Spiritual Warfare, A New Strategy
When Paul talks of “casting down imaginations” he is explaining to us that it is our mind that monitors and commands our spirit in this spiritual invasion. Our warfare is not of the flesh and our weapons aren’t either. What we are fighting for is spiritual, and what we are fighting with is spiritual. Verse six reminds us of the age-old reason for this continuing war. The reason for it was angelic disobedience. This prompted Satan’s fall and fueled his obsessive animosity toward God and His children. The giants, then, died and gave up their evil spirits which were formed into new military units that joined with the “sons of God” to form a vast army of spiritual beings.
The “watchers” as Enoch calls these “sons of God,” no longer have access to heaven, but must live their lives as earth-bound creatures. This probably precipitated their joining with women of the earth, which joining then produced the giants of Genesis. But, as we have seen, these giants became the target of God’s judgment. These giants afflicted mankind until they were finally physically destroyed. Casting aside their flesh like a tattered garment they moved in satanic concert in the spirit. The Book of Enoch tells us that they will continue to “cause trouble” and “work destruction on the earth” until the “day of consummation.” This “day” is in the future and corresponds with the return of Christ and the judgment of all things. The joining of forces of the spirits of giants and the spirit entities called “sons of God” or “watchers” signaled a strategic change in Satan’s opposition against the kingdom of God. The “watchers”, according to Enoch, have leaders, or a hierarchy, that provides command personages and military guidance for the less sophisticated spirits of the giants. It is this kind of bellicose spirit force that Paul is referring to in II Corinthians. Paul explained it for Christians of his time, and it remains true for ours. In the following study, we explain these things and discuss the evil spirits as to their identities, and activities. We then spend time with those ordained spiritual leaders who have engaged these demonic forces. But, it all begins with the “sons of God” in the first book of the Bible.
James R. Spillman, in his masterful book, A Conspiracy of Angelsii, presents the persuasive possibility that the scapegoat is not actually a type of Christ. In English the goat is called scapegoat and in Hebrew he is called Azazel. Spillman describes this event and its meaning perfectly.