Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
Jeremy approaches Bible teaching with a passion for getting the basic doctrines explained so that the individual can understand them and then apply them to circumstances in their life. These basic and important lessons are nestled in a framework of history and progression of revelation from the Bible so the whole of Scripture can be applied to your physical and spiritual life.
Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
NT Framework - Hidden Forces
What is it that moves politics, economics, cultural changes and individuals? Is it a force, a spirit, or physical being? Is the Holy Spirit the One who is influencing and controlling history?
More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com
This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).
Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner.
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament Framework. Today a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2:We see that from the second line of evidence, that he's not a force, is from the influence of a spirit, okay. So I just want to talk in general about the influence of. So I just want to talk in general about the influence of spirit, both in a wind sense as well as in, like, demonic sense, all these and, of course, the Holy Spirit and the sense of the Holy Spirit himself. So in John 3, we have the story of Nicodemus, right, nicodemus comes. He comes when he comes at night, okay, well, he didn't want to be seen, right. And he has a specific question. He's saying in verse 2, we know that you've come from God as a teacher. No one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. I mean, he recognized that the signs that he was doing were what we call messianic miracles, like they were not just miracles on the order of things that, like Moses was able to do. Okay, this is something beyond that. Or, elijah, these are things beyond that. Okay, he recognized that. And Jesus answered and said to him truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Okay, you know no entrance unless you're regenerated. You have to be a regenerated individual to enter the kingdom of God. To see it, nicodemus said to him how can a man be born when he's old? He can't enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born. Can he and Jesus? Come on, guy? Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. And we're not here to you know, reflect on that concept. But that's not water, baptism, for whatever it's worth. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again.
Speaker 2:And then he gives this illustration with wind. See, regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit, right, and he's just mentioned the Spirit. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. He says the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but you don't know where it comes from and you don't know where it's going. So is everyone who's born of the Spirit. In other words, the Spirit has this background work that is illustrated by the work of wind. Again, we don't know where wind comes from, we don't know where it's going. But we see the effects thereof right. Especially as this fall comes. We'll have some windy days and the leaves will blow off the trees, and then everybody will be out in their yards picking up leaves, right? This is all due to this behind-the-scenes thing we call wind, and so that's just an illustration.
Speaker 2:Now let's go a little bit further and we'll turn to Daniel, chapter 7. Daniel, chapter 7. In the Bible, nations are set up as, basically, water. We are viewed as water. Water is something that's very unstable. Of course, you know this from your own experience. But in the New Testament you'd have the Sea of Galilee, and if you've ever been there, you'll see the hills on the east side, and the winds will sweep over those hills and down onto this lake and cause quite a tumult on the water, big waves, and that's the story. You know, jesus is asleep in the boat and they're like how can he sleep, you know? And he wakes up and he rebukes the winds, the spirits, and it becomes perfectly calm. The waters become calm, but the nations are viewed in the Bible as like bodies of water, which are very unstable and are easily tossed right and caused to turn into confusion, and here's a section that discusses that concept.
Speaker 2:Daniel 7, verse2. Daniel said I was looking in my vision by night and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. The four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. See, the great sea is a well. What's the great sea? Well, now you have verse 3,. Four great beasts are coming up from the sea and they're different from one another. We know these if you've studied this chapter. We know these four great beasts are the four great Gentile kingdoms or empires Babylon, medo-persia, greece and Rome right that will rule during the times of the Gentiles and they're viewed as coming up out of the sea, the seas themselves being the nations of the world. And so these are the four great nations of the world rising up and they're being stirred up by the four winds of heaven.
Speaker 2:And then he goes on to describe these four beasts. And they're all kingdoms that suppress man and oppress man and hurt man. They're not good for man we live in. So spirit influences or wind influences, causing humanity to go through all sorts of fluctuations. We see these forces in the economy, in politics, in military. We just saw yesterday in military. You know, if you ask the real questions, what I call the metaphysical questions, that's, the questions about what's behind reality, that is, structuring the reality. That we see, the physics, the metaphysics behind the physics that we can see. What are the forces behind? You know, the military engagement against Israel, for example, which is, in Muslims' mind, war since 1948. Not a bunch of separate wars, but they view it as war from 1948. What's behind all that, this military maneuvers? Is it just humanity? Is it just what we see? Or there are spiritual forces of darkness behind the military machine? What about politics? I think somebody almost laughed. Is this just humans or is there something more? Are there spiritual forces of darkness behind this as well? Daniel 10 seems to indicate there are spiritual. There's spiritual warfare taking place between good angels and bad angels over political rulers and nations.
Speaker 2:Daniel chapter 10, over Iran, what we call ancient Persia. Right, it's not just human. These forces, these spirits are acting upon them, but they're unseen like the wind. But you see the effects thereof. I mean, who can predict the economy? It's behind the economy. Who can predict? If all the people in finance and the market really knew what they were talking about, wouldn't they all be billionaires? Which means what they don't know, what they're talking about, they can't predict the market. Why not? Is it because there are unseen spiritual forces that are behind all the things that we see in this world? So there are these influences, what you might call metaphors, but spirits okay and the human race is viewed like this unstable body of water that's being tossed to and fro.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas. If you would like to see the visuals that went along with today's sermon, you can find those on Rumble and on YouTube under Spokane Bible Church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher. We hope you found today's lesson productive and useful in growing closer to God and walking more obediently with Him. If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app, and until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.