Uncovering The Unseen Realm: Our Role As Believers Series

Uncovering the Unseen Realm: Our Role as Believers

January 5, 2025

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Ephesians 6:10-17

2 Kings 6:15-17

Introduction: The Reality Beyond the Veil

Good morning, church. Today, we step into a realm that few talk about but all of us are affected by—the unseen realm. Think about it: We accept the existence of things we cannot see, like gravity, wind, or radio waves. We experience their effects even though they are invisible. In the same way, there is a spiritual reality just as real, if not more so, than the physical world we live in. Yet most Christians say that Satan is just a metaphor of evil; the same with the demonic realm. Yet the Bible says he is real and our enemy.

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. (Ephesians 6:12)

The Apostle Paul is saying the real battle is not against people—it’s against spiritual forces of evil. Sadly , what usually happens, especially among believers is that we battle others in our family, our churches, our neighbors, and others, not realizing our battle is against demonic forces. Last fall, I did a series on spiritual blindness. Today, we are going on in that series by starting an extensive series on spiritual warfare. We will uncover this unseen realm, understand the enemy’s tactics, and learn how to stand firm in the victory we have in Jesus Christ.

I. The Spiritual Realm: A Biblical Foundation

We need to begin by grounding ourselves in Scripture. In Ephesians 6:10-12, Paul commands us to “be strong in the Lord” and to “put on the whole armor of God.” He describes a battle not fought with weapons of this world, but one that rages in the spiritual realm. Then we turn to 2 Kings 6:15-17, where Elisha’s servant is terrified by the sight of an enemy army surrounding their city.

15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15–17)

These passages remind us of two critical truths:

1. There is an actual spiritual realm influencing the physical world. We cannot see it, but it is influencing our culture, our governments, our behaviors, and nearly every aspect of our lives. However, just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist and it also doesn’t mean that we don’t have influence over the demonic realm. That’s what we call spiritual warfare.

II. The Kingdom of Satan: A Counterfeit and Inversion

One of Satan’s greatest deceptions is his counterfeit kingdom. This is what I call and the Bible a Babylonian Kingdom. It is built on the foundation that man can achieve anything because we ourselves can be gods. In reality it is a counterfeit kingdom build on Satan’s rebellion against God

God’s kingdom is built on truth and love. Satan’s kingdom is built on lies and rebellion. For example, God’s moral law commands us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and to love our neighbor as our self (Leviticus 19:18). What does Satan do? He perverts love to make it about self gratification instead of honoring God.Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 16:24 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

In contrast, Aleister Crowley, a man steeped in occultism, proclaimed, “Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.” This mantra encapsulates Satan’s strategy: invert and corrupt everything God has ordained.

Examples of Satan’s Inversion:

1. Truth vs. Deception: God is truth (John 14:6), but Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).

2. Life vs. Death (John 10:10) God’s kingdom is life-giving, Satan’s kingdom is self-destructive

2. Order vs. Chaos: God establishes order through His Word; Satan sows confusion and moral anarchy.

3. Humility vs. Pride: God calls us to humility, while Satan’s rebellion was rooted in pride (Isaiah 14:14).

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:7–8)