Battling the Prince of Persia

Recently, on The Prophet’s House, I’ve been talking about the battle taking place in the natural right now against the principality revealed in the book of Daniel, the Prince of Persia. Who is the Prince of Persia? Why is it important that we know about what the Prince of Persia is doing in our day? Simply put, the book of the prophet Daniel reveals this demonic principality that’s operating in our day. In (Daniel 10:13, Berean Standard Bible), an angel says to the prophet Daniel, “the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.” Right here, we are given revelation of what happens behind the scenes in the invisible realm of the spirit and how there are battles taking place between angels — light and dark, good and evil, wicked and righteous — over the nations. That battle is happening in real time on television right now and the world is being shaped by these powers in ways we do not know, do not think about, and do not understand. That’s why in this post I’d like to talk about how the Church, like the prophet Daniel, through prayer, must battle the Prince of Persia in our day, for it’s seeking to extend its demonic influence throughout our world today. Yes, a spiritual battle is taking place today. That spiritual battle is manifesting in our world through multiple wars taking place in the Middle East right now. The Iran war and the Israel war aren’t only natural battles. No, they are really spiritual battles with very real armies in opposition to one another using natural weapons to carry out their will. The United States has essentially dealt a death blow to Iran. If the United States wanted to destroy Iran tomorrow, it could. President Trump hasn’t wanted to destroy Iran. But the regime in Iran, controlled by Islamic extremists, is intent on drawing this war out for as long as they can. Why? They believes America is weak. America has shown weakness for more than 47 years through multiple presidents, Democrat and Republican. President Trump was willing to confront Iran and stop its spread of terror; he recognized Iran must be stopped. The barbarians had to be stopped; they were at the door with the potential of having a nuclear bomb. That brings the obvious question: Why, in the face of overwhelming defeat, would Iran seek to extend this war? What benefit can they gain from doing so? In the natural, none.

But what if Iran isn’t being motivated by human thinking in making its decisions? What if there are spiritual forces working behind the scenes to create the conflict we see happening today? And what if the key to winning the Iran war isn’t the military might of the United States but the prayers of the saints? Yes, prayer is the deciding factor of what happens in Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the United States. Prayer. Not military might. Why do I say this? Not only because I’m a minister, but because of the force of spiritual truth behind what I’m saying. What we see in the book of Daniel is the power of a man who knows how to pray, and how his prayers affect the spiritual realm. Angels are moved by prayer. Demons are also moved by prayer. Prayer establishes dominance in the realm of the spirit. And that world that silently sits behind our world often seeks to controls what happens in our world. Why?

To understand that why, we must heed the words of the Apostle Paul, “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 15:46 KJV). It would be easy to miss the spiritual truth the Apostle Paul is conveying by what he’s saying. Literally, he’s saying the spiritual realm isn’t the first realm; rather, the natural realm is the first realm. Now, that statement directly contradicts what the Church has taught and believed for years. The spiritual realm isn’t the first realm. No, the natural realm in which we live is the first realm of God’s creation. That, by necessity, means the natural realm governs the spiritual realm, and not the other way around. 

And isn’t that what Jesus said? “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18, NLT)We often think what Jesus said is symbolic and/or allegorical truth, but it is, in fact, spiritual truth. No wonder Satan made his move in the garden against the woman: he wanted control over the natural realm. No wonder angels (demons) mated with women: they wanted control over the natural realm. Why? Because what happens in the natural realm controls what happens in the spiritual realm, and not the other way around, as we’ve been taught. That’s why the battle for our world is so important. And that’s why Christ came: He, of necessity, had to reclaim this natural realm, which mankind had lost through sin, for the natural realm is the first realm. 

                 “Violence, murder, rape, and ultimately, idolatry — the worship of a false god named,                                    Allah — are the sins being promoted by Iran. That’s the battle we are facing.”

                                                                                                              —Scott Wallis                                                                                                      

What does that mean? It means we have more authority than we thought. What we say and do impacts the spiritual realm. That’s why Satan is hellbent on influencing mankind. That’s why he tempts us to sin. Sin brings us under his control. That’s our great weakness — we sin. When we sin, Satan gains dominance over us. That’s why Christ’s work on the cross is so important: “[S]in has no authority over you, for you not under The Written Law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14, Aramaic Bible in Plain English). The law was established to expose sin, confront sin, and deal with sin through “one sacrifice for sins forever”. (Hebrews 10:12, HCSB). And the One who sacrificed Himself fulfilled the law. He didn’t erase it, do away with it, ignore it, or break it. No, He fulfilled the law. And He put the law in our hearts and minds. (Romans 2:15). Now, “[d]o we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31, NKJV).

Why would God want us to establish the law? Because “the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.” (1 Timothy 1:9, NLT). If God wants us to establish the law, does He still want us to preach faith? Yes! Yes! Yes! The law was never given to make us right. The law was given to expose sin “so that through the commandment sin would become exceedingly sinful.” (Romans 7:13, Amplified Bible). In other words, the law exposes the disorder in our world. Why do we need the law to expose our sin? Because of “the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews  3:13). “Sin found its chance, and by means of the commandment it deceived me and killed me.” (Romans 7:11, Good New Translation). 

Why have I said all this? To help you realize the spiritual battle we are facing. The Prince of Persia has deceived an entire people. It has used bits and pieces of the law to enslave nations. It’s using the law that’s strewn throughout Islam’s blatantly and obviously false teachings to subjugate nations. Still, we must establish the law. Why? The law of God, rightly divided, brings the knowledge of sin. Once sin is exposed, repentance is possible. Until sin is exposed, men and women don’t, won’t, and can’t repent of sin. Sin is the issue. The Prince of Persia, like his master, Satan, feeds on sin, uses sin, and keeps people bound by sin or sinful conduct. Pure evil.

That’s what America is facing in this battle against the Prince of Persia, an evil entity that seeks to use sin as a weapon against people to hold others in bondage to their own sin and the sins of others. That’s what’s happening in Iran right now. Although it’s a military conflict and there’s a physical battle taking place in the natural, we must understand its roots to deal with the real enemy — the Prince of Persia, a demonic spirit seeking to rule and establish its will over Iran — and the world — through the brutal Islamic ideology being promoted in Iran and through Iran’s proxies around the world. Violence, murder, rape, and ultimately, idolatry — the worship of a false god named, Allah — are the sins being promoted by Iran. That’s the battle we are facing. 

Church, it’s time we recognize the battles we are facing, “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”, (Ephesians 6:12 KJV). That’s America’s real struggle: we are facing the rapid rise of demonic powers who know how to wield our own sins against us, discourage God’s people from praying, and deceive the world through false interpretations of God’s laws, natural and revealed in scripture, even through false and demonically rooted teachings in Islam. Yes, that’s the battle. And we had better learn how to fight of faith or America, as has happened in Europe, will be lost to this demonic power known as the Prince of Persia.

Let us pray!

— Scott Wallis