In order to transform the city we live in, the church in that city-which are those called out to govern, must displace the principalities and powers that are governing that city.
The worst mistake in war is to not know where the battleground is located. Where is the battle? Is the battle in the mind? That may be true to some extent, but in reality the battle is in the heavenly places. The god of this world blinds the minds of those who do not believe- the lost to the gospel. Where does the enemy operate? -In the spirit realm.
Where is the battle zone? Where is our battle? The book of Ephesians above all other books of the Bible is like a window into the spirit world in spiritual warfare. Ephesians is a handbook for spiritual warfare; it contains more power words connected to warfare in the heavenlies than any other book in the Bible. This epistle to the Ephesians was addressed to a church that succeeded in reaching its entire city for Christ.
Heavenly places- this phrase is used 5 times in the book of Ephesians, what does it mean? The average church member in the Western world has no idea what that expression really means and where this so-called place is. Heavenly places where is it?
Obviously the believers in Ephesus understood that. And Paul didn’t explain it to them, but our Western mindset is so closed to spiritual things and the spirit world that it’s difficult to comprehend the seeming intangible world of spiritual things.
The Greek word for the term heavenly places (epouranios) literally means the heavenly. It is from two root words 1-epi- of position, of authority, the one over 2- ouranos- to cover or encompass, speaking of the region above, and the seat of order of things. The word has been translated as heaven or air. It is as close to us as the air we breathe, it is the spirit world- it is another realm, another dimension, the unseen realm.
Ephesians 1: 3 blessed be the God and Father of our lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
We have been blessed in heavenly places in Christ. All the spiritual blessings are in that realm. Jesus is seated in heavenly places. We are seated in our authority levels in heavenly places. Evil principalities and powers are also in heavenly places. So it’s not just a place called heaven because we got evil principalities and powers seated there too.
The term heavenly places or the heavenlies is basically a term that is used for the realm of spirit. It is a term that encompasses the whole of the spirit world. It is the world of spirit. Heaven is a world of spirit. Hell is a world of spirit. The word hell in our English bibles is a mistranslation of the original language, which refers to the regions of captivity in the spirit world, like a jail or prison in the natural world.
The term heavenly places is used to describe the spirit world, it is an encompassing thing. This is where the battle zone is, it’s not in our physical world- it is in the spirit world. It’s really important that we grasp this. We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood; it is in the spirit realm, the Rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places.
If we grasp this, God will not be a million miles away. Because we live in the same realm as God lives in, we just have to learn how to be aware of it. Our spirit lives in this realm because our spirit is spirit. Jesus has absolute authority in this realm and we are seated with him in that realm. Jesus is the door into the kingdom realm of His Spirit that we have to learn how to ascend into.
There are many doors into the spirit world, if we don’t enter in through him we are in trouble. We can be empowered by a different spirit, enter a world of deception, or can end up being tormented by evil spirits who live in this realm.
This is what I currently believe, but you are powerful, you have been given the choice to disagree. So put it on the shelf, you may come to believe it in the future.
Ephesians 4: 8 Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up(two root words 1- ana- upward, into the midst 2-basis-from baino-to walk, a stepping) on high (hypsos-height, elevation-exaltation, metaphorically of rank-authority, he led captivity (aichmalōteuō-to capture, to lead captive root-aichmalōtos a prisoner of war) captive (aichmalōsia-captivity root-aichmalōtos a prisoner of war), and gave(imparted by the spirit) gifts unto men,9 now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill(Plēroō- to fill up, complete, perfect, end. This word is in the aorist-past tense, subjective mood or mode, which means it is subject to a condition- active voice-what Jesus is going to do) all things (totality).
We are talking about the spirit world, the unseen realm. We are talking about the restoration of all things here. Jesus cannot fill all things until the sons of God occupy their governmental positions in the heavenly places.
Hebrews 10: 12 but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;13 from henceforth (used of time, hence forward) expecting (continuous action, 1- ek-a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause )2-to actively receive, to watch for, expect, about to receive) till his enemies (in opposition) be made his footstool. (1-underfoot 2-treading down, to subdue)
Christians are waiting for Jesus to return and rescue them from the great tribulation, but Jesus is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God who will loose all creation from futility.
Acts 3: 20And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21Whom the heaven must (absolute necessity) receive until (up to; he will not come back until) the times (chromos-space of time, implies delay) of restitution (a restitution of a thing to its former condition, to restore to its former state)
of all things ( totality), which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Jesus is not coming back until the restoration of all things to their former state before the fall. We are not going to understand end-time events, until we understand how what happens in the realm of the spirit, the heavenly places, affects what happens upon the earth.
Jesus told Nicodemus that he could not see the kingdom or enter into it unless he was born from above. The kingdom is a spiritual dimension that we cannot see or enter into unless our spirit is born from above. Jesus referred to this as an earthly thing, 101 Christianity, first the natural then the spiritual. He used a natural example of being born, and he said unless you are born from above, you are not going to understand anything I am saying, because no one at the time had received this experience.
John3:12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 No man (no one, not even one) hath ascended up (completeness of action, to go up, to come up) to (motion into) heaven, but (except) he that came down (completeness of the action) from (motion out of) heaven, even the Son of man which is (continuous, repeated action) in (remaining in) heaven. (Immediate presence of God, the kingdom of heaven)
Jesus had real trouble with the disciples when he started to talk about spiritual things he said in John 3:12 if I’ve told you of earthly things and you don’t understand how you will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things. Then he went on to say something that seemed contrary. No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven even the son of man which is in heaven. Jesus spoke this while he was on the earth, even the son of man which is in heaven. How could he be in two places at once?
He said- look if I tell you earthly things and you don’t believe you are really going to have trouble with what I want to say to you next. You are going to have problems with this. While on earth Jesus said he was in heaven. Jesus operated in the realm of spirit, heavenly places. The realm of spirit, heavenly places, is not a million miles away it is all around us.
To bring change, it first be accomplished in that realm of spirit before it is manifest in the natural realm. Getting people saved is a spiritual problem. You got to deal with it in the realm of spirit, to see the results in the natural realm.
Jesus said to peter in Matthew 16:19. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever you bind on earth must be already bound in heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth must already be loosed in heaven. Another words it is going to happen in the spirit world first. That is what he is saying. It has got to be done in the realm of spirit, before we see it manifested upon the earth.
Things have to be changed in the spirit realm, the fourth dimension. The realm of spirit controls the physical. When things are changed in the realm of spirit then change is affected in the natural realm. That is how creative miracles work, it’s not complicated to God, it seems complicated to us, because we have not learned how to move in the spirit realm.
Now the Bible tells us that everything, all of the blessings which we have are in the realm of spirit. How do you get them out of that realm into this natural realm? Everything that we need to fulfill our purpose and call and destiny in this life has been provided for us, and it is just waiting for us in the realm of spirit. We have to learn how to enter that realm, how to be filled with the Spirit so that we can possess it.
The spirit of the unsaved person, which is in the realm of spirit, is held captive in that dimension. The unsaved are held captive in the realm of spirit in heavenly places, the realm of spirit. The idea is for us to get in there and set them free. That’s why the Bible talks about over and over again, about setting the captives free. Their spirit is held captive in there, in that realm. Now the idea of the church is to get into that realm and set them free. We have to learn how to be a spirit opener.
The book of Ephesians gives us a graphic picture of Jesus plundering Satan’s domain, plundering the heavenly places. And we are also going to learn how to do this.
Ephesians 4: 8 Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up (two root words 1- ana- upward, into the midst 2-basis-from baino-to walk, a stepping) on high (hypsos-height, elevation-exaltation, metaphorically of “rank-authority)
We are on a journey; there are two pathways we are following, the pathway of intimacy and the pathway of responsibility. Both of these pathways are an ascending into the spirit realm.
There is only one door into the kingdom realm of God’s Spirit. And that is through Jesus Christ. Other people go into the spirit realm but climb up another way, they are thieves and robbers, and if you listen to them you will be led astray.
As we follow the pathway of intimacy, we will experience the fruit of Gods Spirit and be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. It is only as we partake of the divine nature and become it, that will we be able to discern what is false.
The enemy has power to do signs and wonders, but he cannot counterfeit the fruit of the Spirit, this is the only way we can tell the difference. Jesus was moved with compassion and healed the sick. That love flowed through him and was revealed in all the things that he did.
The life of God flows out of the heavenly places in Christ into our spirit and then into our soul. Jesus has torn the veil that separates us from the manifest presence of God.
When our spirit becomes alive unto God, there is a door in our spirit into the Kingdom of God that is inside of us which is a realm of spirit. As we begin to experience the Kingdom of God inside of us through meditation, we will find ourselves in another realm, our perception of it will be in different degrees according to the purity of our heart- the pure in heart see God.
All deception is a result of our heart not being pure, so there is a process of restoration, or transformation we need to go through in order to get the gateways of our spirit, soul and body cleansed, healed and restored so that we can experience the heavenly places in Christ.
This is a process, it is a pathway and journey that we are on, but it begins by faith that we can come boldly to the throne of grace. We can walk in the spirit here on earth, by learning how to join our spirit to the lord and abide in him so that we do not act independently of our awareness of his Spirit. But there is also a pathway of walking in the spirit in the heavenly places that begins by waiting on the lord, mediation and prayer.
The word ascend means a stepping in by faith. God’s presence never leaves us, but we leave his presence. So by faith we step into the presence of God, we turn our focus upon him believing his is right there. He is going to lead us on this journey, step by step, as we begin to hear his voice until we learn how to see him face to face.