Whether people realize this or not, behind the scene there’s a spiritual warfare going on; what we see outwardly manifested as chaos and vanity is a result of this spiritual warfare. As believers in Christ, we need to engage in spiritual warfare first by maintaining our position of ascension, realizing that Christ has already destroyed the devil, and standing in His victory.
We engage in spiritual warfare in order to conquer the satanic chaos and triumph in the divine economy.
If you look at the news, all you see is chaos and absurdity: people fight against people, there’s corruption in business, in economics, and in politics; there are a lot of crimes, there’s much hatred, and there are all kinds of sinful situations that are both spoken of and promoted.
Satan is tirelessly fighting against God and His people, and he is on a “killing spree” to destroy humanity, bring in chaos, and damage the vessel created by God in His image to be filled with God. Even in our family life there’s chaos: there are problems between our relatives and us, there’s a lot of misunderstanding, no communication, divorce, lack of love, lack of affection, and so many things; even if there are no major problems in our family life, there’s so much chaos.
In the church life we can also see the satanic chaos: the saints are kept busy by Satan so that they won’t attend the meetings, the young people are distracted by the world, there may be some problems among the saints, there’s no fellowship or coordination in doing things, and there are so many things that create a general impression of chaos.
Outwardly what we can see is chaos, but if we turn our heart to the Lord and are one with Him in His ascension we will realize that there’s a divine economy that triumphs even as the satanic chaos operates. The Lord is looking for some overcomers who would stand for and live out the divine economy, some who would engage in spiritual warfare to conquer the satanic chaos and triumph in the divine economy.
May we be those who do not look at the satanic chaos operating in the world, in the family life, at work, and in the church life, but who overcome the satanic chaos by standing in ascension with Christ and live out the divine economy.
The History of the Universe is a History of God’s Economy and Satan’s Chaos
The history of the universe is a history of God’s economy and Satan’s chaos. From the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation what we see is a record of the divine economy going in parallel with the satanic chaos. Satan doesn’t “follow God” to bring in chaos; he goes alongside with God and sometimes even tries to go ahead of God to bring in chaos, destruction, vanity, and absurdity.
However, in the satanic chaos existing on earth throughout history, God has a divine economy which is being manifested. In each age God has been looking for a group of overcomers who would cooperate with Him and would be one with Him to conquer the satanic chaos and triumph in the divine economy.
Today the Lord needs a race of overcomers who would be empowered in the Lord to stand against the stratagems of the devil (Eph. 6:10-11) and would stand in the Body to take up the whole armor of God that they may be able to withstand in the evil day (v. 13).
God doesn’t deliver His people out of the satanic chaos – He wants them to overcome the satanic chaos and triumph in the divine economy. Our Christian life and our family life is a mixture of God’s economy and chaos; many times we see the chaos – and we see only chaos, but behind the scenes God is working to gain us and advance His divine economy.
Because in this universe there are two sources – God and Satan – there’s a spiritual warfare going on, and as with all wars, there’s a satanic chaos that exists in the world in a general way. Every part of society – both today and throughout history – is filled with chaos; in politics, business, trade, sales, sports, transportation, economics, social system, and in every aspect of society there’s so much satanic chaos.
But we need to realize that this chaos will end in the lake of fire, while the divine economy will reach the consummation in the New Jerusalem. We should not be discouraged: in addition to the satanic chaos there’s the divine economy, that is, as our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day (see 2 Cor. 4:6; 1 Tim. 1:4).
Hallelujah, in the satanic chaos operating in the world today God has a divine economy, and we as His people can stand in the position of ascension to be one with Him and triumph in the divine economy!
Lord Jesus, we want to look away from the satanic chaos and focus on the divine economy operating today. Lord, may Your economy advance in us. We want to be one with You and live with You in ascension so that we may triumph in the divine economy. Praise You for the divine order in the divine economy; keep us enjoying You in the divine economy so that any chaos in our family life and church life may be eliminated and the divine economy may be manifested! Praise the Lord, we are not discouraged: in the midst of the satanic chaos God has a divine economy which will prevail!
Being one with God to Conquer the Satanic Chaos and Triumph in the Divine Economy
Even though Satan does his best to create such a chaos and destruction in our family life, work life, church life, and Christian life, God does not take us out of there; God does not intend to deliver us from chaos – He wants us to be one with Him to conquer the destructive satanic chaos in the old creation and to carry out the constructive divine economy for the new creation (Eph. 3:9-10; 2 Cor. 5:17).
In this day and age God is calling His overcomers, those who do not look at the satanic chaos but join themselves to God in his divine economy to overcome the satanic chaos and carry out God’s economy.
The whole universe is in a state of collapse, and chaos and vanity is everywhere; God wants to head up all things in Christ – the things in the heaven and the things on the earth, in Him, and we as God’s people and the Body of Christ need to take the lead to be headed up in Christ and thus rescued from the universal heap of collapse (see Eph. 1:10 and footnote in the Recovery Version Bible).
Through the church, God wants to make known His multifarious wisdom to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies; He rescues, saves, and transforms sinners who were once in the satanic chaos so that He may manifest His wisdom in building up a masterpiece, the church, to express Him corporately in the universe and destroy the devil (see Eph. 3:10 and footnote).
As we today are suffering the chaos, we need to stand for and live out the divine economy (1 Tim. 1:4, 18; 2 Tim. 4:7).
We need to be aware that, even in the midst of temporary outward apparent prosperity, there’s a satanic chaos – vanity of vanity, chaos, absurdity, and meaningless. However, it is a lie from the enemy that this chaos is all there is; the enemy lies to mankind saying there’s no God, there’s nothing transcended, and there’s no reality.
In the midst of the satanic chaos we as believers in Christ need to live in ascension and apply right now Christ’s absolute victory to Satan so that the divine economy may triumph! In the local churches the enemy brings in all kinds of chaos, but we are being trained to engage in spiritual warfare to conquer the satanic chaos that is all around us. Hallelujah, right now chaos is being defeated and God’s economy is being carried out!
We should not be disappointed or discouraged but we should be strengthened and enable to stand for and live out the divine economy. We need to be empowered in the Lord and take up the whole armor of God so that we may be enabled by the Lord to conquer all the destructive chaos and enter triumphantly into the kingdom!
Lord Jesus, we want to be Your overcomers, those who are one with You to conquer the destructive satanic chaos in the old creation and carry out the constructive divine economy in the new creation! Lord, we do NOT believe the lie of the enemy that “there’s no God – there’s only chaos and vanity” but we join ourselves to You to live with You in ascension and apply Your absolute victory to the enemy. Lord, we stand for and live out Your divine economy even as we are suffering the satanic chaos! Train us to engage in spiritual warfare as Your overcomers to conquer and overcome the satanic chaos that is all around us and live out the divine economy!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ron Kangas’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation, chs. 1-2 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Vision and Experience of Christ in His Resurrection and Ascension, week 6 / msg 6, The Vision and Experience of Christ in His Ascension (3) Living with Christ in His Ascension as a New Creation in Resurrection to Engage in Spiritual Warfare for the Kingdom of God.
- All verses are taken from, Recovery Version Bible.
- Hymns on this topic to strengthen this burden:
# What good our pleasure and our wealth? / Though joys we have and family, / We’ll have our worries just the same! / It’s all vanity! / Days of toil to gain and restless nights: / Though gained without calamity, / When death comes it is gone for aye! / It’s all vanity! (Hymns #1080)
# Jesus Lord, I just love You. / You’ve attracted me, and my heart renewed. / I pursue You like a dove; / I belong to You, and You’re my Beloved. / Everything under the sun is vanity: / It’s like chasing after wind, so emptily; / You have put within me, Lord, eternity. (Song on vanity vs reality)
# God’s eternal economy / Is to make man the same as He is / In life and nature but not in the Godhead / And to make Himself one with man / And man one with Him, / Thus to be enlarged / And expanded in His expression, / That all His divine, / That all His divine attributes / May be expressed in human virtues. (Song on God’s divine economy)
The overcomers are those who suffer the chaos, but they are not disappointed or discouraged. Instead, they are strengthened and enabled to stand for and live out the divine economy. The satanic chaos is still going on around us in Christendom. Even within the Lord’s recovery, we have experienced this chaos….All of us have to conquer this destructive chaos. If we are enabled by the Lord to conquer all the destructive chaos, we will triumphantly enter into the kingdom. We will be those who triumph in the unique constructive economy. (Witness Lee, The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation, p. 75)