by Seeley Kinne
From before the creation of man until now, the malicious attack by Satan upon mankind, and against the Lord Jesus Christ and His Kingdom has never ceased. Satan gained an entrance into man’s domain and is incessant in his efforts to obtain complete control of the human race, that he might ruin them.
Because man chose to let the devil in, God will not stoop to put him out. He had already put Satan out of His own high domain. Therefore, He is saying to man:
“Because you let him in, you are to put him out. Through the redemption wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, I will open the way for you to return to My power, and I will impart to you the ability to do this.”
The victory of Jesus Christ over Satan was a vast step toward routing him and clearing man’s realm of this imposer and his associates; but a part was left for man to accomplish, and there have been many prolonged and severe battles, as the consummation of the ages draws near.
Mighty deliverances have been fought for and obtained by powerful “warriors in the faith.” Through intense “intercessions” and much prayer, many intrusions and accomplishments of the enemy have been defeated. By these battles, the downward tide of sin has been stayed. Until this present time, these battles have been fought on the earth plane, not the celestial. There have been uplifts for soul and spirit, and at times, waves of healing for the body. But sin, like sassafras, sprouts up from old roots with a vicious new growth, because none of these conflicts reached Satan’s seat, with dethronement power.
We are not to merely fight for a spot on earth in which evil powers have no sway; but Satan, his fallen angels and demons, with their hosts of wicked spirits, who are entrenched in the heavenlies, are to be literally and fully defeated, dethroned, and cast out of the upper air, where their headquarters has been, and cast down to earth.
“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.” Ephesians 6:12
In this war, the battleground is constantly changing. We cannot be a successful warrior unless we know the nature and location of the enemy. In this, the time of the end, old methods and means will no longer suffice. This is the day of the Lord. He has arisen to the fray, and is preparing us to enter the battle with Him.
Satan is a spirit being, having no body or earth substances; so also the fallen angels associated with him. Demons, who are disembodied spirits, not having material physical bodies, often steal their way into and obsess the bodies of mankind.
Man, in his earthly state, is under great limitations because of a fallen earth body. For this reason, man is not resident in a realm where he can fully and fairly cope with Satan and his forces, who are entrenched in the heavens. Only to the extent and degree that man becomes Spirit-filled, and is directed by the Spirit of God, can he effectively do battle.
Thus, it may be seen that man always has been at great disadvantage in the conflict with Satan and evil powers. This is one reason why God has such great sympathy for the human race. It is now the intention of the Lord Himself to prepare and equip a “company of overcomers” who shall engage with Satan and his cohorts in the realm, state, and sphere, where they now operate and make their headquarters.
Out of the wreckage of fallen humanity, the Lord is selecting, calling, and organizing an army for this purpose. These “intercessory overcomers” will be put through many steps of preparation, such as crucifying, cleansing, healing of disease, weakness, infirmities, along with testing and the correction of their character flaws, and every wrong tendency.
The accuser of the brethren will be overcome and silenced by the testimony of these who are being “made ready” by the Lord. They will be fully equipped and lifted into a high spiritual and celestial plane, to become a match for the devil himself. They will master him and cast him down to the earth, from the lower heavenlies where he has maintained his headquarters.
Satan has roamed at large for a long time. No celestial company of men capable of tackling him has ever existed, but his end approaches. The Lord is raising up a fully prepared army that will rout and defeat him. The present activity of God is devoted to selecting, teaching, testing, and perfecting this “conquering” company.
An understanding of these last day battles of the ages is necessary for those being called into the arena. They are to enter the ranks of preparation quickly and engage themselves with the Holy Spirit as their teacher, corrector, and conductor, into the experiences of this time of preparation, for the greatest privilege ever known to man.
This achievement, the clearing of the lower heavens from the presence and operation of Satan and his angels and powers, is one mighty step toward the entire ending of his long, malicious preying upon mankind, and the establishing of the Millennial Kingdom of our Lord.