Read transcript below
Keywords
spirituality, Jeffrey Epstein, Satan, Christian faith, truth, repentance, evil, spiritual battle, following Jesus, darkness
Summary
In this episode of Dispatches from the Spiritual Front, Alan Wartes discusses the recent revelations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and the implications of these events on our understanding of evil in the world. He emphasizes the importance of discerning truth amidst the noise and recognizing the pervasive influence of Satan in society. Wartes calls for a radical repentance and a commitment to follow Jesus, highlighting the spiritual battle that Christians face against evil forces.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Spiritual Front
01:13 Facing Disturbing Truths
02:43 Understanding Satan’s Rule
05:03 The Nature of Our Struggle
06:47 The Call to Radical Repentance
Transcript
Hi. I’m Alan Wartes. Welcome to Dispatches from the Spiritual Front.
I must admit it has been more difficult than usual to discern what to speak about in this week’s Dispatch. I think the main reason for that is all the noise created by the recent release of information related to Jeffrey Epstein. In times like these it’s more important than ever to be still and be sure that our thoughts are truly guided by the Holy Spirit and not tainted by our own understanding.
It’s very tempting to contribute to the noise and miss God’s wisdom that leads us, under any circumstances, deeper into abiding in Christ as new creations. That’s our target, no matter what is going on around us.
That said, I think there is understanding to be gained from these events, but only if we face them truthfully. So, please forgive the following blunt summary.
The federal government this week made public millions of digital files, emails and so forth, that appear to reveal a very disturbing fact. That people in the very top echelons of every sector of our society routinely engage in the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children in overtly satanic rituals. These possibly include torture, human sacrifice and even cannibalism.
So far, the identities of these people have mostly been withheld. That’s where much of the noise comes from in the news and social media spheres. There is a clamor for justice.
It’s impossible to overstate the evil all this describes.
As shocking as this may sound, I think who these particular people are doesn’t really matter in the big picture. Stay with me. I’m not minimizing the horror in these revelations or suggesting anyone should get a free pass.
We are promised that one day all the evil in the world will end and all the wicked will be punished, severely and forever.
But we must not forget that vengeance and judgment belong to God alone, especially for crimes like these.
That, paradoxically, sets us free to focus on the real truth being revealed in all this. It’s something we’ve heard before but have never really taken seriously.
What the Epstein files reveal, along with many other events in recent years, is that everything in our world is ruled by Satan and his followers. Everything.
The Christian church gives lip service to that idea but very few of us live like we actually believe it. There is much more to say about that, but for now just let it sink in.
Everything in our world is ruled by Satan and his followers.
Until you understand this fact, the call to come out of Babylon and live your life as a stranger and a foreigner in this world can seem a little over the top. You’ll misunderstand what’s at stake and go on making bargains with the devil in the name of getting along.
Once you grasp it, you’ll see that no earthy tools can threaten Satan’s rulership. So long as he is loose in the world there will never be a shortage of people who will say yes to the offer he made to our Lord in the wilderness, as it says in Matthew chapter four:
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9
That’s right. That wasn’t just for Jesus. He said no, but many do not. This is why Paul wrote that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood.
Because the wicked are like grass. No matter how hard you try to pull them up by the roots on your own they will just grow back. While Satan rules the world, there will always be someone else ready to love the darkness and hate the light.
We’ve heard what Paul wrote, but let’s remind ourselves anyway:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, after your have done everything, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:12-17
Our struggle is not against people, but against Satan himself and all his hierarchy of evil.
Do we put on the armor of God to win political battles? To reform society with better laws? Stronger enforcement? Military victories?
No. That is precisely what the people of Israel expected Jesus to do as Messiah. Our Lord explicitly rejected that way of thinking and living because he understood where the fight really lay.
So where is the front line in our spiritual battle with evil? Put another way, what is Satan fighting to achieve that the armor of God prepares us to resist?
The easy, cliché answer is that he wants to stop people from believing that Jesus is the Son of God. But even the demons believe that and testify to it. Matthew chapter 8 tells the story of two demon-possessed men who came out from tombs where they lived when Jesus approached.
“They were so violent that no one could pass that way. ‘What do you want with us, Son of God?’ they shouted. ‘Have you come to torture us before the appointed time?’”
Matthew 8:28-29.
No, Satan is not threatened when someone simply professes to believe. Words are cheap.
He is desperate, however, to prevent us from hearing and acting on the invitation Jesus gives to all who genuinely believe:
“Follow me.”
We take up the fight when we follow him.
If we take that phrase literally, it means we walk in his footsteps where they lead. And they lead us inevitably to the cross. That is not simply where his death counted against our debt. Thank God for that, but the cross is a gate we must follow him through in our own choice to die to all that belongs to the life we lived in Satan’s world.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
Matthew 16:24-25
This is radical repentance.
If there is a lesson to be learned in the unmasking of deep darkness and evil in our world, it is this: there is no middle ground in this fight. There is no gray area. Jesus was not kidding when he said it’s impossible to serve both God and Mammon — and yet most Christians attempt to do exactly that.
The Epstein files are a wakeup call.
Wake up and follow.
