Two Spiritual Kingdoms
Whether you realize it or not, you and I are going through a spiritual battle every single day. The truth is, until the Lord gives us peace with the enemy, we will have to fight it out with them. Whether we take the victory or not depends on our standing with God.
You definitely want to be on the winning team
The truth is there are two very distinct kingdoms operating around us. There are people who have the ability to see these spiritual places with their own eyes, but they are few. These people are called seers. Samuel in the Bible was one of many who was revealed to us. Seers are able to see angels and demons and other creatures the same way you and I would see each other. They are given to the body of Christ to edify us through their gift. I walk with three currently and all of them have been to Heaven, seen Jesus face to face along with other events happening around us.
Jesus is as real today as He was when He walked on the earth.
Let me lay out how the spiritual realm operates around us. The First Heaven is what we see when we look up. It encompasses the atmosphere and all that is visible in the heaven’s. The Second Heaven is a realm hidden from us above. It is Satan’s kingdom. I hold that it is around the earth but above our atmosphere. That kingdom if packed out with spirits of darkness, otherwise known as demons. There are many different types and sizes. They come with legs and without. Some look like animals, large and small. None of them are good looking from our perspective. They are what you would envision in a horror movie.
The Third Heaven is Gods realm. This is the place where you want to go when you die. In the Second Heaven, there’s no Light and it is incredibly dry in that realm. It’s a miserable place where infighting goes on constantly. It is void of all the things we would expect through a loving God. In fact, it counterfeits all that God is. The Third Heaven, Gods kingdom is just the opposite. It is all Light, filled with peace and joy and of course the love of God pours out constantly upon the people and host.
You and I have been placed right in the middle of these two kingdoms spiritually. And each of us have been given a choice as to which one we will serve. To serve God and walk as a child of His or to serve Satan and walk in darkness groping through life. One life ends up living and the other ends up dying. Both are eternal.
Truly, where each of us end up is a choice. While it is surprising to many to hear, it is God who chooses who becomes one of His. No man can make that decision on his own. God has to reveal the truth through His Son Jesus. If you are reading this right now and know that what you are hearing is true then God has opened your heart to the Truth. Just know Satan is going to do all he knows to do in order to keep you from receiving the blessings of God. This is where sin comes in.
It turns out that what I have just told you is very important to God. So much so, that He made it the first story in the Bible. Let’s look…
Genesis 1:1-4 (NKJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
Right from the beginning, God separated the Light from the darkness. Not only was this done spiritually, but it became a physical property around us. Light pushes against the darkness. It cannot stay.
What do you like better, the Light or the darkness?
You will want to know that your life is weighed in the balance with God every single day. For example, if you get up and ignore God all day long, you are not going to reap the blessings He has for you down here. For the person who gets up in the morning and falls on their knees in prayer, God responds. But that isn’t the end of the story. Satan and his realm are going to do all they can to stop what God is sending to you.
How do they do that? Think of it this way… The moment you get on your knees and pray, letting God know your petitions, that prayer has already been answered according to the will of God in your life. He gives direction to an angel or multiple angels and directs them in how to fulfill your desire. Off they go out of the Third Heaven to meet your need. But they have to go through the second heaven to get to you. And you need to know that it is battle on for them. Do not think for a moment that the outpouring of Heaven is a sure thing in this battle. It turns out the angels strength to do battle is dependent on you.
The moment you are done praying and asking God for your request, a demon or multiple demons will come to you and begin to make you doubt for your request. There is a very important reason for this. If they can get you to come into agreement with them so that you would not believe God would perform your prayer, that prayer is erased. Let me show you this in the Bible.
James 1:6-8 (NKJV)
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Do not think for a moment you will receive anything from the Lord
So the lesson here is two-fold; do not doubt that God will do it for you. Secondly, you need to help the angels get through the second heaven. This is accomplished through worship. We don’t worship God because we want something from Him. We worship God because He is worthy to be praised. He is! He is amazing and marvelous in all His ways. And He loves you way beyond what you can ever comprehend. Only God can show you that love for yourself.
Psalm 103:19
The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.
This means God also rules over the second heaven. Many Christians don’t believe this, but it is true. His throne is above all thrones. Satan couldn’t even touch Job unless God gave him permission and directed what He wanted done. We see this with Jesus and Peter. Satan came to Jesus and asked if he could sift him out like wheat. Jesus agreed to allow Peter to go through the testing.
What about you? Have you yielded to the Love of God in your life yet? Or are you like so many who fumble through this life always wondering why bad things keep happening? Truly the choice is yours alone. You can choose life or death. God will grant either based on your decision.
Who will you serve this day?
Every day we have to make a choice. Whom shall we serve? Will we serve the demonic realm and look at the darkness around us or will we give up and let God turn us into the most amazing people?
Just know it is battle on. Look around. Stop thinking all these people who do the most ridiculous things in life are just products of a bad childhood. This is warfare at its best. People are being used by the demonic realm to further the kingdom of darkness.
You can be saved and know you are going to the Third Heaven some day. All you need to do is open your mouth and say, “Oh God, I am a sinner and I get it. I have served the darkness my whole life and turned my back on You. Please forgive me!”
Then you should take your hands and open up the two hidden doors over your chest and ask Jesus to come in and take over your life. Invite Him in. He wants to become part of who you are. You will know if He has stepped in. Nobody is saved and then wonders if they are. There will be an immediate change inside of you. When the Light enters, the darkness has to flee.
If you will begin to seek God with all your heart every single day, He will begin to show off who He is through you. The world will know you are His. All you have to do is walk by faith in what you can’t see.
Does it make sense if God is willing to save you that He loves you too?
Every day you and I have a choice. Which kingdom shall we serve. Choose life…
May the Lord richly bless your life.
Pastor Jeff Mauer
I want to hear from you if you have prayed and asked Jesus to forgive and save you. Please let me know about your experience so that we can be praying for your life.
