The Realm of the Spirit Part 1: Introduction

The Realm of the Spirit: Part 1 – Introduction

The Realm of the Spirit: Pt 1 Introduction 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV) “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Many believers have lost heart because they do not understand and have never been taught that they are born again in the spirit to live, move, and walk in the Spirit. 

Perceiving the Realm of the Spirit is of Paramount Importance: “For this is why the good news (the Gospel) was preached [in their lifetime] even to the dead, that though judged in fleshly bodies as men are, they might live in the spirit as God does.” (1 Peter 4:6 AMP)

• The Spiritual Realm has a different perspective on reality compared to the Physical world.
• The Gospel was preached to the dead!
• 1 Corinthians 3:1: “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.”

What does carnal mean? Fleshly, worldly, driven by appetite and desires, dull and unaware of the realm of the spirit and spiritual things.

• “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)
• All believers have a born-again spirit, but not all believers walk in the Spirit.
• In the Bible, the word “walk” is often used metaphorically to describe a person’s conduct or manner of life. For example, when walking with someone, you are aware of their pace, step, and direction, adjusting to stay in step with them.

This is the fellowship Enoch had: Genesis 5:24: “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

• Enoch was so aware and conscious of God, so close in walking with Him.
• How can you be this close to someone you cannot see or physically interact with?
• Adam was the only person known to have physically interacted with God before he sinned.
• How did Enoch interact with God?

I. Believers Exist in Both the Unseen and Seen Realms Simultaneously

Believers live, move, and have their being from an unseen reality (Acts 17:28).

• Unbelievers are cognizant of only one realm, the lowest realm: the Earth.
• The Bible calls unbelievers blind to the larger realm that influences and births all things into the visible world.
• Their blindness is exacerbated by being carnally minded, unable to understand the things of God or the spiritual realm.

Unbelievers cannot perceive the unseen realm because they are carnal-minded, blind, and dead in their spirit.

• The only way to perceive the unseen, larger, preeminent spiritual realm is through faith by your spirit.
• A believer’s spirit lives, moves, and has its being in the Unseen Realm, though many believers may live in ignorance of this fact.
• The Bible teaches God’s people how the Unseen Spiritual Realm works, yet most believers view the Bible as truths for navigating the Seen (physical) Realm.
• They fail to understand that what influences, births, and manifests in the Seen Realm originates from the Unseen Spiritual Realm.

II. The Unseen Realm as the Realm of Eternal Significance

• Why? The Realm of the Spirit is always preeminent becuase it was first in the beginning.
• Hebrews 11:3: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

By faith, we understand the Unseen Realm.

• This understanding reveals that the Word of God created all that is seen from the Unseen Realm.
• By faith, we learn to walk in the Unseen Realm: 2 Corinthians 5:7: “…we walk by faith, not by sight.”
• By faith, we have evidence of the Unseen Realm: Hebrews 11:1: “Faith… is the evidence of things not yet seen.”
• By faith, we please God, who is unseen: Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
• When a believer loses sight and stumbles in faith, the spiritual and Unseen Realm becomes less significant.

• Disbelief: Every Fall Begins Here
  • Jesus defeated disbelief with the Word in the wilderness against Satan.
  • Disbelievers are double-minded and unstable (James 1:8).
  • They stumble with an unrenewed mind (Romans 12:1-2).
  • They focus their confession on circumstances rather than the spirit, as seen in the report of the ten spies of Canaan (Numbers 13).
• Worldliness: Heart in the Wrong Realm
  • They fall for the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
  • 1 John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.”
• Confession and Worship Changes: Solidifies Your Atmosphere and Realm
  • Exodus 20:4: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”
  • John 4:24: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

III. Key Models of Biblical Cosmology in Realms

1. Two Realms: Physical Realm and Spiritual Realm
   • The simplest biblical model divides the universe into the celestial (heaven) and terrestrial (earth).
   • Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
   • Application: The “heavens” refer to both the physical sky and God’s spiritual dwelling place, while “earth” encompasses the physical creation where humanity resides.
2. Four-Part Cosmos: Heavens, Earth, Underworld, and Lake of Fire
   • Heavens: The spiritual abode of God and celestial beings.
     • Paul’s Three Heavens (2 Corinthians 12:2):
       • First Heaven: The earthly sky where birds fly and clouds are.
       • Second Heaven: The spiritual domain of conflict between good and evil, inhabited by angels, demons, Nephilim, fallen angels, powers, principalities, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places.
       • Third Heaven: God’s dwelling place, the spiritual realm of paradise where Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father.
     • Satan fell from the Third Heaven but retains access to the Second and First Heavens.
     • Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the Earth (Luke 4:5-6).
     • Currently called the “Prince of the Air” (Ephesians 2:2).
     • Satan will fall from these heavens to Earth during the mid-tribulation period (Revelation 12:9).
   • Earth: The physical realm of humanity, subject to transience (2 Corinthians 4:18).
     • Psalm 115:16: “The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.”
     • Man was given dominion over Earth but lost it to Satan in the Fall.
     • Satan became the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), and “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
     • Who has authority over the Earth today?
       • “Authority” derives from “author.” God is the Author of the universe (Genesis 1).
       • Satan, a created angel, is not divine or God’s equal; he is the author of lies.
       • “All authority comes from God, and those in position of authority have been placed there by God” (Romans 13:1), referring to human authority.
       • Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18).
       • No authority has been given to Satan; any authority he exercises is taken, not given, making him unauthorized.
       • Satan leads a system of rebellion against God, described as the “world” or “cosmos” (worldly sophistication or globalism).
       • Before the Cross, Satan had authority over the world’s kingdoms, offering them to Jesus (Luke 4:5-6).
       • After the Cross, Satan was stripped of this stolen authority, defeated by Jesus, the Second Adam (Hebrews 2:14).
       • Only Jesus could defeat Satan in the flesh and physical world.
       • Even the archangel Michael did not contest Satan directly but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9).
       • Ephesians 6: We fight a spiritual battle against worldly systems and satanic strategies using spiritual weapons, not physical ones.
   • Underworld (Sheol/Hades/Tartarus): A realm below the earth associated with the dead or spiritual beings under judgment.
     • Job 26:5-6: “The dead tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.”
     • Luke 16:23: “And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.”
     • Tartarus: Reserved for fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4).
   • Lake of Fire: The final place of eternal judgment for Satan, his angels, and the unrighteous.
     • Revelation 20:14-15: “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

IV. Christ’s Movement and Position Through Realms

• Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension demonstrate His transcendence across all realms.
• Descent from Heaven – Humiliation:
  • Christ stepped down from the Third Heaven (God’s presence) to Earth, born in human weakness.
  • Philippians 2:7-8: “…but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
  • From transcendence to immanence through His incarnation.
• Descent from the Cross:
  • Part of His humiliation: Taken down from the cross, into the grave, the underworld, and to the gates of hell.
  • He rose with the keys of death and hell, lived in a glorified state for 40 days with infallible proofs, and ascended through the heavens.
• Descent to the Underworld:
  • Christ descended to the grave and proclaimed victory (1 Peter 3:19-20).
• Ascension:
  • Christ rose, appeared for 40 days, and ascended through the heavens to God’s right hand (Acts 1:9-11).
  • Ephesians 4:9-10: “In saying, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.”

V. Satan’s Movement Through Realms

• Satan’s Five “I Wills” (Isaiah 14:12-15):
  1. “I will ascend into Heaven” (Third Heaven, God’s Throne Room: “I’ll take God’s place”).
  2. “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Rule angels; Job 38:7, Jude 13, Revelation 12:3-4).
  3. “I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north” (Earth: “I will rule mankind”; Psalm 48:2).
  4. “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds” (“I’ll be supreme”).
  5. “I will be like the Most High” (El Elyon: Power lust to be like God).
• Satan’s Five Falls Through the Realms:
  1. Fallen from Third Heaven: Cast out of God’s presence (Isaiah 14:12-15)
     1. Access to Second and First Heavens: Operates as the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).
     2. Example: Temptation of Christ, showing Jesus the kingdoms of the earth (Luke 4:5-6).
  2. Fallen from Authority in Heaven and Earth to Under Christ’s Feet:
     • God announced the Seed of the woman would crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15).
     • Through Christ’s death and resurrection, Satan was defeated, and authority was regained (Hebrews 2:14).
     • Satan is under Christ’s feet and will soon be crushed under believers’ feet (Romans 16:20).
  3. Future Judgment: Cast out of the Second and First Heavens to Earth during the tribulation (Revelation 12:9, Matthew 24:29).
     • “The powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Greek: saleuthēsontai – shaken like a sheet).
  4. Cast into Hell and Chained for 1,000 Years in the Abyss:
     • Revelation 20:1-3: An angel chains Satan in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years, unable to deceive the nations until released.
  5. Finally into the Lake of Fire:
     • Revelation 20:10: Satan, the beast, false prophet, and the unrighteous are thrown into the lake of fire for eternal torment.