'The eternal judgment of unclean spirits'
Back to 'Christ in You'
As we are discussing the relationship between holy living and the gaining of eternal life we need to keep in mind that one of the most important dimensions of the relationship is that of God’s judgment on evil works in general, and on evil spirits in particular.
The area of the conflict in our life between sin and righteousness is related to the past rebellion in Heaven and to the law and judgment of almighty God that rewards His creatures according to their response to His will. The fact is, no one will receive the fullness of eternal life until the work of Divine judgment has been completed in his or her life.
Hebrews 6:2 mentions the doctrine of "eternal judgment." It is this doctrine to which we are referring when we state that no one will receive the fullness of eternal life until the work of judgment has been completed. You may notice that eternal judgment follows the resurrection of the dead, and precedes the "perfection" of verse 1 of the same chapter (Hebrews, Chapter Six).
As far as the saint of God is concerned, the "resurrection of the dead" of Hebrews 6:2 is the resurrection described in John 11:25,26; Colossians 3:1; Romans 6:13; and Colossians 2:12,13. We are not claiming that the bodily resurrection is past already (II Timothy 2:18) but are speaking of the spiritual aspect of the resurrection that occurs before the resurrection of the body.
Some students of the Scriptures believe that Paul in Philippians 3:11 is referring to the spiritual and not the physical resurrection. There is an attaining to resurrection life that we are to be pursuing now.
The eternal judgment of God follows the resurrection. This is demonstrated in the raising of Lazarus (John, Chapter 11) on the fifth day. Had Lazarus been raised on the third day his raising would have been typical of the resurrection of Christ.
The raising of Lazarus on the fifth day portrays the fulfillment in us of the Levitical Blowing of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24), the blowing of Trumpet being the fifth of the Levitical observances. The bringing forth of Lazarus from the grave depicts the Christian who has been raised by the Holy Spirit and who now is ready to walk in the newness of resurrection life.
Lazarus was "bound hand and foot with graveclothes," even his face being "bound about with a napkin." This was in contrast to the Lord Jesus who discarded His graveclothes in the cave of Joseph of Arimathea.
Jesus called forth Lazarus in a condition of bondage just as He calls forth you and me to walk in the newness of resurrection life although we still are bound by the "graveclothes" of the sin in our flesh.
Lazarus was raised from the dead but still bound, still not judged as to the tendencies of his body, to speak figuratively. Jesus directed those standing by to "Loose him, and let him go." The graveclothes represent the bondages of sin that hinder the Christian believer. Those standing by symbolize the people that God uses to set us free. Sometimes people minister to us by the power of the Spirit of God. On other occasions people cause us pain and frustration. But if we will look to God in each instance we will be set free from sin.
The authority and power of judgment, based on the blood of the atonement, reside in the Church of Christ. They are keys of the kingdom. When Christ, the Head, is directing His Body, through the Holy Spirit, the Body has the authority and power to retain sin and to remit sin.
Sin is not a force that springs from the earth or from the physical body, as they were created originally. Sin is alien to us. It is not inherent in the physical creation. The earth, the sun, the moon and stars, and the physical body were created by the Lord God. They were formed in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. They were brought into being without any tendency toward sin.
Sin entered the garden of Eden in the form of a living, intelligent being. Sin always is related to personalities, not to nonliving matter. Sin always is of the devil no matter how entwined it may become in the fleshly nature of a human being. "He that committeth sin is of the devil" (I John 3:8).
The moment mankind was persuaded to sin, Satan took over the controls of human nature (Genesis 4:7). Sin and death then reigned over all persons born into the world (Romans 5:12-14). There is no way of escaping the authority and power of sin (Psalms 51:5). The mind of the flesh is an enemy of God and cannot be reconciled to God (Romans 8:7).
God has revealed Himself to mankind in the glory of the natural creation, in man’s own conscience, and in the Law of Moses. These revelations only magnify the wrongness of sin; they cannot remove sin because they do not bring the authority and power to deal with the devil.
It is the lords of darkness who are the cause of sin (Ephesians 6:12). These lords at one time were angels of wisdom and authority in Heaven. We cannot deliver the earth and its people until God is able to execute through us His eternal judgment on unclean spirits. A strong man’s house cannot be invaded until the strong man himself has been rendered incapable of resistance.
The Lord Jesus Christ brought into the earth the perfect and complete atonement for the sins of people. In order to make an atonement for sin, two aspects of the problem must be taken care of. First, the guilt of sin must be forgiven. Divine justice must be satisfied. Second, the dominating power of sin must be conquered. Both of these aspects must be provided for or the atonement, the reconciliation, is only partial.
Back to 'Christ in You'