“I’ve stopped praying, Pastor. I’ve prayed and prayed, had deliverance, and nothing has changed! What use are all these prayers? My husband is still bent on marrying his strange woman! I’m now ready to divorce him” A middle aged woman in my church, said to me on the phone.
“Don’t give up now, my sister” I said.
She said, “I am ready to divorce him now. All he does now is drink and drink beer all the time, and his belly is getting bigger and bigger. I am divorcing him!” She continued.
The woman was fed up because to her, prayers and deliverance programme did not seem to work at all. This may sound familiar to you. You might have a similar story to tell. The narrative might be related to financial problems, poor and deteriorating health, reproach, consistent examination failures, household wickedness and so on.
There is significant information in the realm of the spirit that we need to acquaint ourselves with. We serve a just God who is always ready to attend to the cry of His people. The only problem is that God also has a host of rebellious lieutenants around!
God is not immediately and directly in charge of our lives! Surprised? Well, that’s the truth! There are constituted authorities in heavenly places assigned by God with the responsibility of overseeing our affairs. Unfortunately, these authorities and powers have rebelled against God, and have become cruel and unjust in the discharge of their duties toward mankind! You might just be a victim of their rebellion!
It is a usual occurrence for the heavenly divine council to gather to take decisions concerning people on earth. God himself has always been in full and complete control of the event. He approves the cause of action that will suit his purpose.
In the scripture below, a prophet of the Lord, Micah, described a vision of the meeting of the heavenly council; the host of heaven, with the Lord God presiding!
“Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.
And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.
Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith?
And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so.
Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee”.
II Chronicles 18:18-22.
This scripture gives an insight or a glimpse into the activity of the divine heavenly council. The king, in this verse of the scripture, is due to be destroyed, as it portrays in the meeting. We read about the council’s deliberations, on how best to deal with the King of Israel called Ahab. Eventually, the suggestion of one of the spirits was agreed upon. He was to go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of the king’s prophet so that the king would be destroyed.
The heavenly council members have been assigned the responsibility of overseeing the affairs on earth. So, God is not directly overseeing the affairs, but through His lieutenants in the second heaven. Look closely at the scripture below, and you will understand more.
“And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven”.
Deuteronomy 4:19.
The "host of heaven" here is said to have been "allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven." The word allotted means "apportioned" or "assigned." It is also defined in this way in Hebrew. There is a similar statement in Deuteronomy 32:8, where the scripture also told us that God has assigned "the host of heaven" to the peoples on earth.
We should not confuse the host of heaven with the sun, moon and stars, as the above scripture says. The Bible states we are not to worship these elements or the host of heaven that God has appointed as rulers over the earth. Even though they rule the earth, we on earth are not supposed to worship them.
The book of Hebrews 2:5 confirms the authorities of the present world to be these spirit beings, however, the world to come will not be subject to their rule. “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak”
Let us explore a little into this mystery. I said earlier that these hosts of heaven attend scheduled meetings with God. They are required to give accounts of their activities before the Supreme Overseer.
Now study these two scriptures from the book of Job:
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in It”.
Job 1:6-7.
“Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in It”.
Job 2:1-2.
Satan also attends meetings! Could he be a member of the council and does he bring petitions before the council? During the temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ after His forty days and forty nights “dry fast”, Satan made a claim before Jesus that “the kingdoms of the world belonged to him” which makes him a high-ranking member of the divine council! Let us examine at this claim:
“And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine”.
Luke 4:5-7.
We are now getting closer to the root. Further, Psalm 82 gives us a vivid description of a meeting of the heavenly divine council to which was given rulership over the seventy nations of the earth:
“God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations”.
Psalm 82:1-8.
Thus, when God takes His place as the leader of the divine council, He complains. The gods or the rulers that have been assigned with the responsibility of overseeing our affairs here on earth are being unjust because the wicked are being lifted up. The oppressed remain downtrodden.
The afflicted do not get justice. The poor and the needy remain in their sorrow and misery. There is a lot of injustice taking place in the second heaven. God criticizes the "gods" for their unfairness and wickedness in carrying out the responsibilities He has assigned to them. The sin and rebellion of these “gods” have shaken the foundations of the earth. God is now warning these divine spirit entities, that their fate for being corrupt and disobedient will be to "die like men" for instance like the first Adam.
A woman that was born in the United Kingdom, and living in Nigeria was really having a rough time. She grew up not knowing her parents and now in her mid-thirties, she had a brief spell of mental disorder, marital disaster, chronic financial problem even as a graduate and a son born out of wedlock. It was more than she could bear.
She started making plans to travel to United Kingdom in the hope that her destiny would change. Processing her papers without her biological parents was not easy. In fact it was almost impossible.
One day by divine grace someone located her mum living in the UK! She was so happy that her problems might finally be over. She contacted friends in the UK to meet with her mother on her behalf, in the hope that they would be able to get more information and the necessary documents that would help with her application for a British passport.
However her mother was involved in a ghastly motor accident that left her completely paralysed in the UK and she lost both hands and legs!
Reader do you believe, that there is a lot of unfairness and wickedness in this world? The Lord says the foundations of the earth are out of course. There is rebellion in heaven and there is chaos on earth. The Psalmist is calling on God to judge the earth and its spiritual rulers, because all nations truly belong to Him and not the gods. The said rulers or gods according to the scripture are just like men, they too will die like men! They would be judged.
In Psalm 82:7 these governing council members are also referred to as "princes." This name connects the council members to whom rulership of the nations was given (Deuteronomy. 32:8) with this Scripture found in Daniel:
“Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia”.
Daniel 10:12-13.
The Scripture above gives us an intriguing glimpse into the order and activities of the spiritual realm. Gabriel was sent by God to give Daniel insight into what would happen to (the Jewish people) in “the latter days.”
The mighty angel was delayed for three weeks because “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” contested God’s command. Daniel was in the kingdom of Persia when the prince that was assigned over that nation contested against the angel of blessing. It was his domain, and without his permission, the angel Gabriel could not go even when the message was from God Himself! Thank God for the other prince that came to rescue the prince that was being delayed by this wicked prince of Persia. There are loyal members of the hosts of heaven as well as wicked and disloyal members.
The Persian Prince was clearly not human; he was a divine council member, who had authority over the nation of Persia.
Indeed, if Michael (who is described in Dan. 12:1 as the great prince who stands over the people of Israel) had not helped Gabriel, God’s message to Daniel might never have been delivered.
After conveying his message to Daniel, Gabriel states that he must return to do battle with “the prince of Persia.” Look at these verses:
“Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.
But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince”.
Daniel 10:20-21.
Furthermore, the angel Gabriel stated that he would also have to combat “the prince of Greece” after he had finished with “the Prince of Persia.” It is obvious from the text that Gabriel still had a score to settle with the prince of Persia. Perhaps he also had unfinished business with the prince of Greece or it could be that his next assignment from God was to bless someone who obviously was in the land of Greece. He had to make certain that no blessing would suffer stiff opposition from this rebellious prince who presided over all the nations of the earth.
The picture portrayed by this brief narrative was resistance to God’s will by the spirit beings of the council who had been given the rulership over the nations. These are the spiritual princes over all the nations.
The "host of heaven" are the same spiritual "principalities," "powers," and "rulers" that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 6:12:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.
Man has a serious battle before him. These powers have become the enemies of God and His chosen people.
The bible says we must wrestle or war with these powers before we can get our breakthroughs.
Your right and divine destiny can be challenged for instance, if God says yes to your prayers, but the prince of the nation that you are domiciled contests it, then you have to be ready for battle. The unjust are receiving blessing and succeeding, while the just are suffering.
The apostle Paul was telling the church of God in Ephesus about this mystery that has been hidden by God from the very beginning. He said the church should be aware of activities in heavenly places. The Spirit of the living God is now revealing so much to his people, so that they do not fight as one beating the air. So much is being revealed:
“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord”:
Ephesians 3:8-11.
I thank the Lord God for opening the eyes of His people in this end-time, through His word, and the immense power and authority that the believer has by faith in Christ Jesus His dear son. It is great to have a Lord and master who rules in Heaven and on Earth, with the awesome power to defeat all wicked oppositions in heavenly places. Jesus’s resurrection from the dead has given us the solutions to all our problems. The scripture below, confirms this:
“Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come”:
Ephesians 1:20 -21.
It is wonderful that all principalities and powers are subject to Jesus. The hosts of heaven, gods or princes are also subject to the authority of Christ. Thus,
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him”:
Colossians 1:15-16.
All things are created by Jesus Christ, and all things are created for him. Where is the opposition to your rights and blessings when you have Him that has all, for He is the image of the invisible God Himself? The scripture below is even more assuring!
“Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him”.
1Peter 3:22.
Now this is where we are going. A child of God, who confesses and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and truly abides in Him is an overcomer. When you abide in Him you surrender your life to Him, and he dwells in you. If the life you live is in Christ Jesus then you have the same power and authority. Paul the apostle explains this in his book to the Colossians:
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power”:
Colossians 2:9-10.
This is it. Jesus Christ is complete in the Father, who is the overall authority. You as a true Christian are complete in Christ who is the overall head as the Father is because He is complete in the Father. And you also become an overall boss of all principality and power because you are complete in Christ Jesus. It is that simple.
The problem is that, the supposed Christians are not always complete in Christ. The only way a true believer can bear fruit is by abiding in Christ. The only way to have the power and dominion over all these evil princes of one’s destiny is to live a life that is dead to sin. This is a life that is abiding in Christ and has the authority and power over all evil oppositions; in Heaven or on Earth.
When we have the right standing with God, we can then put these rebellious princes under our feet as we pray aggressive prayer with understanding. Thereupon, we will then be empowered to overcome the evil prince of our destinies.
God will ultimately put down all rules, authorities and power:
“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet”.
I Corinthians 15:24-25.
The scripture above is talking about the end of the world. One cannot wait till then. We do not have till the end. We need to deal with the “now” in our lives. There is a need for us to understand the scenario. Daniel’s prayers had been answered the very day he prayed to God. He did not get the answer until after twenty one days! He could never have gotten the answer if his angel of blessing had not been assisted by the warrior angel Michael. Where is your blessing being delayed? You have the authority and the understanding to overpower the evil rule delaying your breakthrough. When you are convinced, you can boldly say as Paul said:
"For I am certain that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39.
Prayer Points:
1. You the evil prince holding captive my angel of blessing, I paralyse you in the name of Jesus.
2. Holy Spirit empower my angel of blessing to locate me in the name of Jesus.
3. Any rebellion in the second heaven against my rights and blessings, scatter in the name of Jesus.
