According to Dan 10:10-13, 20-21, there are fights taking place among principalities and powers above your head. When Daniel prayed for an understanding in the vision he had seen, an angel was sent to help him. However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood this angel who was sent by God. They fought for three weeks, and Michael, one of the chief princes, had to help him in this fight. Finally, the angel was able to get away and visit Daniel. And when he completed his visit he told Daniel that he was going to return to fight with the prince of Persia. After that fight, the angel said, “the prince of Grecia shall come.”
You must remember that the ruling power on earth, at the time of this vision, was Cyrus, king of Persia [Dan 10:1]. He was from among the kings of Media and Persia [Dan 8:20]. The king that defeated the Persians and succeeded them as the ruling power on earth was the king of Grecia [Dan 8:21]. As you see, the wars among the principalities and powers above your head were duplicated among the nations of the earth down here. There are things taking place in the unseen spirit world above you and around you that are mirrored down here among the nations of the earth.
This is why Is 24:21 says, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.” The host of the high ones that are on high are the principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and the spiritual wickedness in high places, Eph 6:12. What they do in the heavens, the kings of the earth do on the earth. That’s why there is so much connection between the nations and their gods [2 Ki 17:29-31; 18:33-35].
Notice what happened when David numbered the children of Israel in 2 Sam 24:1 and 1 Chr 21:1. Why did David do such a foolish thing? He did it because the Lord moved him and the devil provoked him to do it. Joab couldn’t make sense out of what David was doing and argued against it, without success. Nevertheless, because this is how things were developing in heaven, this is how they were done through a king here on the earth.
Notice how God and the devil were involved in what happened to Job. God presented Job to the devil as an example of a perfect man [Job 1:1, 6-8]. The devil challenged God’s assessment of Job and said that he could make Job curse God [Job 1:11]. So, God put all that Job had in the devil’s power and the devil attacked [Job 1:12]. When Job didn’t curse God, the devil was given permission to “touch his bone and his flesh” but he couldn’t kill him [Job 2:3-6]. What was going on between God and the devil was playing out in Job’s life down here. Job and his friends could not make sense out of what was happening because it was something that was going on between these supernatural powers above your head.
God directed the things that happened in Egypt when the Jews were enslaved, even down to the choice of the king who was ruling at the time [Ex 9:15-16]. None of Pharaoh’s servants could understand why Pharaoh was letting everything in Egypt be destroyed [Ex 10:7]. What was playing out in the spirit world was being fulfilled in the earthly world.
God led Ahab into a battle against the king of Syria through a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets [1 Ki 22:22-23]. What was determined in heaven in the spirit world came to pass exactly in the earthly world.
In the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, Pilate was given the power to condemn Jesus “from above,” [Jn 19:11]. The Pharisees were doing what their father the devil wanted them to do [Jn 8:44]. Through all of this, “the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” [Acts 2:23] was fulfilled. What was determined in the spirit world among powers above your head was fulfilled in this world.
The lamentation upon the king of Tyrus in Ezek 28:11-19 is, as you can see by reading the passage, addressed to a king, but it’s to the devil. They are that closely connected. The king of Assyria in Is 10:5-14 accomplishes the work of the devil in removing the bounds of the people, which God established [Acts 17:26], robbing their treasures, and putting down the inhabitants like a valiant man. It seems this is happening right now.
So, when you consider the reaction of the nations to this CoVid-19 pandemic, you must remember that there are some things going on up there that are over the heads of the rulers of the nations down here. No doubt, their global response will help to set the stage for the rule of the coming antichrist. When the forces above your head are ready, the kings of the earth will follow. And the people will willing go along with what they’re being told to do. What is determined in the sprit world will be fulfilled in the earth.
People have already given up so much of their privacy for the convenience of the internet and cell phones. When was the last time you fully read and understood the terms and conditions of your updates, software, and apps? You don’t have the privacy you might think you have.
We have gone from cash and checks, to ATM cards, to debit and credit cards, to magnetic strips, to chips, to tap and pay. We have gone from rotary dial landlines to touch id and face recognition cell phones. How easy will it be for the antichrist to sell the mark of the beast to a society so concerned with data breeches, identity theft, speed and convenience?
Conclusion: I fully understand the need to protect the lives of people from this virus and to keep from overwhelming the capacity of our healthcare system to respond to a sudden spike in the numbers of serious cases. I absolutely get it.
But at the same time, when you consider the Bible and our proximity to the Lord’s return at the Rapture and the Tribulation that will follow, I cannot help but think that this global response fits perfectly into the plan of what’s going on with the powers above your head. I think this is beyond the governmental, political and economic ability of those in authority down here. I believe they are being directed, not only by what they think they have to do but, by unseen forces above.
As the world is being prepared for the coming of the antichrist, we should be getting ready to fly. It’s high time that you prepare for the arrival of our Lord [1 Thes 4:16-17]. There are probably a lot of things you are worrying about right now that aren’t even going to matter when we’re gone. Quit worrying about all your plans for the future and start thinking about God’s plans for the future. I believe his plans are more important than our plans right now.
And if the Lord is not quite ready to return for us there is no need for you to worry about how you are going to make it between now and then. Of all the powers above your head, the Lord Jesus Christ is preeminent. He is “FAR ABOVE all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come,” [Eph 1:21]. He’ll take care of you. Don’t you worry about that. I’m glad to remind you of this great truth today.