There are two kingdoms at war in this world.
They are not earthly kingdoms as they do not occupy geographical space. They are spiritual kingdoms.
Many people would like to deny the existence of both.
Many are willing to recognize the kingdom of God but not the kingdom of Satan.
Yet the Bible is clear that both exist.
The kingdom of God has existed since creation. Christ said, “Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34 (NASB) The kingdom of Satan has existed since his rebellion against God.
Satan is on a short leash. Yahweh on the other hand has always existed. Never created. As humans we sometimes have a hard time understanding this. God the father has always been in spiritual form. Genesis 1:2 (NASB) “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the [c]surface of the waters.” ” God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 (NASB).
He sent Jesus in human form to show himself to man. Yet God the Father and God the Son both existed at creation. John 1:1 (NASB) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.”
Genesis 1:26” Then God said, “ Let us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. “
Satan’s primary goal is destruction. He wants self-glorification and attempts to destroy people. He wants to destroy people so he can control them. He wants to own the glory that only belongs to God (YAWEH.) He wants to be God. He is willing to seize that power in any way he can. He will make you think that life is all about you and what you want.
1 Peter 5:8 (NASB) “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking ‘someone to devour.” He will make you think that life is all about you and what you want. Let me ask you this. If you goal in life is your self-satisfaction, how do you feel today?
John 10:10 (NASB) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life and have it abundantly.” God desires fellowship with people and desires to bless them. The choice set forth between God and Satan are life and death. God offers life eternal (never ending); Satan wants to destroy our physical and eternal life.
How does Satan destroy a human’s life?
Proverbs 20:1 (NASB) “Wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink a brawler,And whoever [a]is intoxicated by it is not wise.”
Proverbs 21:7 “The violence of the wicked will drag them away, because they refuse to act with justice.”Proverbs 21:17 “he who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.”
Proverbs 21:2 states “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.” We are going to be judged by Gods’ standards. And he has made those standards known through the Bible. The most common standards of God that people recognize are the Ten Commandments. They were part of the old covenant.
God created a new covenant that went into force at the death and resurrection of Jesus. Christ said in John 13:34 ”I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
Proverbs 20:27 states “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord.” “12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12 (NASB)
Proverbs 21:4 “The lamp of the wicked is sin.” Evil in all its forms is sin, hatred, jealousy, covetousness, lust to name a few. Christ put it this way when speaking to the pharisees “44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.”
There are two kingdoms vying for your citizenship. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.
Where will your citizenship be?