I was texted a Bible question the other day and it was an intriguing one, so I wanted to share both it and my answer. Maybe it will provoke some thought.

The question was this…

In Ephesians 6:12, when talking about our battle being against the rulers, the authorities, and the powers of this dark world (in addition to the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms), the rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world are referring to humans, right? Or am I misinterpreting that?

My answer is this:

It’s a very interesting text.

In the old King James, Paul says we fight against “principalities” (the word means “rankings”) and “against powers” (“authorities”). These words simply refer to those who hold positions of authority, or who have titles (ranks) which designate authority.

So then, you would think Paul is talking about governments and leaders of this world, but he can’t be; he’s already told us our fight is not against flesh and blood (at the beginning of v12). So then, what positions of authority are we fighting? What high-ranking rulers are we contending with?

In my opinion, the reference is to those who command the armies of darkness of this world. Our fight is not with the lost (who are the enslaved servants of the true enemy). Our fight is against ungodly ideas, false teachings, and evil notions. Our fight is with the conjurors of those ideas. We fight the commanders (rulers) of the world’s dark army: The ruler of the lost is the Devil (along with the demonic lieutenants who do his bidding). Our fight is with the angels who once occupied a place near the throne of God (“high places” in Ephesians 6:12 is the same word often translated as “heavenly places” in this letter), but who chose spiritual wickedness, rebelled against God, and were cast down to chains of darkness (2 Peter 2:4). They now seek to draw people down to the pit with them. Christ offers salvation from the pit. The struggle in this world is against light and darkness, against Christ and the Devil. Christ has already won the war, but whether or not you win the battle is up to you and your free will.

Lost people aren’t my enemy, nor am I to fight them. The Devil is my enemy. It’s right there in the name “Satan” (which means “adversary”). The angels that serve the Devil are my enemy. He wields them like a general directing troops. He works his will throughout this fallen world. He is the “god of this world,” as Paul calls him in 2 Corinthians.

The Devil is who we are fighting, not people. If it was people we were fighting, Paul would have told us to put on physical armor and use physical weaponry. Instead, he puts the Devil in our crosshairs and tells us to adorn a shield of faith and wield a sword of the Spirit. But that raises the question: If the Devil is my enemy, how do I fight him? How do I fight an angel?

The Bible tells us: “Resist the Devil and he flee from you. Draw near to Christ and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8).

~ Matthew