The Powers That Be

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PRAYING TOGETHER:

Focus your opening prayer on VCC and/or community needs such as:

• Pray & fast for God’s name to be hallowed, his kingdom to come, and his will to be done in our lives.

• Pray for our faith to be strengthened and endurance built during this COVID trial.

• Pray for the well-being of our congregation (spiritual, emotional, physical).

STARTER QUESTION

Reflect for a moment on the statement that “the universe is at war.” Where do you see this most clearly? What rises up in your heart when this dawns upon you?

LEADER STUDY NOTES:

How should we rightly view Satan and the other dark forces in the universe?

When we talk about the devil being evil, real, and personal, we must not over exaggerate the case. Because he is a spiritual rather than a material being, many people are inclined to think of Satan more or less as the equal of God. It is true that he is a counterpart of the greatest of the unfallen angels, Michael and Gabriel. But he is not a spiritual counterpart of God. God is God. Every other being has been created by God and is therefore limited for the simple reason that he or she has been created. God is omnipotent; he is all-powerful. The devil is not. God can do anything he wishes to do. The devil, like the rest of us, can do only what God permits him to do. This is God’s universe, not the devil’s. Not even hell is the devil’s. God has created hell as the place where he will one day confine Satan and his followers.

James Montgomery Boice, Daniel: An Expositional Commentary (Baker)

What is the nature of the spiritual warfare happening in this “universe at war?”

The universe at war is a war waged over worship. It is a “glory war.” Who is God? Where is mankind’s love and praise rightfully aimed? We see it in Genesis 3 — "did God really say?” We see it in the conflict between Cain and Abel — the first murder was over worship. The Job saga was about worship--Satan challenges God, “does Job really worship God?” And certainly when Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness it was about tempting Christ to worship Satan instead of God. And here in Daniel 10 we see God’s angels fighting against the dark powers of Persia and Greece in which these empires of men were battling over prominence, power, and prestige as their kings sought world dominance over against God’s kingdom.

What is the significance of Daniel’s prayer and the angel’s coming happening at the time of Passover? v. 2-4

The first month is Nissan, or March/April for us, which is the time of Passover for the Jews. Daniel knowing Passover is on the way, throws himself into deep prayer, seeking God’s answer to understand the visions he has seen of liberation. Daniel knows passover is a celebration of release from bondage. While Daniel is praying, an intense battle is going on in the heavenly places that has to do with Persia and Greece and Israel. Passover is the celebration of the exodus--freedom from slavery. For us it is Good Friday and the resurrection. It is the key holiday that spoke of God’s victory over the gods/powers of Egypt and that he was making Israel his people, an inheritance for himself (Deuteronomy 32) to be a people to spread his glory over the earth. Jesus was the Passover sacrifice that overcame sin, Satan, and death. Jesus came to overcome the darkness and to win back the nations from their wicked ways and terrible gods. And he did it by dying on a cross, in our place, and rising again and so triumphing over the dark powers. (Read Colossians 2:13-15)

Why and how are we as believers called to engage in spiritual warfare?

Ephesians 6:10-18 provides Paul’s instruction regarding spiritual warfare, and it comes from relentlessly orienting ourselves to Jesus and His victory. We do not fight out of our own strength or resources. Each piece of the armor of God points us to Jesus:

• The Belt - Jesus is the truth that integrates our being

• The Breastplate - Jesus is our righteousness

• The Boots - Jesus is our gospel of peace

• The Shield - Jesus is our shield of faith

• The Helmet - Jesus is our helmet of salvation

• The Sword - Jesus is the word of God that is our sword

• The Communications System - Praying at all times

Quotable Quotes

• C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity - "One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe—a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the power behind death and disease, and sin. The difference is that Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created and went wrong. Christianity agrees ... this universe is at war."

• Pastor Heath - “Regarding spiritual warfare, don’t be oblivious and don’t be obsessed. Relentlessly orient your affections to Jesus and trust in His victory."