From the book “THE TRUTH ABOUT ANGELS”
by Terry LAW
Who Is in Charge?
It seems impractical, if not impossible, to fight against the kingdom of darkness, while trying to worship the God of light. They dwell in incompatible kingdoms and do not even share the same phone line. So if you're talking to the devil and wish to speak to God, hang up and redial. The reverse is equally true. God and the devil will not accept conference calls. You can only speak to one at a time.1
—Judson Cornwall
Why do many people believe that all supernatural beings are benign? Why are Christians unable to recognize "doctrines of devils" in books about the afterlife?
Why do Christians address God and the devil in the same "prayer" as if they are equal in authority?
Why are some of our Christian leaders moving in an area that amounts to presumption? (The word presumption means "assuming prerogatives that are not yours.")
Why are there conflicting teachings on who is really in charge: Jesus, the devil, or the church?
The answers to all of the above questions can be found in one particular event in history, which few truly understand. In my study of good and evil angels, I came to the realization that one event is central to understanding the true role of angels in the world. That event was the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.
That God could love mankind so much that He would send His Son to die for them is still a mystery that even the angels seek to understand (1 Pet. 1:12). Fully understanding what happened at Calvary is the only way for us to understand the present levels of spiritual authority.
What happened when Jesus "gave up the ghost" and expired on the cross?
What happened during the three days He was in the grave?
What did it mean to Satan when Jesus was crucified—and then rose from the dead? What did it mean to him as "prince of the power of the air" and as "god of this world"?
First, let's look at what was happening to people under the old covenant when they died.
The Terms of the Old Covenant
A story Jesus told of a rich man and a beggar (Lazarus) gives us some insight into the real conditions of life after death (Luke 16:19-31). Both men died, and the angels carried Lazarus to "Abraham's bosom," or paradise. (From this we infer that angels escort the righteous dead when they leave this earth.) On the other hand, the rich man found himself in "torments." He looked up and saw, on the other side of an abyss, the beggar— whom he had scorned—being welcomed by Father Abraham.
Why were Abraham and Lazarus able to see one another in this story?
Why wasn't paradise (or Abraham's bosom) in the third heaven with God?
Paradise is in heaven now, but that was not its location until after Jesus rose from the dead. Under the old covenant, after death all mankind went to a lower spiritual realm where there were two regions: the place for the righteous dead and the place for the wicked dead. In Hebrew this place was call sheol, and in Greek it was called Hades (which is the word poorly translated as "hell" in Luke 16:23.)2
As we describe what happened when Jesus' body was in the tomb, we will see what happened to the righteous dead who were kept in Hades.
[THE ABOVE IS FUNDAMENTAL PROTESTANT GARBAGE, MIXED WITH ROMAN-CATHOLICISM (WHO HAVE A PURGATORY) - ALL BASED UPON THE FALSE PAGAN TEACHING OF THE “IMMORTAL SOUL” - THE TRUTH OF “LAZASUS AND THE RICH MAN” IS FULLY EXPOUNDED IN ONE OF M Y STUDIES ON THIS WEBSITE - Keith Hunt]
From the Cross to the Throne
After hanging on the cross for several hours, Jesus cried out in a loud voice and "gave up the ghost," meaning that He died (Luke 23:46). He committed His spirit to the Father. In other words, He entrusted Himself completely into the hands of God. David tells us prophetically what was happening:
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [sheol]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter told his listeners that this verse referred to Jesus, not David (Acts 2:29-31). So Psalm 16:10 tells us two things about Jesus.
1. He must have gone into Hades, the place of the dead.
2. His body did not suffer corruption or begin to decay. (In those times, a body would normally begin to decay after three days, as happened with Lazarus.)
In Ephesians 4:9-10, Paul specifically said that Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth as well as ascended far above all heavens. Peter was even more specific. He wrote that Jesus preached to the "spirits in prison" who disobeyed God before the flood (1 Pet. 3:18-20).
[NOT SO AT ALL - THE PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLIC DO NOT UNDERSTAND THESE VERSES; I EXPOUND THEM AS I GO THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS UNDER “THE NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE STORY” - Keith Hunt]
Yet another piece of the puzzle is found in Luke 23:39-43, where the two thieves were hanged with Jesus. One thief defended Jesus and asked to be remembered by Him in His kingdom. Jesus told him, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
Using these Scriptures and others, I believe we can outline what happened to Jesus from the cross to the throne.
[NOPE HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND AT ALL - Keith Hunt]
Jesus Descends to Hades
Jesus' spirit descended into Hades, where He apparently went first to the place of the righteous dead, called paradise or Abraham's bosom. When the penitent thief died, Jesus was there to receive his spirit because Jesus died first. It also is most probable that Jesus declared the good news of redemption to the righteous dead.
From paradise, He proceeded across the abyss into the portion of Hades reserved for the wicked dead. The word translated "preached" in 1 Peter 3:19 is not the kind of preaching we do today. It actually means "making a general proclamation," something similar to an announcement by a herald. Why this was necessary we are not told, and it is better not to speculate. It is enough simply to know that He did it.
Some people say that Jesus fought with Satan in Hades. I do not believe this is true because Scripture never describes Satan as being in the lower regions. There is no verse in the Bible that says the devil has ever been to hell or Hades.
[NONE OF THE ABOVE IS TRUE OR CORRECT; IT IS ALL FALSE DOCTRINE OF DEMONS, AND A VERY BAD THEOLOGICAL READING OF THE WHOLE BIBLE. THE TRUTH OF WHAT HAPPENED WHEN JESUS DIED, AND THE ANSWER TO PAUL AND PETER’S STATEMENTS, AND JESUS TO THE THEIF ON THE CROSS, IS ALL EXPLAINED AS I WENT THROUGH EXPOUNDING THOSE BOOKS, AND ALSO IN OTHER INDIVIDUAL STUDIES - Keith Hunt]
On the other hand, there is evidence that the devil and his fallen angels live in the second heaven. There is a time in the future when Satan will be sent to gehenna, the lake of fire, which is the final destination of all wicked angels and humans (Rev. 20:15). (Gehenna is sometimes confused with Hades because both are described as having flames. [See Matthew 25:41; Luke 16:24.])
In other words, the part of Hades where the rich man was kept was similar to a holding cell for prisoners awaiting judgment. The lake of fire is the final prison of the universe. The sentence is eternal, forever and ever, with no possibility of parole.
[WOW…..A FUNDAMENATL PROTESTANT TEACHING RIGHT OUT OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC “PURGATORY” DOCTRINE….. WHAT WILL THEY COME UP WITH NEXT? Keith Hunt]
Why were the righteous dead being held in the same realm instead of being in fellowship with God?
The reason is that, until the penalty for sin was paid, no human being could be in the presence of God. The animal sacrifices of the old covenant were like a deposit on a purchase (a promissory note). The purchase was planned and foreknown by God, but until the balance was paid, the purchase was not complete.
Without the blood of Jesus being deposited on the heavenly altar (Heb. 9:12-28), no human descendant of Adam could stand in the presence of God. The righteousness of a total pardon was promised to those whose hearts followed God. However, until Jesus actually was crucified, died, and resurrected, His righteousness was promised but not imputed.
[WOWWWW…… ONCE MORE; WHAT SILLY CRAZY IDEAS PEOPLE WILL COME UP WITH, TO TRY AND LINE UP WHAT JESUS SAID IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN….. “NO MAN HAS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, BUT HE WHO CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN” (JOHN ADDS THE WORDS “THE SON OF MAN WHICH IS IN HEAVEN”) - THE TRUTH ABOUT DEATH AND RESURRECTION IS FULLY EXPOUNDED UNDER THAT SECTION ON THIS WEBSITE - Keith Hunt]
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
Today, when a Christian dies, he or she is carried by angels directly to the presence of Jesus.
[NOPE NOT SO AT ALL!! - Keith Hunt]
In Ephesians 4:8, Paul wrote that Jesus ascended and "led captivity captive." Paradise ascended with Jesus and is no longer in the realm of Hades, the "place of the dead." We see this in the death of the first martyr, Stephen. As Stephen was being stoned to death, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father in heaven and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). Immediately afterward he died, and I believe his spirit went directly to Jesus.
[PARADISE IN HADES….. CRAZY SILLY IDEA! THE “SPIRIT IN MAN” DOES GO BACK TO GOD WHO GAVE IT (ECC.12:9) BUT ALL THAT IS FULLY EXPLAINED IN A STUDY OF MINE ON THIS WEBSITE - Keith Hunt]
There are many other verses that also support this, such as 2 Corinthians 5:8 in which Paul wrote of being "absent" from the body and "present" with the Lord.
[WRONG UNDERSTANDING…..ALL EXPOUNDED AS I WENT THROUGH 2 CORINTHIANS, UNDER “THE NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE STORY” - Keith Hunt]
In Revelation 1:18, Jesus said He had the keys of Death and Hell (Hades). I agree with British Bible scholar Derek Prince that Death and Hades are dark angels.3 They are described as riding horses (Rev. 6:8), which could be a figurative or symbolic representation. However, both are described as being cast into the lake of fire along with the devil (Rev. 20:14). Symbols are not consigned to hell; only spiritual beings are.
[YA THEY ARE DARK, AS DARK AS BEING 6 FEET UNDER THE EARTH…. IN THE GRAVE - Keith Hunt]
Death, I believe, is the dark angel who has power over people's bodies, power to induce physical death. Hades is the dark angel who presides over the place of the dead where the wicked are being held pending judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).
[AGAIN THE FANCY WILD THEOLOGY OF ALL THIS BLOWS ME AWAY….. IT’S THE FIRST TIME I’VE HEARD OF SUCH THEOLOGY FROM PROTESTANTS…..WEIRD - Keith Hunt]
In the Bible, to have keys means to have authority. So Jesus took the authority away from the angels who were in charge of death and hell. That must have been a dramatic scene Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:8 that Jesus ascended after He descended. During the ascension, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men.
[NOT UNDERSTOOD CORRECTLY AT ALL….A HUGE PLANET PLUTO FALSE TEACHING ABOUT JESUS DESCENDING AND THEN ASCENDED AFTER ALL HE DID WHILE DEAD, AND ALL HE TOOK WITH HIM TO HEAVEN…. VERY INEPT THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF DEATH IN THE WHOLE BIBLE - Keith Hunt]
I believe Jesus' appearance at His tomb was during His ascension to the Father. That's because only at the tomb did He tell someone not to touch Him. When the Old Testament high priest carried the blood into the holy of holies on the day of atonement, no one could touch him. If they did, they would be smitten dead. Jesus was our high priest taking His blood to the holy of holies in heaven.
[NOT SO - JESUS WAS THE “FIRST-FRUITS” OF GOD. THAT SUNDAY MORNING THE FIRST-FRUITS OF THE COMING BARLEY HARVEST WAS PRESENTED BEFORE THE LORD IN THE TEMPLE SERVICE; IT WAS TRUE THAT HE DID NOT WANT ANYONE TOUCHING HIM UNTIL HE HAD GONE TO HEAVEN BEFORE THE FATHER, TO BE ACCEPTED AS THE FIRST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS - Keith Hunt]
When Mary saw Jesus in the garden, He said, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father" (John 20:17). Several other translations put this in the present tense: "I am ascending to My Father." (Howard Ervin, professor of Greek at Oral Roberts University, assures me this is the accurate translation.)
[WELL HE WAS GOING TO ASCEND IN A MATTER OF SECONDS, SO GUESS IT COULD BE “I AM ASCENDING.” LIKE JESUS SAYING, “DON’T TOUCH ME FOR I AM ASCENDING TO THE FATHER, RIGHT NOW, IN SECONDS” - Keith Hunt]
Later that same day, however, Jesus appeared to the disciples and told them to touch Him. During the next forty days, people not only saw Him in the flesh but also touched Him. He also ate and drank with them.
[TRUE - Keith Hunt]
After Jesus appeared to Mary at the tomb, I believe He continued His ascension into the first heaven (the atmosphere) and on into the second heaven, the realm where both good and evil angels operate. This was where I believe the events of Colossians 2:15 took place:
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
[HIS RESURRECTED LIFE TO IMMORTALITY AND GLORY WAS OPENLY SHOWING AND TRIUMPHING OVER THE DARK POWERS OF SATAN AND THE DEMONS - Keith Hunt]
Judson Cornwall gives tremendous insight into the Greek word for "spoiled"—apekduomai. It is a term that referred to a military ceremony where a victorious Roman general would stand before a defeated enemy in the presence of their respective armies. While the defeated general stood at attention, the conquering general stripped his uniform of all insignia, medals, badges, and other symbols of authority. He also stripped him of all of his military names and titles and claimed them as his own.4
I am suggesting the possibility that in the same way, on His way to glory, Jesus stripped Satan of every vestige of power that God had given him before he rebelled and was expelled from heaven. Any authority that Satan once had now belonged to Jesus.
[YES JESUS HAD COME, WITHSTOOD SATAN’S TEMPTATIONS, OVERCAME THE WORKS OF THE FLESH, DID NOT SIN, NOT ONE SIN, AND SO HAD ALL POWER AND AUTHORITY UNDER THE FATHER WAS GIVEN HIM, AS HE SAID AT THE END OF THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. EVERYTHING NOW BELONGED TO JESUS, BUT TIME WOULD BE NEEDED TO BRING SOME INTO FULL OPERATION LIKE THE LITERAL RULER OF THIS EARTH IN JERUSALEM DURING THE AGE TO COME - Keith Hunt]
For a limited time, Satan had been the daystar, an angel of light, the anointed cherub, and the prince of this world. But for all eternity Jesus would be the bright and morning star, the light of the world, the anointed one, and the prince of life.5
Cornwall wrote:
Every angel in the eternal abode knows that Satan has been completely stripped. Both hell and heaven know that Satan is merely a figurehead, a puppet, an exile. It is only mankind that seems unaware that the roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8) has had his teeth pulled out and is on a leash to the lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5).6
It must have been an incredibly dramatic moment as Jesus came to the gates of heaven with the righteous dead,
[OH YES WE HAVE SEEN HIS TEACHING THAT THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD FROM ADAM, HAVE BEEN IN A STATE OF LIMBO - A “GOOD MAN’S” PURGATORY, WHERE THEY HAD TO WAIT UNTIL JESUS CAME DOWN TO THEM (AFTER HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS) AND SET THEM FREE TO GO WITH HIM TO HEAVEN…..I MEAN IS THIS GUY REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS? WHAT DID THOSE RIGHTEOUS ONES DO FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN THEIR HADES HIDEOUT? PLAY ON HARPS MAYBE? DO CROSS-WORD PUZZLES? MAYBE DRAW AND PAINT WHAT THEY THOUGHT HEAVEN WOULD BE LIKE. I GUESS THEY FIGURED OUT SOMETHING TO NOT GET STIFF AND BRAIN-DEAD WHILE WAITING….. MY OH MY THE IDEAS OF MEN IN THEIR THEOLOGY, MAKES ME LAUGH IF IT WAS NOT SO SERIOUS A MATTER - Keith Hunt]
having completed His victory over Satan and evil angels. David gives us a picture in Psalm 24 when he says:
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
—Psalm 24:8-9
Now we understand why Jesus had every right to say that "all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18). Because Jesus has authority, the church has authority. Jesus defeated Satan through His finished work and delegated His authority immediately and completely to the church (Mark 16:15-18; Acts 1:8).
[I DO AGREE WITH THAT - Keith Hunt]
The Authority of the Believer
What does all this have to do with the believer today?
Does the believer have authority over demons and fallen angels?
Do demons and fallen angels retain any authority over people?
The answer to these questions is found when believers realize the authority delegated to them through the finished work of Christ. Neil Anderson of Biola University wrote:
When you don't understand the doctrinal truths pertaining to your position in Christ, you have no ground for success in the practical arena. How can you hope to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (Eph. 6:11), if you have not internalized that you are already victoriously raised up with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus?7
If we are seated with Christ, then our position is far above all principalities and powers of darkness. …….
The truth of the authority of the believer has everything to do with authority in the angelic world. Our knowledge of authority affects both the good and bad angels. Both respond to authority. They understand authority, which many human beings do not. The biggest problem with the church is that we have never fully realized the finished work of Christ and how it relates directly to us.
[NOT SURE THAT IS CORRECT; ALL KINDS OF SERMONS OVER DECADES HAVE BEEN PREACHED ON THE “BELIEVERS AUTHORITY IN CHRIST” - Keith Hunt]
When we understand that we already have authority over principalities and powers, we do not try to "pull them down" as if we still had to gain the ascendancy.
[WELL…..YES WE’VE SEEN WHAT THIS “PULL THEM DOWN” WAS/IS ALL ABOUT - “CHRISTIANS” WANTING TO LIVE HIGH UP IN TOWERING APARTMENT BUILDING, OR USING A PLANE OR HELICOPTER TO GO OVER A CITY WHILE THEY PRAY AND PULL DOWN THE DEMONS….. PRETTY CRAZY STUFF - Keith Hunt]
When we understand that we already have authority, we do not go to battle against the territorial spirits over our area. When we fight to take authority over Satan, we are attributing to him authority he does not have.
Why are the hosts of darkness ruling in so many countries, then?
They rule because the systems of those countries are Satan's territories and believers are not walking in enough light to transform those territories through the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18).
[THEY SURE DO NOT HAVE THE LIGHT; THE CHURCHES ARE FULL OF FALSE AND DEMONIC DOCTRINES; JUST ABOUT NO ONE REALLY STUDIES THE BIBLE TO LET IT TEACH AND CORRECT US; FEW HAVE A DEEP LOVE OF THE TRUTH; MOST DO NOT HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS. HENCE DEMONIC FORCES HAVE A FIELD-DAY UPON BILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD - Keith Hunt]
Why are the powers of darkness ruling in so many believers' lives? They rule because believers are not exercising the authority of Jesus, even if they know they have it.
[THEY HAVE JUST NEVER COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTHS IN GOD’S WORD; THEY ARE ASLEEP IN THE CHURCH PEW - Keith Hunt]
We need to understand, however, that our authority in Christ gives us no authority over another person's will and right to choose. Even Jesus does not exercise His authority to make everyone get saved.
Authority Among
Fallen Angels and Demons
What is authority anyway?
What does it mean to be "in authority"?
It means "to rule" something, "to be in charge." Some people confuse authority and power. Authority is the right to rule; power is the strength or force involved in enforcing authority.
In the heavenly realm, both good and evil angels operate without exception along lines of authority.
In earlier chapters, we have seen the apparent ranks among Satan's angels (Eph. 1:21; 6:12; Col. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:22). I believe it helps to know what kind of a territorial spirit is over certain areas. You can then find the right scriptures to preach or pray against its thought systems. Where I differ with recent spiritual warfare teachings is with the strategies being taught and the doctrine behind the strategies.
[OF COURSE EACH AREA WILL HAVE VARIOUS SINS AND DEGREES OF CERTAIN SIN; THE PROSTITUTION AND DRUG AREAS OF SOME TOWNS; SOME TOWNS HAVE “GAMBLING AREAS” OTHERS HOMOSEXUAL/LESBIAN AREAS AND ETC. Keith Hunt]
"Spiritual mapping" is a fairly new teaching. It suggests studying the history and social patterns of areas to find what evil spirit is in charge of their spiritual systems. Why are some areas more oppressive, more idolatrous, more spiritually barren than others? George Otis Jr. asks these good questions:
Why, for instance, has Mesopotamia put out such a long string of tyrannical rulers?
Why is the nation of Haiti the premiere social and economic eyesore in the Western Hemisphere?
Why do the Andean nations of South America [especially Colombia] always seem to rank near the top of the world's annual per capita homicide statistics?
Why is there so much overt demonic activity in and around the Himalayan Mountains?
Why has Japan been such a hard nut to crack with the gospel?9
Spiritual territoriality has a great deal to do with the way things are in any part of the world. In my twenty-five years of ministering in the Soviet world, I have been able to identify various spiritual powers over geographical areas.
In 1980, I was attending a Charismatic leadership conference near St. Louis. Fifty or sixty men had gathered to discuss what God was doing in the world. In the middle of the conference, a Roman Catholic lay leader walked in with the news that Pope John Paul had been shot.
The speaker immediately suggested we get on our knees and pray. As I began to intercede, a spiritual darkness came over me. I knew that a territorial spirit was behind the attack on the pope's life, and I recognized that spirit because I had dealt with it in the Soviet Union. I suspected the intelligence agency, the KGB, had something to do with the attack. (I was familiar with them because they had interrogated me five times.)
I said as much to the group. However, the next day the news reports said the man who shot the pope was a right-wing Muslim fundamentalist from Turkey. I am sure that it appeared as if my conclusions were wrong. I left it at that because I couldn't prove a subjective recognition of a spirit. About a year and a half later, though, the truth was revealed by the Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, that the pope's assassin actually had been trained by the KGB in Bulgaria.
There is no question in my mind that there are territorial spirits because the evidence of their activity is so apparent.
However, one might ask this question: If the church has authority over evil powers, why are they still operating?
Satan and his evil angels will operate until Adam's lease runs out
The believer has a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
Sin in someone's life opens the door for oppression.
A missing "shield of faith" lets fiery darts slip through (Eph. 6:16).
An evil angel or demon cons someone into accepting it as an angel of light and receiving its thoughts and doctrines. This is happening right now across the United States and other countries through books, films, and videos about "angels."
However, the bottom line of all these questions is that God is in charge. Jesus has delegated all power and authority in heaven and earth to the church. Believers have authority over all the power of the enemy as they carry out Jesus' commission to evangelize the world (Mark 16:15-18).
The questions we now need to answer are these: What is the connection between angels and the Holy Spirit? If we, as believers, have authority over all the power of the enemy, then why do we still have the ministry of angels today when, as Christians, we have the Holy Spirit within to guide and direct us?
We are going to look into these questions in the next chapter.
[OKAY…..WE’LL SEE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY - Keith Hunt]
………………..
TO BE CONTINUED