Powers and Principalities
in High Places
Part One
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (Ep 6:11-13)
How did Jacob "win" the wrestling match with the angel? They weren't exactly doing jiu jitsu all night! Paul's letter to the Ephesians describes how righteous human beings fight situations that appear to be beyond their ability or control: stand fully and confidently in your salvation.
In the passage of beautiful blessings uttered by the sorcerer Balaam, we have another clue as to how Israel overcomes and appears: "How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your tabernacles, Israel..."
In this same passage, “For there is no divination in Jacob” (Nu 23:23) is followed by the verse: “Behold! The people will arise like a lion cub and raise itself like a lion; it will not lie down until it consumes its prey and drinks the blood of the slain.”
The ultimate battle of the ages is won by warriors who are not using "divination" for the fight. When they operate in their appointed realm and calling, when they "stand," they fight like lions!
In a previous newsletter, The Dust of Jacob, we looked at Jacob's all-night battle with the angel, the "sorcery" of Esau, and how delicate a relationship there is between human beings and other created beings we may refer to as angels, or malakhim. Improper interaction with those beings can result in disaster, for each being has a strictly assigned realm of operation. Crossing that realm through communication, especially tapping into the "energy" or any knowledge of that realm, falls into the area of sorcery or divination. It is strictly prohibited in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. No wiggle room.
In The Dust of Jacob, one viewpoint was that the angel who wrestled all night with Jacob was Esau's angel. As Jacob had tricked his father into a blessing by posing as Esau, so now Jacob needed to legitimately receive acknowledgment of the blessing from Esau's angel. In fact, the next day, Jacob greets Esau and says he sees his face like the face of an elohim (also a term applied to angels or judges, not just the Creator Elohim):
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"...for I see your face as one sees the face of god [elohim], and you have received me favorably. (Ge 33:10)
Esau accepted the "gift" of Jacob, which was the material wealth of sheep, goats, camels, cattle, and donkeys. In turn, the blessing upon the children of Israel was released, a blessing of resurrection and restoration of the Garden in the Land of Israel. It was a wealth to be revealed only thousands of years later during the reign of the resurrected Messiah and Israel.
The Midrash opined a strange scenario, yet it fit perfectly with Yeshua's "sheep speech" in the Temple when he was challenged as to whether he was the authentic Messiah of Israel or not (Jn 10:22-38):
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The angel appeared to Jacob that night at the Jabbok stream as a shepherd and robber chief. “This one (Jacob) had sheep and that one (the angel) had sheep. The angel said to Jacob, ‘Bring across the Jabbok stream what is mine, and I will bring across what is yours. The angel brought across Jacob’s flock in the blink of an eye...” 3§6
The “blink of an eye” reference in the Midrash points to Yeshua’s “eternal life” statement. We will be resurrected to eternal life in the blink of an eye. Yeshua is the holy flame that protects the Father’s sheep so they may re-enter the Garden of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s inheritance. There are also imposters, sorcerers, who attempt to blur the lines of obedience drawn around the Garden of Eden. That imposter may teach that it is okay to set one's own rules of functioning in that Garden of resurrected life, but the truth is that we need Yeshua's righteousness to live there! Will we really be resurrected in the blink of an eye if we are rebellious against the voice of the Good Shepherd, the Living Word?
We cannot follow another who teaches and leads us astray into thinking immoral, disobedient behavior will be welcomed in the Garden. That's the voice of Esau. The Red One. The Red Beast. The messenger of the adversary, the serpent.
The Midrash told how Jacob kept going back across the stream, and there would be more sheep...all night long! The night is the exile. Finally, Jacob realized it was sorcery, an illusion that there were more sheep each time, and he said, “Sorcery! Sorcery! You are a sorcerer, for sorcerers are successful at night!” 3§6
Jacob’s sheep would have followed him, for they knew his voice. They'd followed him all their lives. These other sheep were “Esau’s.” They belonged to The Red One. Yeshua likewise said his sheep knew his voice and would not follow another.
Once the illusion was discovered, the angel knew the day was breaking, and he revealed himself to Jacob. In our "Tracking the Footsteps" newsletter, you received a sample glossary of prophetic language, including that "night" can represent the exile. Esau's angel (if so), was only authorized to oppose Jacob and his descendants until the "dawn," or end of the exile.
Because Esau is also called "The Red One," or the Red Beast as seen in Revelation, the co-dependency of the serpent and the Beast make sense, for both know when their time is short and the dawn is breaking. The exile of Israel is almost over, then Esau must depart and the "mountain of Esau" be judged. Jacob's sheep will be identified as faithful, and Esau's sheep will be separated for their sorcery, or disrespecting the set boundaries of Heavenly authority.
If it is so important that created creatures maintain their boundaries and levels of authority, then it is worth looking into those boundaries, roles, and authority more closely so that we will understand even more than how not to violate our appointed places and times, but to identify when another creature does. If there will be many lying signs and wonders at the time of the Footsteps, then we want to be the people who can quickly dismiss false fire and teaching that leads to false actions.
General review of angelic principles:
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Angels are malakim, or messengers dispatched with a specific mission, such as a deputy serving a warrant. מַלְאָךְ
- Because they are tasked with single missions or realms of authority, they appear very single-minded in Scripture. Their words are to-the-point and few. They do and say no more than what is necessary to complete the mission.
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The angel's name reflects some Divine attribute that enables him to complete the task, such as "Gabriel," the "Strength of El." Additionally, he will bear some of the Divine glory and honor as a type of "badge," such as a deputy receives from the Judge or Sheriff. This light can reflect his delegated authority, but if one is not well-versed :) in the Word, a deceiver can appear as an angel of light.
- Angels are created beings, some appointed to nations, domains, population centers, individual human beings, and in Daniel we see an example of where “mission” may meet resistance from an angel over a principality. In our perception, this takes more “time.”
- In the dispute with the Judeans at Chanukkah (Jn 10:22-38), Yeshua points out the need to know that Elohim has more than one meaning:
אֱלֹהִים ʼ; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God; occasionally applied to magistrates;
and sometimes as a superlative: angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.
While these angels or elohim do have assigned authority, territory, and power, they are all created beings. They are "mighty" in power, but only to carry out their tasks. They do not want to be worshiped. This is where idolatry, sorcery, divination, astrology, necromancy, and other dark arts cross the boundaries. Instead of seeking the Creator Elohim, who will not countenance disobedience and rebellion, nor will He allow a human being to substitute his own will for the will of the Father indefinitely, those who don't want to obey the Word will turn to those powers in high places, or spiritual realms, for answers to their desires. Like a child who knows his parents will not buy him a particular toy, so he requests it from a neighbor, so human beings try to bypass the wisdom of the Father.
When a human being dies, he or she is assigned to a different realm based on a preliminary judgment of the life. If a living human being wants to communicate with a dead person, then this is a severe violation, crossing a boundary drawn for a specific reason. The deception will occur when it appears the necromancer has contacted someone who looks like, sounds like, or knows like the deceased. How this works is not exactly known, but what IS known is that it is an encroachment into the realm of death. Yeshua is the only one who earned resurrection for human beings. All others are only deceiving thieves and robber shepherds.
Only with authority handed down from Yeshua can a believer call forth a dead person to live again. A necromancer can only call forth a spirit that has some appearance of the deceased. Yeshua's authority, assigned by the Father, actually calls forth the whole, resurrected person to live again.
These introductory details give us some thinking material for next week's lesson, which will consider more deeply how these powers and principalities function, so we will not be among those fooled by the Red Beast and his false signs and wonders, such as resurrection from the dead or fire from heaven:
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“He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” (Re 13:12-15)
Also in Part Two, we'll see how Israel is not like the other nations even though she is scattered among them. How Israel is supposed to interact (or not) with those powers and principalities over the nations will be explained in the light of the Footsteps of Messiah and how the powers of heaven will be shaken, as Yeshua explained in Mark 13:24-28. The good news? The shaking of those powers will be followed by a greater exodus from the nations!
Those assigned territories in the wilderness were not random. Instead, as the priests and Levites ministered to the twelve tribes of Israel, so the twelve tribes in turn were to rule and be a conduit of blessing to the nations of the earth as a kingdom of priests. A beautiful restoration to that calling is coming, and those nations of exile are preparing the tribes of Israel to judge them in the Kingdom. Israel will know the languages, customs, ethnicities, history, geography, and so many other things helpful when the nations come up to learn the Torah and the Word of YHVH from Jerusalem. As in Acts Two, they will hear the instruction in a known tongue.
The Footsteps of Messiah will shake loose principalities and powers because they will no longer be needed to rule the nations. Israel will arise with their Messiah like lions to live up to their wilderness encampment calling, dwelling in the gates of Jerusalem and with King Messiah Yeshua judging the nations who come up.
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