The Realm of the Spirit Pt 2

I. The Realm of the Spirit Pt2: Biblical Cosmology of the Spiritual Realms

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.”

• Encouragement not to lose heart despite physical decline, because the inner self is renewed daily.
• Present affliction is light and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory.
• Focus is on unseen, eternal things rather than the transient seen world.
• Many believers lose heart due to a misunderstanding of spiritual rebirth and life in the spirit.

Importance of Perceiving the Realm of the Spirit

• The Gospel was preached even to the dead so they might live in the spirit as God does (1 Peter 4:6 AMP).
• The spiritual realm presents a different reality from the physical world.
• 1 Corinthians 3:1: Believers are initially spoken to as “carnal” or fleshly, meaning worldly, driven by appetite, and unaware of the spiritual realm.
• Galatians 5:25: If we live in the Spirit, we must also walk in the Spirit.

Where Is the Believer Now? Seen or Unseen?

• Ephesians 2:6: God raised believers with Christ and seated them with Him in the heavenly realms.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17: Anyone in Christ is a new creation; the old has passed away.

How to Perceive the Seen and Natural World

• Galatians 2:20: The believer’s old self is crucified; Christ lives in them. Life in the body is lived by faith in Jesus.
• Romans 6:11: Believers are to reckon themselves dead to sin but alive to God through Christ.

Believer’s Worldview: Natural or Spiritual?

• Colossians 3:1-4: Since raised with Christ, believers should seek things above where Christ is seated. Life is hidden with Christ in God.
• When Christ appears, believers also will appear with Him in glory.

Why Jesus Had to Become Eminent and Suffer Humiliation

• 1 Corinthians 15:20-22: Christ is raised from the dead as the firstfruits; resurrection comes through Him as death came through Adam.
• Redemption of man (Incarnate, Indigenous), renewal of all creation (Eminent), and reign of God over all realms (Triumph over sin, death, and hell) are summarized.

II. Key Models of Biblical Cosmology in Realms

1. Two Realms Model: Physical and Spiritual

• Basic biblical cosmology divides the universe into two primary realms: celestial (heaven) and terrestrial (earth).
• Genesis 1:1: God created the heavens and the earth.
• “Heavens” includes the spiritual dwelling of God and the physical sky; “Earth” is the physical creation for humanity.

2. Four-Part Cosmos: Heavens, Earth, Underworld, Lake of Fire

• More detailed model includes:
  • Heavens: Spiritual abode of God and celestial beings.
  • Earth: Physical realm of humanity, transient in nature (2 Corinthians 4:18).
    • Psalm 115:16: Heavens belong to the Lord; earth given to mankind.
• Man was given dominion on Earth but lost it to Satan through the Fall.
• Satan is called the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), and “whole world under control of evil one” (1 John 5:19).
• Authority discussion:
  • God is the ultimate Author of the universe.
  • Satan is a created angel, not a divine authority.
  • Matthew 28: All authority given to Jesus; Satan’s authority is unauthorized, taken, not given.
  • Satan rules not the entire world but the present evil system opposing God.
• Before the Cross, Satan claimed authority over the kingdoms of the world (offer to Jesus).
• After the Cross, Satan was stripped of stolen authority through Jesus’ victory (Hebrews 2:14).
• Even archangel Michael does not contest Satan but commands, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9).

Q. Why Did the Flood Happen?

• Cleansing creation from contamination of the Nephilim.
• Creation dated to September 11, 1st Tishri; floodwaters also subsided on September 11, 1st Tishri.
• Some scholars, including Dr. Michael Heiser, suggest Jesus was born on this date, 1st Tishri.

3. The Underworld

Q. What Happened to the Fallen Angels in Genesis 6?

• 2 Peter 2:4: God did not spare angels who sinned but cast them down to hell (Tartarus), chained in darkness for judgment.
• Jude 1:6: Angels that abandoned their habitation are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness until judgment.
• Both passages link the sin of these angels to sexual immorality, like Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Peter 2:7; Jude 7).
• Context links to the flood and destruction of ungodly people (2 Peter 2:5-6; Jude 7).
• Only one biblical sin involving angelic beings—Genesis 6:1-4—sons of God (angels) leaving heaven to have children with human women (Nephilim giants).

Q. Was the Flood Spiritual Warfare? Is Water Baptism Connected?

• 1 Peter 3:18-21 connects Christ’s proclamation to spirits in prison (fallen angels) during Noah’s time.
• The flood represents cleansing and judgment against ungodliness, with baptism as a symbol of salvation and appeal to God.
• Nephilim, destroyed in the flood because not of Adam’s seed, became disembodied spirits or demons roaming the Earth.
• Three biblical water cleansings related to the demonic Nephilim:
  1. The Flood,
  2. The Red Sea crossing,
  3. The Pigs at Gadarenes.

Christ’s Movement and Position Through Realms

• Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension show His transcendence across all realms.
• Descended from Heaven (third heaven, God’s presence) to earth in human weakness (Philippians 2:7-8).
• Descent from the cross: through death, the grave, the underworld, to the gates of hell.
• Resurrected with keys of death and hell; after 40 days, ascended through the heavens to God’s right hand.
• 1 Peter 3:19-20: Christ proclaimed victory to spirits in prison from Noah’s era.
• Acts 1:9-11: Christ’s ascension witnessed by disciples.
• Ephesians 4:9-10: Christ descended into lower regions and ascended far above all heavens to fill all things.

III. Satan’s Movement Through Realms

Satan’s Five “I Wills” Reflect His Desire for Dominion:

1. “I will ascend into Heaven” — aim to enter the third heaven (Throne Room), 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 upon the mount of congregation in the sides of the north” — Earth, ruling mankind (Psalm 48:2).
4. “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds” — claim supreme power.
5. “I will be like the Most High” (El Elyon) — lust for power to be like God.

IV. Satan’s Five Falls

1. Fall from Third Heaven — Cast out of God’s presence (Isaiah 14:12-15).
   • Retains access to the second and first heavens.
   • Operates as “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).
   • Example: The Temptation of Christ shows Satan’s influence over earthly kingdoms (Luke 4:5-6).
2. Defeated by Christ’s Death and Resurrection — Announced in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20).
   • Future judgment: Cast from the second and first heavens to earth during the tribulation (Revelation 12:9-12).
   • Cast into Hell and chained for 1,000 years in the Abyss (Revelation 20:1-3).
3. Final Judgment — Cast into Lake of Fire (Gehenna) with demons, Antichrist, false prophet, and lost souls (Revelation 20:10).