As you press into the Kingdom, you will face one crisis after another. Many times you may not understand where you are, what is happening to you, or why it is happening; but in Romans 8 there is a key to show you where you are and how to break through into what God has for you.
Romans 8 deals with the manifestation of the sons of God and tells us that all creation is waiting for it. In verse 19 we read, For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. They wait eagerly. They have an anxious longing. The King James Version calls it “the earnest expectation.”
Sometimes the importance of hope is minimized because it tends to be merely wishful thinking. However, the hope that has an earnest expectation is the same kind of hope that Christ has as He sits at the right hand of the Father, henceforth expecting until His enemies be made the footstool of His feet (Hebrews 10:13). There is nothing passive about it at all. There exists in Christ an earnest expectation to see the fulfillment of all the rewards of His sufferings, and we live in a time in which we will see it happen.
God’s people are in an end-time spiritual battle against the satanic spirits that are warring to prevent the revealing of the sons of God. The very first breakthrough into the revealing of the sons of God will be like pushing over the first domino. After that a whole string of events and breakthroughs will start happening. The whole Kingdom will come forth. We do not realize the importance of the focus that the Lord wants us to have in spiritual warfare. As we aim at a target, focusing on it, the Lord will bless us.
Once the Lord truly reveals this to us, we will never stop interceding and pressing the battle because we will see what we are in. Actually we are further along than we realize. The army of the Lord is in the end-time engagement with the principalities and powers, in which the Lord will manifest, through the Church, His manifold wisdom to those principalities and powers (Ephesians 3:10). We are not wrestling against flesh and blood. We may face problems that seem to be very earthly and natural, such as physical or soulish problems, problems of relationship, problems of business, or problems of finances. But do we realize that the problems are caused by the demonic spirits that are set to attack the people of God and try to discourage them? This is the final engagement in the conflict of the ages. This is our time. We have to understand the strategy of the enemy and why the battle is the way it is.
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation (everything that has been made) was subjected to futility (when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God did not leave a perfect creation and bring only Adam and Eve into futility; creation was subjected to futility too), not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope… Romans 8:19–20. The hope that is in creation becomes an anxious longing, an earnest expectation. If we could hear it, we would realize that the trees, the animals, and everything in creation is crying, “Loose us, loose us!”
This is true not only of the natural creation, but also of everything that man has made. It is true of the political world. If you listen carefully, you will not hear all the political speechmaking; you will hear the futility of nations crying, “Loose us. Set us free from this futility.” In your heart you will hear it. Spirit-led believers are not intruders in creation; they are the only people with ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying and with ears to hear the deep groaning, the intercession and cry of all creation, that earnest expectation, the anxious longing that waits eagerly for creation to be released.
In all creation we see a dog-eat-dog situation. Every creature, whether human or animal, has to prey upon something. The wild beasts of the forest prey upon one another; businessmen prey upon one another; nations go to war and kill one another. It has been called the law of the jungle, but it really is not a law at all—it is the futility of creation.
As a son of God, Adam was subjected to futility, and then all creation was too. In the Garden of Eden Adam was in charge of creation. God could not allow creation to be free when the man in charge of it had been brought down in futility. Therefore, He placed the whole creation under futility, but it was in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. Romans 8:21–22. Can you hear the cry of the creation that is in travail, in labor pains? Creation wants out of its futility and it is crying to the sons of God, “Be the midwife; be the delivering agent. Set us free. Deliver us.”
This gives us even more reason to look within ourselves. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly (we are not just hoping for something in the future that we wish would come to pass, but we are waiting eagerly) for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. Verse 23. We must break into it, not for selfish purposes but to take part in delivering creation. Creation must be brought into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Creation will not break through until God’s people do. Therefore, all of the battle of the enemy is focused against the revealing of the sons of God. It is all focused against that which is instrumental in bringing forth the principles of the Kingdom and the sons of the Kingdom.
Do you begin to understand the tenacity and the persistence of the enemy? Do you see how he will grab hold of everything he can to come against men who are chosen instruments of God to be part of an apostolic company for this hour? It is not by chance that in today’s spiritual warfare, men such as these will suffer vicious attacks against their physical bodies. Satan intends to kill, or, if he cannot kill, to cripple, to cause delays which will hold back the release, to do anything so that the sons of God cannot come forth. This is the satanic intent, because as soon as the sons of God come forth, futility will disappear from creation. When futility disappears from creation, we will see a great scarcity of demons and of principalities and powers. Paul tells us that this is what we war against. We are not struggling against politicians or wrong laws or anything in the physical realm. We are struggling against spiritual wickedness in high places, against principalities and powers that have taken over in this realm where creation is subjected to futility (Ephesians 6:12).
Satan even tries to possess the futility that rests upon animals, and he uses them at times for destructive purposes. Satan is the usurper, and he wants to destroy. How many times was Christ asked to heal someone? Once the father of an epileptic boy came for help and said that a spirit often threw the boy down, sometimes in the water and sometimes into the fire (Matthew 17:15). It was trying to destroy him. Demon powers vent their destructive force in order to turn the futility of creation into a self-destructive drive. This trend exists on a human and a bestial level, not only on the level of demon possession as it relates to afflictions, but also among nations that have guided missiles and are ready to blow up one another. Satan wants to turn the futility into a self-destructive force so that we destroy ourselves, thus negating everything that God is trying to do in bringing forth His sons.
Once again God is raising up apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11), but they will be battled viciously because in them is hidden the answer for the release of the sons of God, the firstfruits of all creation. When they are loosed, everyone and everything will be loosed.
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:24–25. Three times in this chapter this attitude of anticipation has been expressed: “the anxious longing of creation waits eagerly”; “waiting eagerly for our adoption”; “with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” We cannot be passive. Anything that is passive will be destroyed. Anything that procrastinates will be destroyed. We cannot be of those who draw back to perdition; we must be of those who are believing for the possessing of the soul (Hebrews 10:39). We must move in as fast as we can, eagerly and relentlessly pursuing after that which will loose all of creation. We must be loosed first.
This helps us to understand a little more. Revelation 12 records the vision John had about the woman who brings forth the manchild. The great dragon is there ready to swallow up the manchild as soon as he is born, but he is immediately caught up to rule. The manchild represents a company; it is Christ coming forth in His sons. From the place of rule everything changes. Therefore, the dragon has to anticipate and try to hit the manchild at the moment of its greatest weakness, at the moment of its birth. Whenever God indicates a place of ministry for a man through prophecy, Satan, that dragon, sets out to destroy him.
Many movements which have been very close to a true New Testament church pattern have missed it, and thousands of men who started out to walk with God have been swallowed up. The dragon has destroyed them. One little mistake was enough to put a man in jeopardy, a mistake not of a sin or of a problem of the flesh, but rather of being open to deception. That is why Satan is trying to deceive. Oh, how he is trying to deceive! If he can deceive you, if he can distract you a little so that your focus is not where God says it is to be, if he can divert you so that you are not pressing in with all of your heart and doing exactly what God says you are to do, then you are in jeopardy. There is something deadly in it.
Sons are coming to birth. The Lord is putting the focus upon the firstfruits of God’s end-time apostolic ministry upon the earth. That way you will not focus upon yourself and be self-seeking. When you focus on the firstfruits, everything else will line up the way it should. As you focus upon that which is bringing forth the Kingdom, you will find yourself thrust into it too. When your focus is right, your own problems will be solved.
Perhaps you need an explanation about today’s spiritual warfare and the way that the enemy will come against you. Are you aware of the battle that comes against the ministries of authority who are walking in New Testament divine order? Are you aware that when you start praying for them, spiritual warfare will come against you just as fiercely? Everything the enemy does is designed not only to thwart the first breakthrough into the manifestation of the sons of the Kingdom, but also to thwart anyone else who is set to minister in any way to assist in that breakthrough. Be advised that if you get under this burden, you will be under assault also from satanic nephilim spirits, the sons of Satan.
The contrast in spiritual warfare is definite; the battle is between God and Satan. The sons of God and the sons of Satan, the nephilim, are at opposite poles. Nephilim are human beings who are not necessarily demon possessed. They are human channels of Satan. He has access to their spirits to come and go at will. If the ministries of God pray over such an individual, the satanic spirit will flee and hide. Then it will seem as if there is no satanic possession in that vessel. At that moment there is not, but Satan always has access through that person’s withdrawal from God and lack of dedication, through fear and unbelief. In some way there seems to be an almost irrevocable openness which allows Satan to enter in.
The classic example of a nephilim spirit was Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot was withdrawn and covetous, and there were wrong attitudes in his spirit. Although he kept that last Passover and ate the Lord’s Supper with the disciples, when Jesus gave the morsel to him, Satan entered his heart and he got up and went out (John 13:21–30). Satan had access to him. We read in John 6:70 that even earlier Jesus had said, “Have I not chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil?” Even when He spoke at that time, Satan was there. At other times, before this satanic access became irrevocable, Judas was among those who went out to heal the sick, cast out demons, and do mighty works. There was a coexistence of the two for a little season, but then Satan took over.
When this happened, Judas probably did not even know what he was doing most of the time. When he betrayed and sold Jesus Christ, he probably thought that at the last moment Christ would be forced to manifest His power as the Messiah, and He would slay all the Romans. Judas must have had something like this in his mind, because when he saw that Jesus was going to be crucified, he screamed, “I have betrayed innocent blood,” and he threw the money down in the Temple (Matthew 27:4–5). Judas then realized what he had done, but it does not seem as if he did before.
In Judas we see the nephilim spirit. Jesus called him the son of perdition, the son of hell (John 17:12). Just as there are sons of God, so there are sons of perdition. There are sons of Satan through whom Satan can manifest himself and work just as God comes forth in His sons to manifest Himself. The manifestation of the sons of God is really a manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ in the many sons. Christ is coming forth to be manifested and revealed through God’s sons just as Satan is being revealed through the nephilim. The sons of perdition, the antichrist spirit, and the nephilim are all related together. We must be fully aware of this.
What is the history of these nephilim? In Genesis 6 we read that they brought such satanic corruption that God decided to destroy mankind. Verse 2 says that the sons of God saw the daughters of men and produced children by them, a strange breed. These were the giants and the men of renown of ancient times (Genesis 6:4). Keep that word giants in your mind. Nephilim are related to producing giants to stand against the people of God.
When the nephilim had filled the earth with corruption, God decided that the only solution was to destroy mankind. He took eight righteous people, Noah and his family, into the ark and delivered them; but He had to destroy everything else. The only possible solution to the corruption that the nephilim had brought to the human race was to destroy the race. It is very important to remember that.
In Numbers 13:33, the sons of Anak are identified as part of the nephilim. They almost destroyed the children of God, because they put such fear upon them. As in Genesis 6, these nephilim were related to giants. After the twelve spies, who had been sent out by Moses, returned from seeing the nephilim (the giants) and the high-walled cities, ten of them said, “We are not able to take this land.” Those men died of a plague because God had to have a people who would recognize the enemy and believe to take dominion over him.
In order for the Israelites to possess what God had for them in the days of Joshua, they had to go in and destroy the nephilim. Caleb and Joshua said, “We can do it.” After they had chafed in the wilderness for forty years, they finally went in. Caleb asked Joshua for his inheritance, the cities of the nephilim. During the conquest of Canaan, when one tribe went up to possess its inheritance, the other tribes would help them; but Caleb, with only his family, drove out the sons of Anak (Joshua 14:6–14; 15:13–17). Knowing how other people would waver, he had spent forty years building up the faith of his children to believe to destroy those Anakim. They went in and destroyed those giants because it was basically a spiritual battle.
Does this begin to ring a bell within your heart? Twice we read that the nephilim were destroyed. Today the children of God are to possess their spiritual Canaan. And once again, in order to thwart that, Satan is bringing in all of his nephilim and positioning them throughout the land. Today the giants do not appear as great, tall men, but the Anakim, the nephilim, the great men of renown of this day, are entrenched in the governments and the great corporation structures. They have a stranglehold on the finances and economy of the nations. They create political impasses until it seems almost impossible to see their power broken. Nevertheless, God’s people will be able to overcome them as they pray concerning them.
For this reason, the first step is to get rid of the futility that assaults us. Then we can become channels of God to move ahead and possess His Kingdom. We cannot waver like the children of Israel who turned their backs on the enemy and perished in the wilderness. If we waver, we will perish in the great quandary of confusion. That is what Satan is trying to cause us to do. Today’s spiritual battle is long and vicious. It is the final great assault of nephilim against the sons of God. To call this battle the sons of Satan against the sons of God is to put it rather bluntly; but that is exactly what it is. God can possess us and constantly overwhelm us. Satan cannot do that because he is not an omnipresent spirit. He can manifest himself through one nephilim at a time, personally and individually, but he cannot possess. He can move with a lightning rapidity that we cannot even calculate, but he cannot be in two places at once. Omnipresence is not an attribute of Satan. That is to our advantage. God is able to dwell in all of us, all the time; but Satan can only operate through a nephilim now and then as it pleases him to come forth.
The nephilim come against the Body of Christ to create blocks and impasses to destroy the people. They move with such satanic cunning that it is hard even to believe that such a thing could exist. We must pray and believe for our prayers to be effective. This is a relentless battle to the death. Isaiah 66:6 says that the slain of the Lord will be multitudes. We must bring down the nephilim with violence in our hearts. The nephilim spirit has to be broken.
Who can have that nephilim spirit? Anyone who withdraws, anyone with that Judas spirit, anyone who will let the deception of the enemy take over. Does this include people who are walking with God? Yes. The greatest problem will come from within the Body of Christ. This is where the false prophets and prophetesses and the false Christs will arise, who, if it were possible, would deceive the very elect (Matthew 24:24). Only as we stand together and declare war unrelentingly will we ever have deception broken and come into what God has for us. It is important that we understand the significance and the magnitude of the spiritual battle that we face. This is not a little matter of an incident here and there. This is the effective assault that is coming against the people of God.
It may not be possible to evaluate the amount of delays that have come; however, we must not delay any longer. We should press in with everything that is in our hearts and believe the Lord for a breakthrough. In the final analysis it is an earnest expectation. It cannot be a hope for the future that merely wishes for something to happen. There has to be such an eagerness and expectation that we go in and possess the promises. We must have the kind of hope that declares, “The promise is not future-related; the promise is a present reality. I claim it now. I loose myself now from any hindrance or limitation that would come against it.”
This is a clear picture of what is taking place in this end time. You may have thought you were simply going to win souls, but you will never win anyone to a true walk with God as long as Satan can blind the hearts of people, as long as he can stand effectively. He will not fight churches that are even a little removed from the will of God. In fact, Satan wants people to go to those churches because he wants to create something that will prevent people from making the giant step into the will of God, into the restoration, into the Kingdom. He will do anything to create fear or withdrawal or to cause people to back off. He is trying to kill, to cripple, to delay, to distract, to put up a stumbling block, to magnify unimportant issues, to change the focus, to do any satanic thing he can to keep people away from a true walk with God. That is exactly where the battle is.
The Spirit of the Lord is saying, “Now! Now! Now! Now is the acceptable time!” We have reached a great battle, and when it is won, everything else will come forth. This is the crucial battle; this is the crucial hour that brings forth the victory of Christ. Of course, we have to be yielded for Christ to manifest Himself through us; the extent that He comes forth in us is the key to the whole battle. The more we move in the perfect will of God, the more Christ comes forth in us and the stronger He is when we meet the devil that comes forth in the nephilim spirit. When Satan is truly confronted by the Lord, it means his destruction. II Thessalonians 2:2–8 tells us that the son of perdition will be revealed, whom the Lord shall slay with the brightness of His coming. The brightness of His coming will slay this one who sets himself up in the temple of God and shows himself to be God. Who is that? That is Satan, trying to move into God’s people and sit on the throne of God, trying to frustrate and pervert the work God is doing, trying to make it misfire. All of that is slain by the brightness of the Lord’s coming forth in us.
It is the hour of travail, of earnest expectation, of waiting eagerly with anxious longing for the sons of God to come forth. All creation is travailing, but there is no help for creation until the sons of God break through first. Creation is waiting for them to come into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Romans 8:21). Do you want to be free? Do you want that immunity? There is a certain level of immunity already. While it is true that the battles are worse, at the same time immunity is building up. Christ is coming forth in dedicated vessels who have abandoned the self-life. They are not seeking anything for themselves; they are looking for the will of God to come forth in the earth.
Do not draw back from the battle which comes against God’s people. See it ended once and for all. Once this happens, the balance will be upset in the spirit world. The principalities and the powers will come down. Ephesians 3:10 describes it: the Lord will manifest His manifold wisdom through the Church to principalities and powers. The Church will bring them down. The world, the universe, everything will change rapidly as soon as this first breakthrough comes. This is the final battle. Walk as a warrior in the army of the Lord and see Satan bruised under your feet shortly (Romans 16:20).
All dominion, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Christ, and in Him we are overcomers. Let us be dedicated not to stop until His victory is manifested totally. Some people wonder if it is possible to believe for the recovery of nephilim. Once again, Judas is a prime example. Judas was sincere for a while, but his state was like something written for judgment—it was deadly. We must not be of those that draw back to perdition (Hebrews 10:39). A person who draws back, draws back to perdition and becomes a channel for Satan.
The Lord will reveal the nephilim in high places to His true prophets. There are many nephilim who are making deals internationally to betray the purposes of God’s people. Although we must pray and prophesy against the nephilim spirit, we cannot really be effective until we are loosed ourselves, until the Body is loosed. We have to be free ourselves. This is where it starts, but where does it end? It ends when the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15). How long is this victory to last? He shall rule forever. His is a Kingdom without end. It is that for which the world came forth.
People are trying to preserve the old species of life, the animals that eat and destroy each other; but that kind of animal is going to pass away. Something better is coming. Believe for the Kingdom where the lion eats straw like an ox, where nothing shall hurt or destroy in all the Lord’s holy mountain (Isaiah 11:7, 9). Do not believe to preserve the world as it is. Believe for the Kingdom to take over. Believe for the Kingdom to take over within you. Pray, “Thy Kingdom come on earth”; but first pray that His Kingdom comes within your own earthly being, as it is in heaven. It will never come on the earth until it comes forth within you.