God's Work with Planet Earth

Today we’ll pull together a lot Bible truths from previous posts. What the Bible tells us here explains why we see the things we see in the world today, and why the world is like it is.

The short answer is, hidden from our physical eyeballs is a spiritual war over this world. How did this war begin? Didn’t God make this world perfect?

Paradise to Battlefield

Yes, God made this world, humans, angels perfect, but He also gave all of His created beings freedom to choose (Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Revelation 3:20). One of the archangels chose to compete with his Creator, rather than fulfill the exalted and honored role that God had given him.

There are three key passages that give us more insight into what happened.

Revelation 12:7-12 –

• “the great dragon” “that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan” tried to turn the angels of Heaven against God, using deception, and this resulted in a conflict.
• He and the angels who believed him were cast out of Heaven to this Earth.
• The dragon (Satan) now has “great wrath” because “he knows he has a short time” before Jesus Christ returns and takes back the world He created, and judges the accuser and the usurper.

Ezekiel 28:11-19 –

• God speaking through the prophet uses these identifiers to address this person:
  • “the anointed cherub who covers”
  • In the beginning was “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.”
  • This person was both “in Eden, the Garden of God”, and “on the Holy mountain of God”
  • So this is obviously not a human king
• What went wrong?
  • “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.”
  • “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;”
  • “You became filled with violence within, and you sinned”

Isaiah 14:12-17 –

• What Lucifer wanted:
  • To “ascend into heaven” and be like God
  • To “exalt my throne above the stars of God” (the holy angels)
  • To “sit on the mount of the congregation” (humans who follow God)
• What Lucifer is doing in this world:
  • “weakened the nations”
  • “made the earth tremble”
  • “shook kingdoms”
  • “made the world as a wilderness”
  • “destroyed its cities”
  • “did not open the house of his prisoners”

Notice the phrase “that serpent of old” in Revelation 12:9 clues us in that this is the same being who deceived Eve in Eden in Genesis 3. God gave Adam and Eve “dominion” over the Earth (Genesis 1:26), but they lost that when they trusted the serpent (Satan) and disobeyed God. Satan then claimed that same dominion for himself. Even Jesus called him “the prince of this world” or “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31, John 14:30, John 16:11).

So hopefully you can see that a being who was originally created perfect chose to become proud, selfish, even violent, and has attempted to dominate this world. But he still can’t take over the hearts still loyal to God. What has happened is Christ has demonstrated God’s character (John 14:9) while Satan has demonstrated his own character, and they are like night and day!

Now, Satan is not allowed by God (his Creator) to use his supernatural power and just vaporize every human. So he works very hard to deceive and manipulate humans into self destructive behaviors. And if you look around, you’ll see a lot of people in this world engaging in self destructive behaviors.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly [places.” Ephesians 6:12

“spiritual hosts” are not human. The rulers and originators of darkness are not human. They are fallen angels who inspire human world leaders to use deception for selfish reasons and perpetuate wars which destroy millions. And they demoralize us with lies and encourage us to take advantage of each other.

So… If we don’t subscribe to the ways of the world and choose to follow the Creator who loves us instead, we’re definitely “behind enemy lines” right now.

The Hope (the Veil removed)

Right now we can’t see God or angles, whether heavenly or demonic, or anything spiritual unless God’s Spirit helps us to understand enough to see it “by faith and not by sight”. But this condition will change soon, because the veil between us and the spiritual realm will be ripped away.

“And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations.” Isaiah 25:7

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20

The veil in the Hebrew tabernacle and temple between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place represented this separation between God and humans. But when Jesus died on the cross, that 4-inch thick curtain was torn wide open from top to bottom. This was hugely significant, demonstrating how God wants to reconcile us back to Him on a personal level. This is what He is working toward.

“Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

Like many things in the Bible, this veil in the temple was a physical symbol for a spiritual reality. We think that anything we can see, hear, or touch is reality. But there is a reality beyond our physical senses.

As God revealed to Isaiah, when Jesus returns, the veil will be destroyed/removed, and we’ll be face to face with Jesus and angels.

Behind the Veil = Behind Enemy Lines

I identify with Thomas. I recognize that there are many deceptions in this world, but I’m just a down-to-earth, practical, black and white guy who doesn’t easily understand abstract ideas. So I’m very skeptical.

When the disciples told Thomas they had seen Jesus alive after He was crucified, Thomas said “unless I see in His hands the print of the nails” “I will not believe.” And when Jesus appeared in the room with Thomas and the others…

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

According to Jesus, all of us this side of the veil who don’t see and still believe are blessed because of our faith. The Apostle Paul nails down the limitations of our human perspective in this world.

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” 1 Corinthians 13:12, NLT

Now versus Then

There is a consistent pattern across various books and characters of the Bible that I’d like to bring out. I find this fascinating because it tells us more about God.

Job “NOW”:

• All earthly possessions destroyed
• All children destroyed
• Physical health and well-being destroyed
• Faith in God… NOT destroyed

Job “THEN”:

“And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10

Joseph in the “NOW”:

• Sold by his own brothers as a slave to foreigners
• Worked his way up in his master’s estate only to be falsely accused of attempted rape by his master’s wife and imprisoned for years
• He could have felt neglected & forgotten by God
• He had a spiritual connection to keep him strong

Joseph “THEN”:

• God gave him the interpretation of dreams
• Pulled out of prison straight to pharaoh’s palace
• Pharaoh recognized him as “a man in whom is the Spirit of God” Gen. 41:38
• He was made second to pharaoh, ruler of Egypt
• Through Joseph, God saved his family and much of the Middle East from starvation during a 7-year famine

David “NOW”:

• Had to fight lions, bears, and a giant as a teen
• King/employer tried to kill him multiple times
• Spent his prime years as a fugitive in his own country
• Ziklag attacked and burned, family and possessions stolen, though he got them back
• He had a strong faith, so that he was called “a man after God’s own heart”

David “THEN”:

• Became king of Judah, then Israel a few years later
• Drove back Israel’s enemies, made it a prosperous and safe country
• Established trading with other countries, and brought wealth to Israel
• Expanded Jerusalem and built up its defenses
• Gathered many materials to build the temple

Daniel “NOW”:

• Homeland destroyed
• Taken to a foreign country as a slave
• Surrounded by idolatry and pagan practices
• Thrown in a lion’s den for his faith
• But he never let go of God and prayed faithfully

Daniel “THEN”:

• God gave him interpretation of dreams
• Made ruler of the central province of Babylon
• Through Daniel, God’s messages were delivered to Nebuchadnezzar and all Babylon
• Prophecy and the future were revealed to Daniel, and to everyone who reads his writings, even to this day over 2,500 years later

Job, Joseph, David, and Daniel were all living behind enemy lines, just like we are. And here’s how this pattern applies to us.

Christians “NOW”:

• Trials & testing
• Temptation
• Persecution
• Loss
• Death

Christians “THEN”:

• Freedom from sin
• See Jesus face to face
• Complete restoration
• All will live by LOVE
• Life, abundantly

Survival Behind Enemy Lines

The best place to start, since this is a war, is Ephesians 6 and the Armor of God.

The belt, breast plate, shoes , shield, helmet, sword are all physical, but notice that the third line is all spiritual things: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, etc. Paul was using physical symbols to represent spiritual realities so that the believers could understand better.

“…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” Ephesians 6:17

This is interesting simply because Jesus is described in visions as having a sharp sword coming out of His mouth in Revelation 1:16 & 19:15. And then there is this passage:

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12

God’s words are powerful enough to create a world, cause a global flood, turn back the sun, raise the dead, and change hearts.

Obviously, you can go deep into each one of these pieces of armor in Ephesians 6, but we need each one of these things to protect us from the spiritual attacks of Satan.

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12

• There certainly is a battle to fight, but it’s in faith, not in killing other humans
• Our eternal life is tied up in this fight
• God called (or predestined) us to be saved. Do we run toward Him, or toward the enemy?
• It is not only this world, but angels and unfallen worlds who are observing this battle over souls.

The Final Kingdom

“Therefore wait for Me,” says the LORD, “Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All My fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.” Zephaniah 3:8

• “Wait for Me” God pleads with us. At the right time He will rescue us. (Isaiah 49:8)
• God will ultimately gather the nations and kingdoms, and pour on them His indignation. Daniel 2:44 clearly says God will establish a kingdom which replaces all earthly rulers and kingdoms, and it will last forever.
• God is jealous, and rightly so, because He created this world, but it’s creatures and people have been corrupted beyond recognition of their original beauty and purity. He is going to take them back and restore them.

Jesus said His kingdom was “not of this world” (John 18:36). It didn’t originate from this world and it isn’t like this world. But it will eventually be established in this world. Or more accurately, Planet Earth will re-join the other worlds God created in being in harmony. The tiny black speck of sin in the Universe will be erased.

So in the theme of “Behind Enemy Lines”, all the pain, suffering, destruction, and death we see is temporary, and God will end it and replace it with life and peace.

S.E.R.E. Training (military)

In our world, it is possible to get shot down or be stranded behind enemy lines, and the military has special training programs for how to survive in a situation like this. One is called Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape. There are some interesting analogies available here.

• How to establish communication with your allies
  • The fellowship of believers (Hebrews 10:25)
  • Reading God’s Word and responding to Him in prayer (two-way communication)
• Making the best use of your environment
  • While a sinful world is a hostile environment for a believer (just like a battlefield), there are some places better for cover and shelter than others
  • Watch out for large cities, bars and clubs (where trouble frequently erupts) (1 Thessalonians 5:1-9)
• The best time to cross into friendly territory is just before dawn
  • The dark hides you from enemies
  • Then the light allows friends to identify you (as the “Son” comes)

But sometimes soldiers are sent behind enemy lines for a specific reason or mission. Here are some possibilities for the Christian:

• To gain intelligence on the Great Controversy (between Christ and Satan)
• To uncover/expose the enemy’s lies and propaganda
• To be able to testify to God’s goodness and mercy AFTER being rescued

What does God want from us?

So God will rescue us from a dying world and restore everything to perfection without deceit and death, as it was in the beginning. What does He want from us?

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

• “Do justly” – Deal with people fairly, as fellow children of God
• “Love mercy” – Help those who need it, forgive offenses
• “Walk humbly with your God” – Recognize that we are created beings, God is our Creator, and we need the wisdom, faith, peace, and love He offers us. Then give Him glory/praise for what He is doing (rather than claiming credit – “I did that!”).

“When all has been heard, the end of the matter is: fear God [worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is almighty God] and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person.” Ecclesiastes 12:13, Amplified Bible

The ideas here are repeated by the first angel in Revelation 14

“saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” Revelation 14:7

So in the meantime, before the big rescue (Jesus’ Second Coming), God really isn’t asking a lot of us, besides “behave yourselves and wait for Me”. It reminds me of human parents leaving teenagers alone in the house for some time. And as a whole, we humans have thrashed the place! Thankfully God deals with people as individuals and He will rescue those whose faith results in obedience.