A Tale of Two Kingdoms

 

One thing about the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light is that as they battle against one another they are wrestling for position; one is trying to dismantle and displace the other. Each kingdom is trying to depose the other. So it’s more like chess than checkers. It’s not just that they are leap frogging over one and taking what he has. It’s that they are taking the place in that position and that spot from the other. The good news is that the Gospel according to John in chapter one verse five declares, “the light shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.” That means that the darkness cannot extinguish the light. It cannot overcome it or put it out. The darkness cannot stop the light. The light advances against the darkness and as long as the light is advancing, it dispels the darkness. It pushes it back and it displaces it. It takes the place and space of where the darkness previously occupied. In this current Golden Era we are seeing many Asherah poles, if you will, being torn down. Things that have been built by the spirit of humanism, by a Babylonian mindset and they are being ripped down. They are being torn down. But they must be replaced with the principles of God, the righteousness of God and the banner and standard that reads “Jesus is Lord”.

“Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles”

– Exodus 34:13 (NIV)

When Jesus ministered on possession, He said that when a demon is cast out, when it is evicted, when it is removed from that person it will go hell-bent on gathering other demons, sevenfold, worse than itself. It will bring them in so that it can occupy and fortify that “house”. When the demon is initially cast out and removed, if the house is swept clean and not filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, the demon will return. And its intent will be to bring other unbodied or disembodied persons, unclean spirits, with itself and occupy the house. They will come in and occupy that person and make it more difficult for them to be evicted again; to be removed and cast out again. So even in Jesus’ ministry and how He taught, there was an emphasis on displacement.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation. –Matthew 12:43-45 (NKJV)

I used to watch Sumo wrestling and when the gong or bell sounded you’d see these two massive men that, in my mind I would say, “Now how fast can these guys move?” But they would move with incredible ferocity, speed and skill; trying to remove one person from their place. They would try to displace the other athlete and get them outside of the circle. That’s what we are dealing with whenever you are dealing with demonic activity in this world and at this time. We are dealing primarily with displacement. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12,

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

This presents a wrestling match for us and in wrestling you are trying to pin, the other individual or you are trying to move them out of their place. It’s not an obliteration or where you totally destroy them. It is where we are moving them out of their position so that we can occupy it. In the case of principalities and powers we wrestle against them in order to displace their influence on human minds and hearts so that the people of a region or city might harken to the Voice of the Lord. We are not wrestling against people. We are wrestling against disembodied persons, entities that do not have flesh and blood. They are individuals. They are unclean beings. They are looking to occupy people. They are looking to occupy territories. They are looking to influence regions. They are looking to influence the mindset of an area. For instance, in Daniel 10 the prophet writes that he had been fasting and seeking the Lord and that the angel Gabriel finally appeared to him after three weeks saying, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set  your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of

Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief

princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of

Persia.” This “Prince of Persia” was not a physical man but an unbodied entity, a person, a principality who had rulership and influence over that region. Michael was the only other angel who came to help Gabriel. There was a “wrestling match” between these angels and this entity in the heavenly realm. Daniel’s message made it to the Throne Room of God but there was static and interference on getting the answer back to him. Therefore, it is important for us to know that there is tremendous warfare taking place over us concerning the dreams we dream, the messages we receive, the revelation we have, and the clarity that God’s Word brings.

Our King, the Lord Jesus gave His life so that we would be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and that we would take our position in His victory! He gave His life on the cross so that we would be “displaced” from our evil ranks in the dark kingdom to inherit the glorious riches of His Kingdom where He rules and reigns!

"For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son” – Colossians 1:13 (NLT)