Through the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we can see a heavenly reality for God’s people.

Last week I posted a blog called “Where is the evidence of God?” In it, I concluded that the church is the evidence of God, through Jesus Christ, in both realms – the seen and unseen realms. It seems only fit to then ask the question of how does the church give evidence to God in the unseen realm? I believe the Lord is giving us a clear example through the current Ukraine crisis.

Of course, as you know, in the earthly realm right now Russia has invaded the country of Ukraine and has declared war upon her. Russian leader Putin has lied to his people including his military soldiers. He has deceived them into thinking they have gone in to conduct military exercises and that the Ukrainian people would welcome them.

Meanwhile, the entire rest of the world (mostly) has banded together in an unprecedented way and stronger than ever, has united as one body in defiance against Russia’s leader and the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Thousands of ordinary people from other countries are sending messages to the people of Russia via any means possible, to inform them of what their leader is really doing and to tell them the truth.

There are reports of young Russian soldiers captured in Ukraine breaking down in tears when they see the light, of what is really happening – that their leader has lied to them and deceived them into war with Ukraine where the people are peace-loving and innocent in the matter.

Now, I want to share something concerning all of the above.

Satan (Putin being a type of Satan) has deceived those who are not Christ followers. They are blinded to the truth because he is their ruler. Satan is described in scripture as the father of lies, and that he is. And this is what we see being played out in the flesh, in Putin. I’m not saying Putin is Satan or the anti-Christ, I am saying Putin is a ‘shadow/type’ of Satan in what is taking place right now between Russia and Ukraine, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Keeping those spiritual eyes and ears open, let’s consider the rest of the story. The rest of the world, NATO and the EU, all see and know the truth. We also have compassion on the Russian people because we know they have been lied to and have been blinded to reality. We know their military are performing duties and acts they would not ordinarily do, were they not forced by the hands of evil and deception.

The united rest of the world, NATO and the EU, is a shadow/type of the Bride of Christ. As we, the rest of the world, stand in unity against this evil force and reach out with compassion to the blind and lost, as well as to aid Ukraine, I see a picture of an even greater and mightier reality. That is, that the body and bride of Christ is one unified body, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail.

¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17-19)

And our numbers grow daily.

At the time of writing, in this earthly and horrific situation on the ground, no other country has yet stepped in to physically fight, although have provided support in a myriad of other ways. This reflects the Church, being reminded that it is not against flesh and blood that we fight, but against powers and principalities of the air. Ours is not to engage in the fight with flesh, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 – through arguments, slander, accusations, self-defense, with bloodied hands – but to make war in the heavenlies through our prayers and petitions.

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² 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. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6:10-20, NIV). 

We do this through seeking the face of God on behalf of His burdens as we live by the life of His Son in us, guiding us in what and how to pray. Of course, we don’t pray for Paul any longer as he asks in the above verses, but we do continue to pray that the mystery of the gospel will be fearlessly made known everywhere and through those ones the Lord has called to do so. We pray for them, to fearlessly and with boldness, declare the mystery of the gospel.

We also make war in the heavenlies when we keep in step with the Spirit by sacrificing our lives daily as our act of worship, being holy as He is holy, no longer us living but Christ in us in every way, by our laying down our lives and taking up our cross daily. And as the above scripture says, living in Truth, Righteousness, The Gospel of Peace, and by Faith. This way, the Lord has a clear corporate vessel through which He can act and be displayed, not us.

The President and people of Ukraine right now are being elevated in the eyes of the world as we the onlookers are profoundly moved by their strength and determination to stand up to the enemy and protect their land, seemingly alone. While no other countries step in to physically join them in the fight on the ground fathers, husbands and young men stay behind to fight. Ordinary men who have never held a weapon before. And women too. Others prepare home-made molotov cocktails, hurling them at the enemy tanks and vehicles. Their resistance is beyond admirable and impressive, moving thousands of us to tears. The meek and innocent filled with such boldness and courage. Small in number but mighty in valor. As my own sister says, just like a David and Goliath story being played out before our very eyes. Lord, make your church so courageous.

Saints, though the enemy is violent, cunning, crafty, deceitful, arrogant, and forces his way into territories that do not belong to him, we must be reminded that our God is the greater one and we are members of His resistance army in the unseen realms. We are on the side of the Victor and of the victory! The victory is ours! We are not alone, we stand with the whole mighty army of God all around us just like Elisha’s servant was permitted to see when heaven’s curtain was pulled back:

“Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17-20.

We are the army of God and He is our Captain, the Lord of hosts! The gates of hell will not prevail against us, we will break through! We will force the gates down and God willing and let it be so, that many upon many who have been held captive to blindness and deception will have their eyes opened to the truth and be set free. As those gates fall open and are crushed under the weight of the Warrior Bride of Christ may the light and glory of God burst forth upon those who have been blinded, bring them to their knees, and to confession that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Body of Christ, we are one in the Spirit. We are emboldened by the Spirit of Christ in us to see our oneness, to take our place as the head and not the tail, as ones who are seated above and not beneath, as ones seated with Christ in heavenly places together as one body.

May God have His way in us, for His sake. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

And to the church it has been given, to display the manifold wisdom of God in the heavenly realms, to all powers and principalities, which has been accomplished through Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, the church overcomes her enemy and he is cast into the eternal lake of fire. Done and dusted. We fight on the side of the Lamb saints, we are soldiers of the Lion and the mighty name of Jesus is our sovereign battle cry.

Chuck Girard – Soldiers of the Lion

The field is white and frosty, the hour is drawing near
The battle lines are being drawn as the hour of dawn appears
In the stillness of the morning, the air is crisp and charged
With the tension of the battle, and the enemy at large
The battlefield is crowded, but the soldiers here are few
Yet the enemy is held at bay, no weapon can get through
Our tiny band of warriors continue in our stand
And as new soldiers join us, we prepare to take the land

We form a line of conquest, like fire our armour shines
With unshakable advancement, we move against the lines
Our swords are drawn and ready, and our numbers grow each day
We’ll soon be fully strengthened and we’ll blow the troops away!

Chorus

We’re the soldiers of the Lion, we’re the army of the light
The unstoppable battalion that drives away the night
And the Lion is our standard, and we know we cannot die
‘Cause the mighty name of Jesus is our sovereign battle
Cry!

We move against the forces of the father of all lies
And the enemy is forced to flee before our very eyes
For no demon can resist us or begin to stand against
An army fully armoured, no! Hell has no defense!
So look out powers of darkness, your hour has finally come
Our commander’s name is Jesus, and we’ve got you on the run
And we’ll charge you and we’ll route you
With the Spirit’s mighty sword
You’ve had this planet long enough,
You know you’re not our Lord!
So get back to outer darkness, and you leave the saints alone
Your weapons cannot prosper, we’re commissioned by the
Throne!

And may the God of all mercy, have His way in Ukraine and Russia, to His glory.