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Unity to All Under Christ - Part 8 - Ephesians - Divine Authority and Spiritual Resistance: Living as Citizens of God's Kingdom
To read the Bible as “good tourists,” we must approach it with humility and curiosity, seeking to understand its original context and meaning, just as Jesus and Paul would have read it—with reverence for God’s divine narrative. Deuteronomy 32:8-9 reveals how humanity was divided among the “sons of God” after the Tower of Babel, highlighting rulers and authorities that Paul later refers to in Ephesians. However, this division also underscores the rebellion and corruption of these spiritual powers over humanity, as explained by Michael Heiser. Jesus came to confront and disarm these powers through His victory on the cross, as described in Colossians 2:8-15, restoring humanity’s relationship with God and reclaiming authority over all creation. Today, we recognize and resist dark spiritual forces not by accepting societal corruption as “normal,” as Timothy Gombis warns, but by actively living out the truth of God's kingdom—embracing justice, love, and faithfulness in opposition to evil. Through Christ, we find hope, strength, and a call to stand firm against spiritual deception.
Discussion Questions
1) Why is it important to read the Bible as “good tourists”? How can we begin to read the Bible as Jesus or Paul would have read and understood it?- Read Deuteronomy 32:8-9 in several different Bible translations (NIV, NRSV, ESV, NASB, etc.). Why are they different and what is being communicated in these verses about the rulers and authorities Paul refers to in Ephesians? Consider this quote from Michael Heiser for reference, "In response to the tower of Babel God divided humanity by languages and geographical destiny. By doing so, God allotted them according to the number of the sons of God. God assigned the rule of his human children to other members of his heavenly family. Humanity didn’t want him as their king, so he obliged. Over the course of time the Bible tells us that these sons of God became corrupt, enslaving and abusing their populations. These were the gods worshiped by the peoples of the earth.”
2) Watch the following video on the Divine Council and talk about it in community: Learn About the Hidden Forces Guiding the World • Spiritual Beings (Ep. 3)
3) What did Jesus come to accomplish in relation to the powers and authorities? Consider Colossians 2:8-15.
4) In what ways do we recognize and resist the dark spiritual forces of evil? Consider the following quote from Timothy Gombis, “the most deceptive part of all this is that one of the strategies of the powers is to make it seem that destructive corruptions of society are normal, that its just the way things are.”
Watch this sermon on YouTube!!!
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By Philpott ChurchTo read the Bible as “good tourists,” we must approach it with humility and curiosity, seeking to understand its original context and meaning, just as Jesus and Paul would have read it—with reverence for God’s divine narrative. Deuteronomy 32:8-9 reveals how humanity was divided among the “sons of God” after the Tower of Babel, highlighting rulers and authorities that Paul later refers to in Ephesians. However, this division also underscores the rebellion and corruption of these spiritual powers over humanity, as explained by Michael Heiser. Jesus came to confront and disarm these powers through His victory on the cross, as described in Colossians 2:8-15, restoring humanity’s relationship with God and reclaiming authority over all creation. Today, we recognize and resist dark spiritual forces not by accepting societal corruption as “normal,” as Timothy Gombis warns, but by actively living out the truth of God's kingdom—embracing justice, love, and faithfulness in opposition to evil. Through Christ, we find hope, strength, and a call to stand firm against spiritual deception.
Discussion Questions
1) Why is it important to read the Bible as “good tourists”? How can we begin to read the Bible as Jesus or Paul would have read and understood it?- Read Deuteronomy 32:8-9 in several different Bible translations (NIV, NRSV, ESV, NASB, etc.). Why are they different and what is being communicated in these verses about the rulers and authorities Paul refers to in Ephesians? Consider this quote from Michael Heiser for reference, "In response to the tower of Babel God divided humanity by languages and geographical destiny. By doing so, God allotted them according to the number of the sons of God. God assigned the rule of his human children to other members of his heavenly family. Humanity didn’t want him as their king, so he obliged. Over the course of time the Bible tells us that these sons of God became corrupt, enslaving and abusing their populations. These were the gods worshiped by the peoples of the earth.”
2) Watch the following video on the Divine Council and talk about it in community: Learn About the Hidden Forces Guiding the World • Spiritual Beings (Ep. 3)
3) What did Jesus come to accomplish in relation to the powers and authorities? Consider Colossians 2:8-15.
4) In what ways do we recognize and resist the dark spiritual forces of evil? Consider the following quote from Timothy Gombis, “the most deceptive part of all this is that one of the strategies of the powers is to make it seem that destructive corruptions of society are normal, that its just the way things are.”
Watch this sermon on YouTube!!!