The Elephant in the Room, Part 6 | 08/16/2026 | Grace Church Fremont

God’s sovereignty stands over both the panic that says life is on its own and the anxiety that says everything is going well, so nothing better get messed up. The Bible, not subjective feeling, has to set the terms for angels, demons, Satan, and the spiritual realm, because feelings can be real without being the rule. Colossians 1 presents Jesus as the one through whom and for whom all things were created, visible and invisible, including thrones, powers, rulers, and authorities.

Angels appear as God’s created servants, messengers, worshipers, and warriors. Demons appear as evil spiritual beings who oppose God, deceive people, promote false worship, and seek harm. Satan appears as the chief adversary, tempter, deceiver, accuser, and enemy, powerful but still created. Rulers, authorities, powers, heavenly beings, unclean spirits, the host of heaven, and the sons of God all point toward a populated unseen realm made up of created spiritual beings, some serving God and some rebelling against him.

Psalm 82 gives a strange but important picture of God presiding in the great assembly and judging among the gods. Elohim can mean the one true God or gods, depending on context, and the passage does not hand the Bible over to polytheism. Psalm 89 keeps the same basic idea: no heavenly being compares with the Lord, and God is more awesome than all who surround him. The Bible’s unfolding witness insists there are not many gods worthy of worship, only created spiritual beings accountable to Yahweh, the one true God.

Daniel 10 gives a glimpse behind the curtain, where Daniel prays and a heavenly messenger is resisted by the prince of Persia until Michael comes to help. That scene shows the unseen realm is real, but Deuteronomy 29:29 keeps curiosity in its place: “the secret things belong to the Lord.” Denial acts like nothing exists beyond the five senses. Speculation acts like every dead car battery has a demon behind it. Scripture allows neither extreme.

Colossians 2 gives the main thing that has to be held tightly: through the cross, Christ disarmed the powers and authorities, made a public spectacle of them, and triumphed over them. First John 3:8 says the Son of God appeared to destroy the devil’s work. The cross means the unseen powers are not ultimate.

Ephesians 6 says the struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Prayer is the way the visible world engages the unseen world. James 4 calls God’s people to submit to God, resist the devil, draw near to God, wash their hands, purify their hearts, and humble themselves. Sin is not just a whoops; sin is switching sides and partnering with Satan in the destruction of the good God made. Christ’s victory is already provided, and prayer is the way God’s people lean on that strength instead of fighting in the flesh.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Scripture governs spiritual experience Feelings about the spiritual realm may be real, but feelings cannot become the authority. The Bible stands outside subjective experience and corrects it, shapes it, and gives it boundaries. Spiritual maturity refuses to force Scripture to fit a sensation, even a powerful one. [26:02]
• 2. The unseen realm is populated The Bible presents more than an empty heaven above and a visible earth below. Angels, demons, rulers, authorities, powers, and heavenly beings all point to a real realm filled with created beings. The key distinction is not whether they are impressive, but whether they serve God or rebel against him. [32:35]
• 3. Mystery belongs to the Lord The spiritual realm is real, but it is not fully mapped out for human curiosity. Deuteronomy gives a needed guardrail: secret things belong to God, while revealed things are given for obedience. Faith does not need to explain everything behind the curtain in order to follow God faithfully in front of it. [48:52]
• 4. Christ has disarmed the powers The cross is not merely personal forgiveness, though it is gloriously that. Colossians says Christ disarmed the powers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them. The unseen powers remain active, but they are not undefeated, ultimate, or equal to the risen Christ. [52:30]
• 5. Prayer resists unseen evil Prayer is not the warm-up before spiritual battle; prayer is the way the battle is engaged. Ephesians 6 moves from rulers and powers directly into praying in the Spirit on all occasions. James 4 shows that resistance begins with submission, nearness to God, clean hands, and a humbled heart.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:22] - What Does the Bible Say?
• [26:15] - The Spiritual Realm Is Real
• [27:35] - Angels, Demons, and Satan Defined
• [29:59] - Rulers, Authorities, and Powers
• [33:01] - Understanding Elohim
• [34:07] - Psalm 82 and the Heavenly Assembly
• [43:56] - Psalm 89 and One True God
• [45:24] - Daniel 10 and Unseen Conflict
• [47:19] - The Spiritual Realm Is Undefined
• [51:30] - Christ Triumphs Over the Powers
• [54:40] - The Battle Is Not Flesh and Blood
• [56:32] - Prayer in the Spiritual Battle
• [57:14] - Submit to God, Resist the Devil
• [60:35] - Satan as a Roaring Lion
• [65:01] - Prayer Keeps the Soldier Strong

Bible Reading

Colossians 1:16
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” [26:32]

Colossians 2:15
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” [52:30]

Ephesians 6:12
“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.” [54:40]

James 4:7
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” [57:14]

1 John 3:8
“The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” [52:54]

Psalm 82:1
“God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods.”” [34:20]

Daniel 10:12-13
“Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.’” [45:48]

Deuteronomy 29:29
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” [48:34]

Observation questions

1. In Colossians 1:16, what pairs of words show that Jesus’ creation includes more than the physical world we can see? [26:32]
2. From the passages read, what words or titles are used for spiritual beings or powers in the unseen realm?
3. In Daniel 10:12-13, what happened between the time Daniel prayed and the time the messenger arrived? [45:48]
4. According to James 4:7 and Ephesians 6:12, what actions are believers told to take, and who is the real struggle against? [57:14]

Interpretation questions

1. If all things, including invisible rulers and authorities, were created through Jesus and for Jesus, what does that suggest about the limits of Satan’s power and the place of the unseen realm under Christ? [27:19]
2. Psalm 82:1 and Psalm 89’s picture of heavenly beings can feel strange. How should those passages shape the way a group thinks about the unseen realm without slipping into the idea that there are many true gods worthy of worship? [44:45]
3. Deuteronomy 29:29 says some things belong to the Lord alone. How does that verse help guard against both denial of the spiritual realm and wild speculation about it? [49:52]
4. Colossians 2:15 and 1 John 3:8 connect the cross to Christ’s victory over evil powers. How does that expand the meaning of the cross beyond personal forgiveness alone? [53:40]

Application questions

1. People often swing between panic that says, “I’m on my own,” and anxiety that says, “Everything is fine, so nothing better go wrong.” Which side is more familiar right now, and what would it look like to trust God’s sovereignty in that place? [23:20]
2. Feelings and spiritual impressions can be real, but Scripture must govern them. Is there an experience, fear, or assumption about the spiritual realm that needs to be tested more carefully by God’s Word? [26:02]
3. Some believers live as if the unseen realm is not real, while others treat every problem as if a demon is behind it. Which extreme is the bigger temptation personally, and how could a more biblical balance change daily life? [50:15]
4. Prayer is not a warm-up to the battle; prayer is how the battle is engaged. What usually pushes prayer to the side in daily life, and what specific change could help make prayer a first response instead of a last resort? [56:32]
5. Sin is not just a small mistake; it joins in the ruin of something good God made. Does that change the way any recurring sin should be viewed right now—especially in speech, thoughts, or relationships? [58:58]
6. The struggle is not against flesh and blood. Is there a person right now who has started to feel like the enemy? How might remembering the real battle change the way that relationship is handled this week? [01:03:27]
7. Christ has already disarmed the powers and authorities. Where is there a tendency to live as if defeat is certain or change is impossible, and what would it look like to lean on Christ’s victory there? [01:04:46]