The apostle Paul informs us that one of the enemies we fight against is, "Spiritual wickedness in high places."
Well what exactly does that mean?
To determine that and correctly identify this particular enemy, let's look at what the term "wickedness" means.
That's a given you say? Everyone knows what wickedness means! That may be true in a general sense, but how about in a specific biblical sense? Exactly what is it that the Biblical writer is trying to tell us about wickedness?
To find out what a Biblical word means, we can't go to Webster's Dictionary. We need a Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. In the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (the original Strong's--not the new updated or the strongest Strong's), the Greek word translated "wickedness" in Ephesians 6:12 means: depravity, malice, plots, sins, hurtful, evil, degeneracy, calamitous, diseased, ill, guilt.
As if the above isn't enough, the root words the word "wickedness" is taken from mean: toil, anguish, starving, indigent.
This spiritual wickedness we fight against encompasses the entire spectrum of evil--anything that can be possibly be conceived of.
But what about the high places? What is this referring to?
The high places mean exactly that. The word translated "high," means: above, sky.
The scriptures reveal that evil spirits do indeed inhabit the high places (which include the sky--the earth's atmosphere and even the space surrounding this earth--possibly even this entire galaxy and beyond).
That is one of the reasons the "heavens" will need to be made new along with the earth.
The heaven that will be made new is the one that is corrupted by sin--this earth's atmosphere and the surrounding space that is presently inhabited by fallen angels--not the sinless Heaven God inhabits.
If we did not have God's promise that we are provided with powerful weapons with which to fight such powerful spiritual enemies, we would be miserable indeed.
Well what exactly does that mean?
To determine that and correctly identify this particular enemy, let's look at what the term "wickedness" means.
That's a given you say? Everyone knows what wickedness means! That may be true in a general sense, but how about in a specific biblical sense? Exactly what is it that the Biblical writer is trying to tell us about wickedness?
To find out what a Biblical word means, we can't go to Webster's Dictionary. We need a Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. In the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (the original Strong's--not the new updated or the strongest Strong's), the Greek word translated "wickedness" in Ephesians 6:12 means: depravity, malice, plots, sins, hurtful, evil, degeneracy, calamitous, diseased, ill, guilt.
As if the above isn't enough, the root words the word "wickedness" is taken from mean: toil, anguish, starving, indigent.
This spiritual wickedness we fight against encompasses the entire spectrum of evil--anything that can be possibly be conceived of.
But what about the high places? What is this referring to?
The high places mean exactly that. The word translated "high," means: above, sky.
The scriptures reveal that evil spirits do indeed inhabit the high places (which include the sky--the earth's atmosphere and even the space surrounding this earth--possibly even this entire galaxy and beyond).
That is one of the reasons the "heavens" will need to be made new along with the earth.
The heaven that will be made new is the one that is corrupted by sin--this earth's atmosphere and the surrounding space that is presently inhabited by fallen angels--not the sinless Heaven God inhabits.
If we did not have God's promise that we are provided with powerful weapons with which to fight such powerful spiritual enemies, we would be miserable indeed.
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