There are two entities in the Scriptures referred
to as "Prince." One spelled with a capital and the other not. In
Daniel 9:25 he refers to "Messiah the Prince," and in 9:26 to the
"prince who is to come" to destroy the city and the sanctuary. In Isaiah
9:6 the prophet says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace. (KJV)
Here Isaiah cites the fact that the
Messiah is "born," unto us a Son is given. This Child
is our Prince of Peace, The Mighty God, (for who is Jesus Christ but
God incarnate), the Counselor (for who is Jesus Christ but the Holy
Spirit, sent), and The everlasting Father, (for who is Jesus but the
one who will reign eternally, The Father). Consider this. How can the
Messiah return as an adult Entity except that He was "born?" Isaiah
says He was born. Read that verse again!
We have a very difficult time with
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit being "one" owing to our human perspective.
But our limitations are not His limitations. We try too hard to make
the God of creation fit the expectations of those whom He created. He
is the potter and we are the clay and the scriptures say, how can the
clay say to the potter, what are you doing?
Ezekiel prophesies directly to the
prince. He will be overthrown when He (the Messiah) comes. Listen.
Ezekiel 21:25-27
25 'Now to you, O profane,
wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end,
26 "thus says the Lord
GOD: 'Remove the turban, and take off the crown; nothing shall remain
the same. Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.
27 Overthrown, overthrown,
I will make it overthrown! It shall be no longer, until He comes whose
right it is, and I will give it to Him.' (NKJ)
The "prince to come," cited by
Daniel 9:25, is going to destroy the Temple mid way through the 7 year
period. He is the prince of this world. He will compel the nations to
worship him and to obey him until the Prince of Peace, our Messiah,
comes. The fact that you are a slave and I am a "slave" to one prince
or the other Prince is the choice that the scriptures offer. Have you
ever thought of yourself as a slave of Satan? Probably not, yet if you
accept the mark of the beast, you will be vowing to be a slave of the
evil one. That is the reason that the decision to serve Satan is fatal.
How else could it be?
Listen to the words of the Messiah
concerning freedom and slavery.
John 8:31-36
31 Then Jesus said
to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My
disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
33 They answered Him,
"We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.
How can you say, 'You will be made free'?"
34 Jesus answered them,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
35 "And a slave does
not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36 "Therefore if the
Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (NKJ)
Free from what? Free from slavery to
sin. Only the Prince of Peace can free you from slavery to the prince
of the earth. You are on Satan's turf and this turf and every thing
upon it will be destroyed. Freedom from slavery to the prince is freedom
from the flesh.
Why would one want "freedom from the
flesh?" Because the flesh will perish. As unbecoming as it is
to visualize what happens to the body when it dies, you should consider
it. The flesh, after going through extensive decay, simply turns to
dust. It is only your spirit that will survive. The Prince of Peace
is offering you His Spirit that it might redeem your spirit. The prince
of the earth is offering you eternal punishment, that which he has been
promised as a fallen angel, one who defied God and seeks to prove that
man is indeed a slave to evil.
Redemption is about choosing. Repeatedly,
the Scriptures say, "Choose, this day, whom you will follow." If
your spirit is not communing with and guided by His Spirit, you have
chosen to be dominated by the power of the flesh and it is powerful.
Listen:
Ephesians
6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against
spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (NKJ)
Satan is more "attractive" than most
would think. He has power but he does not have more power than the Holy
Spirit, in you. You have only one single source of power that can overcome
the sins of the flesh. Listen:
1 Corinthians
10:13
13 No temptation has
overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with
the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able
to bear it. (NKJ)
1 Corinthians 6:9-20
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom
of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit
the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some
of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
12 All things are lawful
for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me,
but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13 Foods for the stomach
and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now
the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord
for the body.
14 And God both raised
up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not know
that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members
of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
16 Or do you not know
that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two,"
He says, "shall become one flesh."
17 But he who is joined
to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality.
Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual
immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know
that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom
you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought
at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's. (NKJ)
Yes, you were bought at a price and
the One who has paid for you offers you freedom from sin. Temptation
will continue. It is common to all men but the difference between those
who serve the flesh, Satan, and those who serve the Holy Spirit is that
the Holy Spirit can and will overcome sin in your life. If you choose
to serve the Prince of Peace, your life will be "different" than those
who choose to serve the prince of the earth. Ask yourself if the following
list of traits characterize your life, right now.
Galatians
5:22-23
22 ...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law. (NKJ)
Notice the capital "S" in Spirit. It
is His Spirit in you that produces these fruits. If your life does not
bear this kind of fruit it is because you do not have the Holy Spirit
in you. If you do not have the Holy Spirit in you, you are a slave to
the prince of this earth. These sentences may sound harsh and they are.
We are not toying with a philosophical issue. We are engaged in a battle
for your soul and mine. The Messiah came that we might have eternal
life, in Him. Empowerment awaits. Impotence against the prince of this
earth is the "default" setting in which we find ourselves. Neither you
nor I can win this battle through our own accomplishments or efforts.
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