The King’s Authority, Angels, and Demons

Last week, we examined the prophetic value of waving and shaking the lulav:

• With the lulav, we call home the exiles from all directions of the earth to the sukkah. They are called to their Kingdom assignments, their reward, and to further repentance.

• First fruits offerings and those consecrated for service are typically waved

• Is 13:13; Mt 24:29; Mk 13:25; Lk 21:26; Re 6:13 describe how powers and principalities will be shaken out of the way to prepare the way for Messiah’s return and Kingdom.

• When Messiah sets up his Kingdom, the tribes will take the places of the removed “stars,” ruling from the twelve gates of Jerusalem under the King’s authority. (For the full explanation, review Powers and Principalities)

Today, disciples of Yeshua are still commissioned to learn, practice, and rehearse their future Kingdom responsibilities wherever they live among the nations. Learning to walk both in and under authority is something vital to orderliness in our walk today and absolutely vital in serving our now-and-future King in the millennium. Yeshua left us an incredibly valuable teaching on our preparation:

And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.
I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment. (Mt 8:5-13)

The text implies the servant was not suffering only from a physical malady, but a demonic oppression, or torment. The centurion frames his discussion on authority as being able to tell a subordinate to come or go, and they have to obey. Even demons are subordinate to the Word, and the centurion recognized Yeshua’s authority to send them away. Our King is the Living Word, not to be argued with by any demonic entity.

This is the authority that was to be invested in Israel as rulers with King Messiah. As they rehearsed their leadership in the wilderness encampment, preparing to replace powers and principalities, so Yeshua dispatched his disciples with instructions to practice healing and casting out demons in his Name, or authority. As with any learning exercise, sometimes they encountered challenges. Some demons didn’t accept their authority to send them back to their own realm. By definition, a demon attached to a human is out of bounds. Out of authorized areas. The question is, does the believer understand the authority to send it back to its assigned space?

And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Ac 19:15)

Yeshua taught the disciples that for stubborn cases, prayer and fasting beyond the annual Yom HaKippurim was necessary. Just as some ancient warriors, like Uriah or Jonathan, purified themselves, abstained from marital relations before a battlefield encounter, or made vows, so a little yom kippur is a way of preparing for serious spiritual battle by humbling the soul.

This does not mean that if you are not healed, you are deficient in faith. Even Timothy was often ill. Early believers fell ill and were subject to torture and death, so we prepare, pray, and practice using Yeshua’s authority, but sometimes the answer is no. We walk within the authority of the King, and if He has willed a different outcome, then we can only pray and accept that our ministry is not authorized to override a royal decree, only to appeal that it be somehow mitigated.

Yeshua links the final gathering at the resurrection to calling in the Bride-to-be with the “lulav” principle of Avraham, Isaac, and Jacob who are buried at Hebron, awaiting the resurrection. If you’ll remember from last week, the three myrtle branches of the lulav symbolize the three pairs of patriarchs/matriarchs who are buried at Hebron. Because Hebron was thought to be an entrance back to the Garden of Eden, it was a signal to all their descendants that there will be a resurrection.

Having faith in that central idea of the Word is what characterizes those who will return to the Garden, which hovers just above Jerusalem. In the Jewish tradition, when a righteous person crosses into the Garden after death, he is greeted first by Adam with joy, and then there is a sit-down meal with the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the fathers of our faith. Yeshua said there will be lots of room at that table of believers in him. If they walk in righteousness with him, they will experience a pleasant family reunion while they await the resurrection.

So why did Yeshua connect walking in the authority of the Living Word of Adonai with the resurrection?

Learning to walk in authority and under authority today is our preparation FOR the resurrection. Life is not over then, but just beginning. We need faith skills. We need humility. We need a ministry work ethic. We need to understand what authority we have and don’t have in the Word especially if we must be prepared to judge angels! (1 Co 6:3)