end of the present age.  Note that to them the end of the present age was when Messiah brought back those Israelites who were dispersed throughout the nations, dealt with Israel’s sin and offense to God, and restored the Davidic kingdom in a global rule of righteousness.

They clearly see all of these as part of a sequence of events that happen altogether.  So, before we go further, we must talk about a couple of issues in biblical prophecy.

When God gives us information about the future, it is not His goal to give us an advance history book with dates and everything that will happen in it.  Rather, He gives us a rough understanding of where things are headed so that we know what to avoid and so that we can keep our trust in Him as it plays out.  There are always surprises for God’s people as it plays out, but not in the sense that we are caught unawares.  Christians have now received a more complete prophetic look at the future because of Jesus.  However, we should remain humble and recognize that the same God who gave us the Old Testament prophecies is the one who is giving us the New Testament prophecies.  We often think we have it all figured out more than we most likely do.  So, here are two issues to bear in mind with biblical prophecy: Conflation, and Near and Far Fulfillment.

Bible prophecy often conflates future events without distinction of the amount of time between them.  Of course, this is God’s prerogative and should be respected.  An example of this is Isaiah 9:6-7. 

                “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.   Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.” (NKJV)

This passage is clearly speaking of the Messiah, Jesus.  The birth of Messiah is spoken of seamlessly with his government and sitting on the throne of David.  We now know that there would be two comings of Messiah.  The first would be to provide salvation from sin, and the second would be much later to take up the throne of David, cast out the usurpers, and rule over the nations, that is, the day of judgment on all nations.  Without our New Testament insight, this passage would seem to teach that these must all happen within the lifetime of an adult human at the longest.  Thus, we should be careful to recognize that such things may also be conflated in New Testament prophecies and hold our views loosely.

The second issue of Near and Far Fulfillment can be seen when you read Isaiah chapters 7 through 9.  Isaiah is dealing with King Ahaz of Jerusalem.  He gives a prophecy that a child will be born and by the time that child can understand right from wrong (a matter of years) Syria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel would no longer be a threat.  In Isaiah 8, we are told that Isaiah’s wife has a child.  Thus, this prophecy has an aspect about it that dealt with the issues of that day and had a fulfillment in the near time of their day.  Within a short number of years, the King of Assyria invaded, subduing Syria and Samaria (Northern Israel).  Yet, aspects of the prophecy, such as Isaiah 9:6-7 and others, go beyond just a child that was born to Isaiah and his wife as a sign to Ahaz.  We don’t have time to go into it all, but Isaiah’s kid is not named Immanuel as stated in the prophecy.  Rather, he is named Maher-Shalal-Chash-Baz, which means speed the spoil and hasten the booty.  Also, in the New Testament, we are told that this prophecy was a kind of pattern or picture of a coming child that would not only be further in the future, but also a greater child.  This child would truly be “God with us,” and all the amazing things that go beyond that time period.  This is sometimes called Near and Far Fulfillment, Double-Fulfillment, and also Parabolic Prophecy.  The prophets laid down templates, or parables, by which we can recognize and understand the end times events.  Thus, Jesus may refer to things that have a near fulfillment in the first century, and yet picture a bigger event at the end of this age.

The Beginning of Sorrows

Verses 5-13 are not actually an answer to the question of “when,” or of “what sign.”  In verse 7 Jesus actually calls these the things that must happen, but the end is not yet.  We could call them the “Before-the-End-Things.”  Verse 8, also calls this period the “Beginning of Sorrows.”  The following list can be seen as part of the sorrows of this present age leading up to the end of the age and the 2^nd coming of Jesus.  They themselves are not the signs of the end, but signs of the time that we live in.

The word for “sorrows” can sometimes be connected to the sorrows of death, but it is usually connected to the sorrows of childbirth.  The prophets spoke of the nation of Israel sorrowing in childbirth to bring forth the Messiah.  Similarly, the world would go into a time of sorrow trying to bring forth, birth, the political deliverance of the Messiah.  The apostle Paul even describes the Day of Wrath of the Lord as coming upon the world like labor pains upon a woman (1 Thessalonians 5:3).  Thus, the period of time following the “leaving of Jesus” could be described as The Beginning of Labor Pains for the whole world, not just Israel.

Jesus then describes some of the sorrows of this time and how they could impact his followers.  The first is Deception, especially through False Christs pretending to be him having come back.  This would also include false prophets, false religions, and even false philosophies that are atheistic, such as Marxism et. al.  Jesus warns us that people will try to deceive us by many means, even pretending to be him.  Thus, in God’s word, we are warned against the antichrist spirit that rules this world and one day will be able to bring forth the ultimate godless leader, The Antichrist.  He both pretends to take the place of Christ, and also to stand against him.  We can only expect this deception to grow more and more difficult to see through.  If you try to navigate this period with only your natural eyes and mind then you will be deceived.  However, if you will rely upon the truth of God’s word then you will be able to discern the times that we live in and the deceptions that currently exist.  We are the most manipulated generation to have ever lived and it will only grow worse.  Jesus talks about this more in verse 21, so we will expound on this further then.

This time of labor pains would also be marked by Wars and Rumors of Wars.  In fact, verse 8 makes it clear that this is many wars and many nations and not just what happened in 70 AD.  This is not meant to be a prophecy that wows us.  It is meant to prepare God’s people and inform them.  In verse 7, Jesus emphasizes that we are not to be “troubled.”  This translation is a bit flavorless here.  It comes from a word that means to wail and could be better translated as “cry out in anguish, panic, be alarmed,” etc.

Yes, troubling times will trouble our hearts, but we are warned in advance so that we will not descend into panic and anguish, despair and depression.  Rather, it should strengthen our faith as we see these things confirm the prophetic word.

Verse 8 also mentions Earthquakes, Famines, and Troubles.  They basically represent things like natural disasters and the pestilence, or disease, that comes on their heels.  This is not about a particular earthquake, but about them happening in various and different places.

Verse 9 shows that it would be a time of Persecution for the followers of Jesus.  However, in the midst of persecution, the Gospel would go to the ends of the earth.  Jesus expounds that Christians will be brought before councils, beaten in synagogues, and brought before courts in order to give an account for the sake of Jesus.  God intends this to be a witness to those leaders.  God’s people are not to worry about what to say in those moments, or prepare a speech, because the Spirit of God will speak through them in those moments.

It is important to note that, in Matthew 24:14, Jesus states that the end will not come until the Gospel goes into the whole world.  “And this gospel will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”  This may be the closest thing to a sign of the end of the age.  At the least, we can say that it is a prerequisite.  So, this age will be marked by Christians who suffer persecution, and, yet, witness to the world about Jesus, the coming judgment, and how to be spared from it.

Lastly, we are told of Betrayal and Hatred of Christians.  This can be seen as a part of the Persecution.  However, betrayal is done by those of your own kind.  Brother to brother can be both biological and a reference to fellow “Christians.”  Of course, they would be Christian in name only.  This is similar to what the early believers experienced from their fellow religious Jews.

Ultimately, Jesus states that Christians will be hated because of their connection to Jesus.  No matter how syrupy sweet the world may treat us in the moment, there is an underlying hatred that seeks to come to the surface in the opportune time.  In John 15:18-19, Jesus describes it this way.  “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of this world, the world would love its own.  Yet, because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Did these things all happen in 70 AD.  Yes, of course they did.  However, neither did they end then.  These things have continued on down through the centuries into the modern age.  In fact, more believers were martyred for the sake of Christ in the 20^th century than the previous 19 centuries combined.

Another question to ask is this.  Did Jesus come back at 70 AD and did he bring an end to the age of Israel’s domination by the Gentiles?  No, he did not.  All attempts to spiritualize the 2^nd Coming of Jesus and the end of the age come across as a religious person trying to have their cake and eat it too.  It smacks of religious charlatans who discover their prophecy did not happen and so seek to further the deception by spiritualizing it.  Don’t be deceived.  These things are spiritual and nature, but they will also be literal.  Jesus will come back and the domination of Israel by the nations will come to an end.  We are still in the Times of the Labor Pains, and the contractions are happening quicker and harder each day.  The Day of the Wrath of the Lord is at hand and who can stand?  Only those who have put their faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Don’t put this off until later.  Do it today!

Jesus Future Audio

Evangelist Ernie Salinas

This Sunday, we were blessed to have Evangelist Ernie Salinas with us.  We will not post an article for his words of encouragement, but we are making the audio available for those who missed it.

Blessings!

Salinas audio

The Spirit of the Age

Ephesians 2:1-3; 6:10-13.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 6, 2020.

We have reached Mark chapter 13, which is a big transition in the book.  We will also have a visiting evangelist next Sunday.  Therefore, I have decided to go a different direction today and talk about the Spirit of this Age.

Throughout history, it has been noticed that people groups can be infected by an idea that seizes them to such a degree that they are caught up into something that is bigger than themselves.  The group energy often pulls the individuals that comprise it beyond where they would go on their own. 

Fyodor Dostoevsky, among others, saw this happening in his country of Russia, and, at the end of the 1860’s, published his novel The Possessed (depending on how it is translated it could also be called The Demonized).  At one point in the book, some revolutionaries have started a poorer part of town on fire.  During the pandemonium of trying to put the fire out, one character that has been a bit of a goof, even borderline mental, shouts one of the best lines of the book.  “You can’t put out the fire; the fire is in the minds of men!” 

We similar activity in our own country today, and must ask ourselves the question.  Just what has seized the minds of not just 21^st century Americans, but people all over the world?  The Bible refers to it by many names, but we are going to use “The Spirit of the Age.”

The reality of the unholy spirit

In the opening verses of Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul points out the reality of a spirit that is influencing this world.  Satan loves to mimic God.  If there is something that God has done then he will mock it with a false version of his own.  Just as there are true prophets of God so, he sends false prophets.  Those who pretend to speak on behalf of God, but delude the people.  Just as there is a true Christ so, he sends all manner of antichrists, or false Christs, in order to deceive the people.  The Bible warns of a coming, ultimate Antichrist who will deceive the whole world with the help of the ultimate False Prophet.  It should be no shock that there would also be the work of an unholy spirit, which represents the whole force of spiritual wickedness led by Satan.

Notice how Paul portrays those who do not follow Christ.  Yes, they are walking in their sins, but they are also under the influence of the “prince of the power of the air.”  In fact, he says more pointedly that this unholy spirit is presently “working in the sons of disobedience.”  They are those who refuse to follow the Holy Spirit of God and believe upon Jesus Christ.

There are some who disobey the Holy Spirit knowingly.  They believe that the God of the Bible and Jesus of the cross have misled the world.  They work directly against the Truth of God.  However, the great majority of people in this world participate in disobedience unknowingly.  They are simply following the course of this world that was laid out in front of them, and going with the overall flow of this Age.

Paul explains that this spirit uses the lusts of our flesh and the desires of our mind to influence and direct us.  Like a harness on a horse, we can be pulled around away from truth and towards the destructive ends of our own desires.

Satan didn’t make Eve want the fruit of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  He only influenced her towards the idea of rebellion against God’s command.  The Bible tells us, “when the woman saw [who saw?] that the tree was good for food [good for whom?], that it was pleasant to the eyes [whose eyes], and a tree desirable to make one wise [which one?], she took of its fruit and ate.”  The strong desires and appetites of our flesh do not want to be limited by the Truth of God.  The willfulness of our mind wants to go in particular directions that God warns against.  On top of all of this, there is a spiritual realm with beings who are working overtime to influence and manipulate us towards rebellion against God, whether knowingly or unknowingly.  This is the Spirit of the Age.

You should go ahead and read all of Ephesians 2.  When reading verses 1-3, it seems a rather dark image with little hope.  However, verse four says,

“But God, rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.”

Christians are no longer a part of the “walking dead.”  Instead, we have been delivered and made alive.  The biblical picture is not one of Zombie movies, or games, in which we are trying to slaughter all the zombies created by the evil spirit of this world.  Rather, we are the hand of Christ to touch the minds and hearts of the zombies so that they may have a renewed mind.  Everywhere he went, Jesus touched people and healed them.  He has given us the antidote to the greatest wound, the direst disease, that this world has.  We have compassion because, “we too were zombies once.” 

Let us never forget the battle that is going on all around us.  If we merely go through life trying “to get ours,” or trying to change the world according to the philosophies of this world, then we will find ourselves part of a fire that may promise a better future by which to warm ourselves, but in the end only leaves mankind in cinders and shackles. 

Later in the letter, Paul touches on this spiritual dimension again.

Our battle is not with people, but with the Spirit of the Age

In Ephesians 6:10-13, we are reminded of our real enemy.  Jesus has given us a clear directive, but it is easy for us to lose sight of the one we should be fighting.  Paul reminds us that our battle is with the spiritual powers that are enslaving people by their own lusts and self-will.

An important part of any battle is one’s protective gear.  Paul tells us to put on the armor of God.  The things that he lists involve the very things that often make us afraid.  The Spirit of the Age (SotA) warns us not to tell the truth because it will cause us trouble.  The SotA tells us that doing the “right thing” will only get us into trouble.  The SotA tells us not to share the Gospel because we will look stupid; don’t trust God because He doesn’t exist; don’t trust Jesus to save you, take your salvation into your own hands.  And, the antibiblical messages never stop.  Through fear, the Spirit of this Age convinces people to lay aside the only things that can protect them from it.

Christians, we cannot put our faith in Jesus without also trusting his armor.  Too many Christians are wearing the armor of Saul, the armor of this world.  However, Christ calls us to wear the armor that the world can’t see and it can’t understand.  It is an armor that protects our hearts and minds from the lies of a deceptive enemy.  Now is the day to stand on the Truth of God’s Word even when the world says it isn’t true.  Now is the time to do what God says is right rather than what the world says is right.  We need to be a people of the Gospel, walking in faith, and holding onto the salvation of Jesus through prayer.  This is the only protection we have against an enemy that is to us much more than Goliath was to little David.  However, always remember that is sufficient for the task.

Paul does list one offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit.  He makes it clear that he is talking about the Word of God, the Bible itself.  It is powerful and able to cut to the hearts and minds of people.  It is the Good News of Jesus, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.  Becoming a student of God’s Word, and a follower of the Holy Spirit of God, will enable us to both stop attacks against ourselves, and rescue others from the grip of the spirit of this world.

Jesus said that you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.  This world tells us that our problem is that we don’t have stuff that other people have.  But, the truth of God tells us not to covet anything that belongs to our neighbor, much less steal or destroy it.  It tells us to love our neighbor like we love ourselves.  Yet, the spirit of this age stirs up envy, jealously, resentment, and then anger and rage.  It seeks to light a fire of passions in you that can be used to destroy you and your neighbor (and our communities, nations, world). 

The spirit of this age tells us that our problem is all the differences that we have: gender, race, economic status, etc…  But, the truth of God tells us that there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  It is not that these distinctions and affect on our lives aren’t real, but that they are used to manipulate us.  Men and women fighting against each other, blacks and whites, the have-nots against the haves, these are the things that only destroy us further.  In Christ, believers are to cease living for their distinctions.  They are to lay down the bloody flag of earthly revolutions in the flesh, and join God’s revolution against the spirit of this age.  If we will do this then we will truly find life.

Spirit Age Audio