Dominion Mandate 4: Spirituality

It is very clear from the Genesis, Eden story, that humanity is at conflict with the spiritual world. The snake is not part of the animal kingdom, else Eve would have been surprised or shocked? She somehow knew the snake and naturally conversed with him, so did Adam. We understand that, even though New Testament writers refer to the serpent back in Eden, they are really referring to a supernatural entity—not a mere member of the animal kingdom (; ; ). The spiritual mandate of man is off all the mandates studied during this series of sermons, the most neglected!!!

Dominion Mandate 4: Spirituality

It is very clear from the Genesis, Eden story, that humanity is at conflict with the spiritual world. The snake is not part of the animal kingdom, else Eve would have been surprised or shocked? She somehow knew the snake and naturally conversed with him, so did Adam. We understand that, even though New Testament writers refer to the serpent back in Eden, they are really referring to a supernatural entity—not a mere member of the animal kingdom (; ; ). The spiritual mandate of man is off all the mandates studied during this series of sermons, the most neglected!!!

A battle for the heart of man

Ever since the fall; the battle of distraction continues seeking humanity's heart/mind and consequent obedience.

· Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit ()

· so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control ()

· lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain. ()

· lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil ()

· to speak reproachfully. 15 For some have already turned aside after Satan. ()

· lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices ()

· whose minds the god of this age has blinded ()

· the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ ()

The snake’s character and role are described in more detail in (, and )

Most of the twenty-seven occurrences of saṭan in the Hebrew Bible, however, do indeed have the definite article—including all the places English readers presume the devil is present (, ; , ; . The satan and the snake is thus not the same person. Because of the participal ‘the’ satan. The satan is a God appointee to be the accuser of the brethren. () [1]

H7854. I. שָׂטָן śāṭān masc. proper noun (Satan, the Devil) ; ,; ,,; (nasb, niv, see II); ,. שָׂטָן śāṭān masc. noun (adversary, accuser) ,; ; (23); (18); 11:14,23,25; .

4567. Σατανᾶς Satanás; masc. noun transliterated the Hebr. Sātān (7854, OT), adversary. Satan. The same as Satán (G4566). Satanás occurs thirty-four times in the NT: in ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , , ; ; ; , .

The devil’s offspring

The seed of the Snake/the Devil is therefore literal (people and divine beings) and spiritual (the lineage is one of spiritual rebellion). This description has secure biblical roots. Jesus told the Pharisees, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father” (), and called them “serpents” and 9p (). In the apostle John expressed the notion of spiritual seed—good or evil—manifesting itself in the human heart when he wrote: The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this reason the Son of God was revealed: in order to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Everyone who is fathered by God does not practice sin, because his seed resides in him, and he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are evident: everyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, namely, the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and violently murdered his brother. And for what reason did he violently murder him? Because his deeds were evil and the deeds of his brother were righteous ().

The devil has but one goal: have us abdicate our position, our Eden, temple ground and succumb to darkness.

There is a cosmic battle for territory: the territory of man’s heart.

Choose sides

There is no neutral ground in war. You have to choose sides.

Baptism & Communion () is declarations of war. [2] See ()

Jurisdiction:

We have jurisdiction on earth. (; ;) we lost this jurisdiction because of disobedience towards God, and our rebellious adherence to satan. (). The devil usurped our original position. (; ; ; ;)

Jesus demonstrated the power we as humans were created for and commissioned us to exercise our authority. (; ) Jesus overcame the powers of darkness. (; ) One who knows his or her jurisdiction do not fear rebellious obstruction of justice but determines to exercise authority over it. (; )

Exercise Authority over Darkness

1. "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." ()

2. "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." ()

3. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." ()

4. "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith." ()

We are either being energized from the spheres of darkness or by God

In various places in the Bible, the translation can be rendered as follows: Have faith of/from God – () (θεου – of or from God).

I live by the faith of/from the Son of God – () (του ύιου – of/from the Son).

...faith energized through love – () (root word ένεργεω – energizing).

... through the faith of/from the energizing of/from God – ()

After telling the people that it was not their own power or piety that made the lame man walk, Peter said that it was the faith which is through Him (Jesus) which had made the man walk ().

The Bible speaks about this spiritual energizing from God that enabled all the works of God by His people (Greek words ένεργεια, ένεργεω, ένεργημα, ένεργης):

... the energizing of His mighty power – ()

... the energizing of His power – ()

... according to the energizing by which every part does its share – ()

... according to the energizing by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself – ()

To this end I also labour, striving according to His energy which energizes in me mightily – ()

And there are diversities of energies but it is the same God who energizes all in all – ()

But one and the same Spirit energizes all these things, distributing to each one individual as He Wills – ()

For He who energizes in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also energizes in me toward the Gentiles – ()

He who supplies the Spirit to you and energizes miracles among you – ()

Faith which energizes by love – ()

According to the purpose of Him who energizes all things according to the counsel of His Will – ()

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that energizes in us – ()

For it is God who energizes in you both to will and to do for His pleasure – ()

... the word of God which also energizes in you who believe – ()

The energizing fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much – ()

to another the energizing of miracles – ()

For the word of God is living and energizing – ()

We are being affected from the Spiritual realm all the time. We are either being energized from the spheres of darkness () or by God (). [3]

[1] HEISER, M. (2019). UNSEEN REALM. [S.l.]: LEXHAM PR.

[2] see Tertullian: On the Crown 3; On the Shows 4; On the Soul 35.3. See Ansgar Kelly, The Devil at Baptism: Ritual, Theology, and Drama (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1985), 94–105.

[3] Peter Tan, The Spiritual World. FREE Download http://spiritword.net/ebooks/The%2BSpiritual%2BWorld.pdf