Part 1
We are at war. Simply, succinctly, regardless of your theology, beliefs, concepts… whatever. It is a time of war on this earth. There are territories being fought over, people being attacked and wounded, there are captives, those who are in bondage.
I am not a teacher today, so I won’t get into a long scripture based theological dissertation on the legal status of the earth and the heavens, and those in the earth. Nor am I particularly interested in your stand on it. I am standing in the place of prophet and seer and proclaiming to you truth of what is happening and what will happen.
Jesus came that we might have life and that abundantly (John 10:10). His work was to destroy the works of the evil one and to re-establish mankind’s relationship with the great and only God of the universe. For Papa God so loved the world that He gave His only, His one and only, Son so that whoever in all the world, believes in Him would not die but have life with Papa forever. Papa sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:16-17).
There is an enemy, satan, the evil one, and he has forces allied with him, demons. They come to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). They are not misunderstood angels, they are not beings from another dimension who are just looking for a place they can live in peace. They are completely evil, devoid of any good, whose purpose is to ruthlessly destroy any vestige of good in this world. Murder, child sex trade, torture, poverty, hurricanes, earthquakes, genocide, war, cancer, disease… these things aren’t from God nor are they His will for the earth.
The term “act of God” applied to occurrences in the earth is a defamatory statement conceived in the halls of the enemy and applied to the very one who sent His son to save us from the very thing He is accused of causing. In the same way there are those who claim that hurricanes, earthquakes, genocides, etc are “judgments of God” against sinners. But the disciples wanted to get all judgmental and bring down wrath of God stuff, Jesus said that they didn’t realize what spirit they were manifesting because Jesus came not to destroy men’s lives but to save (sozo) them.
So if they weren’t manifesting His Spirit whose were they manifesting? Must be the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
So where does this leave us. There is a war going on across the face of this planet. People’s lives are being stolen, any vestige of good is being attacked and killed and their hopes are being destroyed. What they need, is to be saved, delivered, protected, healed, preserved, made whole, loved. I think the greatest news anyone could bring to me, to us, to this world is that we have a super hero who can do all that. Here is how Jesus stated the “good news” that He came to preach.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)
And
His prayer and our prayer included asking that:
the Kingdom of God come and Papa’s will be done on earth just like it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:2).
Was He just pulling our leg? Did Papa and Jesus want us to ask them for something that is not going to happen? Or just happen in the sweet by and by. That won’t happen here? Or are we asked to pray for something that He wants to do, plans on doing, is doing and wants us to ask that we might receive and do? Jesus did it and he conquered the bully by doing a counterwork καταργηση, and rendered useless and ineffectual, all the operations of him who had the power, κρατος, or influence, to bring death into the world (Clarke on Hebrews 2:14).
Is the Spirit of the Lord in and on His body (us) so that we are proclaiming the good news, healing the broken hearted, releasing the captives, giving sight to the blind, delivering those who are crushed, going forth and proclaiming the time of God’s favor on the earth and bringing the Kingdom of God and His will and reign to the earth just like it is in heaven?
I say to you YES!!!
