Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Sunday, July 28, 2013
1. “the rulers” = the highest ranking demons in Satan’s organization, such as Abaddon or Apollyon and Beelzubul or Beelzebub.
2. “the powers” = refers to demon officers who have phenomenal authority.
3. “the world forces of this darkness” = the world rulers which refers to Satan’s demon ambassadors who control many of the rulers of this world.
4. “the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” = “the spiritual forces of evil in the presence of God who represent Satan.”
Prin-One of the easiest ways for a believer to fail in spiritual warfare is to get our eyes on flesh and blood or people.
The point is that Satan and his kingdom of darkness loves to destroy the believer’s focus and get our eyes on people, JER 17:5, rather than God.
JER 17:5 Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord.”
Satan and his kingdom of darkness causes you to get your eyes on self, 1KI 19:10, 1CO 1:10-18.
The first one in the Greek is haima – blood. The second one is the word sarka – flesh, and together it says blood and flesh.
MAT 5:18 teaches, not one dotting of an “i” or crossing of a “t” will pass away.
Now blood is used first to emphasize people rather than their OLD SIN NATURE.
Blood is mentioned first because you cannot function in the soul without the circulation of blood to those frontal lobes.
The solution to all of the problems you face is found in the psuche, the soul. And that means the circulation of metabolized doctrine in the soul.
Blood is what circulates through the body. Blood is what provides the oxygen. Blood is what provides the ability to think.
Flesh is used here, the word sarxz for the old sin nature.
There are times we do get on the offensive against people but never against Satan and his kingdom.
MAT 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
MAT 16:26 “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
MAR 8:36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
ISA 53:10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting {Him} to grief; If He would render Himself[His soul – nephesh] {as} a guilt offering, He will see {His} offspring, He will prolong {His} days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
Himself is the Hebrew noun nephesh meaning soul.
We are in a state of warfare, exposed to invisible enemies, and we are naturally unprepared for this warfare in our own strength.
This is why we must be equipped from God’s armor, for no weapon of our own will be able to defend us.
The enemy we have to contend with bears an incurable hatred against us, and seeks nothing less than our destruction and overthrow.
The Trinity lives inside of us and Satan hates the Trinity, especially the presence of TLJC.
He has a contact or a strong agent within us, called our old sin nature.
All of this introduction should give you some idea as to the necessity of the spiritual armor God has made available, as well as the reason why you should be on the defensive and not the offensive.
We begin with the highest rank in the demon table of organization which is in the accusative plural from the noun arche.
Arche is taken from an ancient Greek word called archon and it refers to rulers, leaders, chiefs, those in position of high rank.
We know of certain rulers that are actually found in Satan’s table of organization.
a. There is Abaddon or Appollyon, who is a demon king who is located in the abyss, REV 9:11.
The abyss is a part of Hades and what most people call Hell.
It is the location of a demon king, one of Satan’s right hand angels called Abaddon or Appolyon.
Abaddon is mentioned once in the New Testament and six times in the Old Testament.
In Rev 9, Abaddon breaks out of this jail with the help of Satan who at that time has been cast out of heaven and can never return there again.
Demons who indwelt a man asked our Lord not to send them to this place called the abyss, it is the place of maximum security for criminal angels.
The fact that they called themselves “legion” means they were organized into a military force.
The demons knew they had violated certain principles of the Angelic conflict and that they could be tossed into the abyss.
Apparently at least 1000 demons indwelt this man, contrary to the rules of the angelic conflict.
The abyss which is the fourth compartment of Hades is the jail for certain demons who have been incarcerated there because they disobeyed the rules for the angelic conflict in human history.
The abyss, at the present, is the barracks for the first demon assault army under the command of Abaddon (Hebrew) or Apollyon (Greek).
This first demon assault army will invade the earth during the Tribulation period, REV 9:1-12.
They are released from their prison to become part of the administration of punishment to cosmic believers and unbelievers.
Hence, there will be visible heroes among believers; e.g., Enoch and Elijah and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists.
When Satan is cast down to the earth, he is going to be permitted to release his three hard-core demon armies. And they will attack human beings physically.
The first demon assault army is found in the first 13 verses of Rev chapter 9 led by the second ranking fallen angel of all time called Apollyon or Abaddon.
1. Only those in the cosmic system or involved in the world system can be attacked.
Those who are outside of the cosmic system, believers who are PTD, are protected by a wall of fire.
2. The second restriction is that they cannot kill their victims.