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THE ANGELIC CONFLICT R. B. THIEME, JR. R. B. THIEME, JR., BIBLE MINISTRIES HOUSTON, TEXAS F INANCIAL P OLICY There is no charge for any material from R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries. Anyone who desires Bible teaching can receive our publications, DVDs, and MP3 CDs without obligation. God provides Bible doctrine. We wish to reflect His grace. R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries is a grace ministry and operates entirely on voluntary contributions. There is no price list for any of our materials. No money is requested. When gratitude for the Word of God motivates a believer to give, he has the privilege of contributing to the dissemination of Bible doctrine. This book is edited from the lectures and unpublished notes of R. B. Thieme, Jr. A catalogue of available DVDs, MP3 CDs, and publications will be provided upon request. R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries P. O. Box 460829, Houston, Texas 77056-8829 www.rbthieme.org © 2012 by R. B. Thieme, Jr. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Printed in the United States of America ISBN 1-55764-099-8 Contents Preface................................................vii Introduction ............................................ ix Chapter One: The Angelic Realm Do Angels Really Exist? ...................................1 The Angelic Creation......................................2 Chapter Two: The Opening of the Conflict Lucifer, the Angel of Light..................................5 The Prehistoric Conflict....................................7 Satan’s Prehistoric Fall..................................7 Satan’s Attitude ........................................8 The First “I Will” ....................................9 The Second “I Will” ..................................9 The Third “I Will” ...................................9 The Fourth “I Will” .................................10 The Fifth “I Will” ...................................10 The Angelic Revolt....................................10 The Trial of Satan........................................11 Chapter Three: The Extension of the Conflict Satan Appeals His Sentence................................13 The Role of Humanity in Satan’s Appeal......................15 Human Volition Is the Issue .............................15 iv THE ANGELIC CONFLICT Human Volition Is Tested ...............................19 The Divine Design: Roles of the Man and the Woman......19 Focus on the Tree...................................21 The Attack on the Woman............................23 The Woman’s Response ..............................26 The Fall of Man.......................................27 The Sin of the Woman...............................28 The Sin of the Man .................................28 Operation Fig Leaves................................29 ‘Passing the Buck’..................................33 Sentencing the Guilty ..................................34 The Woman’s Sentence after the Fall ...................35 The Man’s Sentence after the Fall......................37 The Promise of Salvation ...............................39 Chapter Four: The Witness of Job—A Visible Old Testament Hero ...................................................46 Chapter Five: Victory in the Conflict Attacks on the Genetic Line of Jesus Christ....................54 Satan’s Challenge Meets Divine Power.......................61 God’s Strategic Victory through Christ .......................62 Tactical Victory of the Believer in the Church Age ...........66 The Corporate Witness ..............................71 Completion of the Church Age...........................74 Operation Footstool......................................77 The Tribulation and Operation Footstool Phase I.............78 The Millennium and Operation Footstool Phase II ............81 Chapter Six: The Offensive Strategy Satan’s Demon Forces....................................88 Demon Influence and Demon Possession...................89 Attack on the Gospel .....................................91 False Gospel of Religion................................92 False Gods and False Powers ............................94 Satan Cunningly Denies the Savior ........................95 Contents v Satan Deifies Mankind .................................96 Attack on the World......................................97 Socialism............................................98 Internationalism......................................100 Attack on the Jews: Anti-Semitism .........................102 Attack on Believers .....................................104 Accusing Believers...................................105 Luring Believers from the Word.........................106 Apostate Leadership in the Local Church ...............108 False Spiritual Growth through Social Interaction .........110 The Deception of False Spiritual Gifts ..................110 The Fallacy of Works as the Christian Way of Life........112 Tempting Believers to Worry...........................115 Hindering Christians from Doing God’s Will...............118 Discouraging Occupation with Christ.....................120 Eyes on Self......................................121 Eyes on People....................................122 Eyes on Circumstances .............................123 Eyes on Wealth and Possessions......................125 Promoting Fear of Dying...............................127 Chapter Seven: Defensive Action by Believers The Armor of God: Equipment for the Conflict................133 “Having Girded Your Loins with Truth” (Ephesians 6:14a)..................................135 “Having Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14b)..................................136 “Having Shod Your Feet with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace” (Ephesians 6:15) ...............138 “In Addition to All, Taking Up the Shield of Faith” (Ephesians 6:16)...................................140 “And Take the Helmet of Salvation” (Ephesians 6:17a).......143 “The Sword of the Spirit, Which Is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17b)..................................145 Put on the Full Armor.................................148 Chapter Eight: How Can a Loving God Eternally Condemn His Creatures? ..................................................150 vi THE ANGELIC CONFLICT Appendix: Elect Angel Organization ..................................................153 Glossary ..................................................159 Indices Scripture Index.........................................164 Subject Index..........................................174 Preface Before you begin your Bible study, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father. If we confess our [known] sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our [known] sins and to cleanse us from all [unknown, or forgotten sins] unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) You will then be in fellowship with God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and ready to learn Bible doctrine from the Word of God. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in [the filling of the] spirit and [biblical] truth.” (John 4:24) If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, the issue is not naming your sins. The issue is faith alone in Christ alone. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey [the command to believe in] the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36) HE WORD OF GOD is alive and powerful, sharper than any Ttwo-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit, and of the joints and the marrow, and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God might be mature, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim. 3:16 –17) Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) Introduction SPIRITUAL COMBAT F ROM THE MOMENT OF BIRTH, every person, regardless of age or gender, regardless of status in life, is in the midst of the great war. A ceaseless war! No man knows exactly when it began, and no man can end it. The resolution will never be attained during human history. The antagonists are irreconcilable; the conflagration, inescapable. The angelic conflict is not a world war. This is a war beyond the world. Yet for all of its infinite size and scope, the key combatants are unseen, although very real. This horrendous fight pits Satan, as the god of this world, against the God of all creation. At the same time man has a part to play—a huge part. Even though on his own man cannot bring the war to an end, he was created to resolve the conflict. Yes! God created man to conclusively settle this massive spiritual conflict. More importantly, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have an indispensable role as His soldiers. Throughout human history Satan and his angels will mightily struggle to achieve victory, but the outcome of their operations is not in the balance. Ultimately God will win, even though Satan will appear to have some success along