Living midst a spiritual reality

Here I wish to briefly talk about God, angels, satan & demons, eschatology, and how we live in the present with respect to all these.

God (Trinity)
Our God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, in whom all things consist, and who has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (see Gamma). His self disclosed name is "I AM", personalized in the Tetragrammaton YHWH. The Bible also emphatically says that there is no other God besides Him (see for example 1 Corinthians 8-10; Isaiah 43:10-13; Isaiah 45:5-7). Therefore idols are nothing. In fact, people who worship idols are submitting themselves to demonic powers.

Jesus Christ has been exalted to the highest place in heaven and earth, being seated at the right hand of God the Father. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus, as well as a name above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (cf Philippians 2:9-11).

Angels
The Bible also teaches that there are other spiritual beings, called angels. These are not on the same level as God, although they are much more powerful than human beings. They are actually designated to be ministering spirits for us people who are inheriting salvation (cf Hebrews 1:14).

Satan & Demons
Satan and his demons are other evil spiritual beings, and there is every reason to believe from Scripture that they are fallen angels who rebelled against God, with the devil being the archangel Lucifer who was cast out of an exalted place in heaven because of pride (cf Ezekiel 28:11-15; Isaiah 14:12-15; 1 Timothy 3:6). The devil wants all to worship him (cf Matthew 4:9-10), and some people do (cf 1 Corinthians 8-10).

The devil's traditional role included appearing in heavenly councils (cf Job 1) to accuse the saints. The word 'satan' actually means 'accuser'.

The devil has been given authority over this world (cf Matthew 4:9), and it seems that this was granted him through Adam's sin. Demons can also possess and oppress people. However Jesus and Christians using Jesus' name can cast demons out of people (but beware, seven fold can return into a person if the person is not thereafter filled with the Holy Spirit).

Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there has been a further defeat of the demonic powers, with a public spectacle having been made over them through Christ's triumph on the cross. The Book of Revelation also describes a 'war in heaven' in which the devil was cast out from there, no longer being able to accuse the saints!! However, the devil is still the god of this world, and still seeks to devour the saints, knowing that his time is short. With this knowledge, the Bible tells Christians to submit to God and resist the devil, and he will then flee from you.

God also uses / allows the devil to purify / test the saints (cf 1 Corinthians 5). But we can be assured that God is directing and working in all our situations for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

The Future
The Bibles teaches that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The Bible also teaches that there is a hell, a place designed for the devil and his angels, but to which also all people who refuse the overtures of God to them to repent and turn to Him will also go (by their own choice therefore).

For us who are Christians, at the resurrection of the dead, we will to some extent be like the angels in heaven (neither marrying or giving in marriage), but more significantly we will be like Christ, for we shall see Him as He now is. In fact, the Bible describes the whole Christian assembly in heaven as Christ's bride.

Personally, I believe that the 'new heavens and earth' mark a so-called new creation week. That is, I sense there is evidence biblically to believe that from a spiritual perspective we are presently in God's seventh day of rest from His original creation week (remembering that to God a day is as 1000 - 6000 years [see 2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 90:4]).

[However by this I by no means wish to undermine the fact that I believe God created the universe and everything in it in 6 days, as Genesis chapter 1 says.  I also believe without a shadow of doubt that the creation week was approximately 6000 years ago, according to the genealogies and timeframes we have in Scripture.  There is so much scientific evidence to show that the geological ages are in actual fact very short, and that the earth's primeval granites were formed quickly.  For more information, see the organization Answers in Genesis.]

Present Living
We as Christians may strongly assert the following:

• The Father loves us, and will grant us our prayers prayed according to His will (therefore by definition having been prayed in the Spirit and in Jesus' name, to whom all authority has been given!).
  

• The Holy Spirit has been given to empower, guide and gift us for Kingdom living in the midst of this dark world. We therefore can be salt and light to not only preserve our society (cf Abraham's dialogue with God, in which God promised Abraham that He would not destroy Sodom if there were 10 righteous people in it) but also to be beacons to attract and call people to the truth of the gospel and God's grace for us in Jesus Christ.