Two Kingdoms at War

 By Atif Himadeh

          If I were to tell you that there was a king at war with another king, you would probably tell me that there are wars in many different places, that two countries or two nations at war is nothing new, that children and adults alike daily follow the events of wars around the world, that an article in a newspaper is likely to be about a war that has broken out somewhere, or about wars already going on in different parts of the world.

          I am not going to talk about the war between the Arabs and Jews, or the Gulf War, or the different civil wars that have afflicted different places.  I am going to discuss a topic that few others have discussed before me: the war between God and Satan.  There is a spiritual kingdom and a satanic kingdom.  The ruler of the kingdom of light is God, and the ruler of the kingdom of darkness is Satan.

          The Bible has told us about the conflict between these two kingdoms.  When Daniel fasted and prayed, God sent an angel with a message for Daniel, but the king of Persia stood in the angel’s way and prevented him from reaching Daniel.  However, God sent the archangel Michael to announce the sent angel.  He concluded with these words, “…and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia…” (Daniel 10:20).  A study of the life of Christ shows that Satan wanted to kill Jesus but was unable.  After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, Satan tempted Him but eventually fled because he could no longer face Jesus.

          Here is a story from the Gospel of Mark: “And when [Jesus] was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.  But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him.  And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God?  I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.  For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.  And he asked him, What is thy name?  And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.  And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.  Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.  And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.  And forth with-Jesus gave them leave.  And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine…” (Mark 5:2-13).

          Jesus began His kingdom on earth.  It was a kingdom of light, for Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”  Light always defeats darkness.  Jesus told His disciples, when they asked Him about the kingdom of God on earth, that His kingdom was a spiritual one for the time being.  When Pilate asked Him if He was a king, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world…” (John 18:36).  Jesus is a king indeed, but for now He reigns in the hearts of those who believe in Him.  One day very soon He will rule over the whole world.

          The kingdom of light is not the only kingdom in the world.  There is another kingdom – the kingdom of darkness.  The ruler of the kingdom of darkness is the disobedient Satan, also called Lucifer or Azrael, who was once the head of all the angels and the strongest among them.  But he disobeyed God and fell from his position.  Jesus told us when He came to the world that Satan had been condemned.  God has sentenced Satan to be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, but the sentence has not been carried out yet.  Soon Jesus will come to earth to chain Satan in hell for one thousand years, during which time Satan will stop tempting people.

          Right now there is a brutal war continuing in the universe that began in heaven between Satan and his followers, and Michael and his angels: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.  And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9). Satan is now called “the god of this world” and “prince of the power of the air” “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” II Cor. 4:4 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” Eph. 2:2   Satan disobeyed God’s orders, and many angels followed him, likewise disobeying God.  Most people on earth have also followed Satan, and are helping him in the war.  You might ask, “Are there really people on earth helping Satan?  Who are they?”

          Every atheist who denies God, everyone who indulges in the sinful pleasures of this world, everyone who denies that Jesus is the Son of God, everyone who refuses to believe that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, everyone who does not accept Jesus into his heart – all of these people are helping Satan, who whispers lies and temptations in their hearts, and fighting against God in the spiritual war between God and Satan.

          If you want to join God’s spiritual kingdom and fight on God’s side, God will be faithful to you.  Jesus said, “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).  The Bible says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).

          The Bible also says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).  Which kingdom do you want to permanently join?  The war between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness is getting more and more intense.  In this war, there are no canons, bombs, swords, daggers, airplanes, or submarines, for it is a spiritual war.  The fighting takes place in people’s hearts and thoughts; it is done through prayer and preaching the message of salvation through the only God.  In heaven, it is a war between Michael and his angels, and Satan and his angels.  We know who the victor will be.  God will cause the kingdom of light to defeat the kingdom of darkness.  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).  Jesus is the light of the world, and he gives life to every human being: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:4-9).

          Jesus is light, but Satan is darkness.  Satan’s goal is to keep people in darkness to prevent them from knowing the truth about hell and the lake of fire and brimstone.  Satan fights against God; he does not want anybody to know the way of salvation that God has prepared for all humanity.  Satan does not want people to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and go to Heaven, to the place of God’s glory, majesty, and greatness.  Satan’s goal is to conceal the redemption that God has prepared, and it pleases him to hear that people have strayed away from the knowledge of God’s mercy.  Satan does not relax until people doubt God’s existence and doubt that He lives in Heaven, came to earth, took the form of a human being with flesh and blood, was born of a virgin, shed His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, rose from the dead, returned to heaven, and paved the way for man to reach God, so that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life.

          The  man controlled by satanic evil spirits recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God as shown in the following verses: “What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God?” (Matthew 8:29); “And cried with a loud voice and said, What have I do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God?  I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.” (Mark 5:7).

          But Satan does not want anyone to know what he knows; he does not want people to know that Jesus is the Son of God, because that would be disadvantageous to him.  Satan knows that whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross will be released from Satan’s bondage and take shelter in the merciful, faithful, forgiving God who came to this world.

          Which kingdom do you want to join, God’s or Satan’s?  To join God’s kingdom, believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who is able to forgive your sins with the blood that He shed on the cross.  He will give you eternal life so that you can enter Heaven.  But if you refuse to believe in Him, you will join forces with Satan, who refused to worship Jesus Christ, and you will go to the lake of fire and brimstone and suffer forever and ever.

          Which kingdom do you want to join?

          If you want to join the kingdom of light, you need to believe four things:

1.     First, you need to confess that you are currently God’s enemy, because you are fighting against Him by sinning.  The Bible tells you that you are a sinner: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

2.     Second, you need to believe that God alone can enlist you into the kingdom of light.  God created heaven and earth and prepared the way for you to join His kingdom.  He came to earth in the form of a human being:  “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7-8).

3.     Third, you need to believe that God became flesh, was born of a virgin, and shed His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of sins: “…and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (John 1:7).

4.     Fourth, you need to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord: “That if thou shalt confess with they mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-10, 13).

In order for God to add you as one of His soldiers, you need to pray to Him and ask to be added.  Say the following in prayer sincerely: “Lord, I have been fighting against you by sinning, but I want to repent and come back to you.  I ask you to forgive all of my sins because of the blood that you shed on the cross.  Come into my heart and write my name in the Book of Life, so that I can be your soldier forever and live eternally with you.  As of now, I will fight against Satan using the kingdom of God and not swords, guns, or physical power.  From now on, I will fight by preaching the Word of God.”

I prayed this prayer on ______________ (month) _______ (day), __________ (year), and I want to know more about faith.