Powers and Principalities and Rulers of the Darkness

As I’ve said earlier (see But What About …?), I have learned to just continue to read Scriptures without attempting to understand them through reasoning or searching out what others have said about them. I have become confident that when they are needed or when I’m ready to hear, God will reveal their meaning for me—for it is only the words that He speaks to me that are Spirit and life:

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

I have therefore written very little on what is commonly called the demonic realm, only that which I feel has been revealed to me—that demons are not beings outside ourselves who have a power of their own which is opposed to God and with whom we are constantly at war, as is commonly taught by segments of Christianity. I have known for some time that they are manifestations of our own fears.

But after suffering what amounts to a lifetime of feelings of anxiety, sadness, heaviness, despair and just general mental torment over anything and everything for no apparent reason—interspersed with only short periods of peace, quietness, confidence and assurance that the Scripture talks so much about—when I felt myself hanging on by a mere thread of hope that I would ever enter that abundant life that Jesus promised, I was led by the Spirit to read:

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of HIS might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

It was verse 12 that grabbed me: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

As I sat there in the early morning hours praying in the Spirit as instructed in verse 18, dozens of Scriptures were brought to my mind. I immediately thought of this one:

Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

In an instant I saw both the problem and the solution. I saw that all of man’s combined false beliefs about God and his relationship to Him had created this realm of darkness and allowed it to rule over him, ascribing to it all sorts of power insomuch that it was likened to a vast army headed by a prince of this world John 12:31; 14:11; 16:30 called Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer or the devil.

Then along comes God in the form of Jesus, descending from the realm where there is no darkness at all into our world—healing all those oppressed by this devil Acts 10:38—and then took all these false beliefs of ours to the cross to destroy that devil that we might be delivered:

Hebrews 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Colossians 1:12-13 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Then what did Jesus do? He ascended right back into that realm of light (called heavenly places):

Ephesians 1:20-22 … he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Good news! He took us all with Him.

Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

He not only ascended; He made all that which held us in captivity His captive:

Ephesians 4:8 When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive

Now listen to this:

John 20:17 … go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

When we can believe and receive this as a little child receives what is offered without attempting to understand the hows and whys of it all, when we accept that we are in Christ and Christ is in us, then we know that what is true of Him is true of us:

Isaiah 66:1 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool:

From that vantage point, we will be looking down upon that prince of the power of the air and all his so-called demons Ephesians 2:2, who have already been destroyed. They can no longer cause us to tremble Isaiah 14:16. No, we are now sitting in the heavens:

Psalms 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Now we can laugh at that which caused us so much suffering, wondering how we could have ever been so deceived. What we must realize is that we have not just been contending with our individual thoughts and fears, but with those of all mankind since man first said, I was afraid. Carl Jung called it the collective unconscious—that which has been believed and accepted by us all without our even knowing it. We’ve just been partaking of all the lies that man holds in common. Some of us are more deeply affected than others, but no one is exempt.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way

Everyone who hasn’t found the solution:

v 6 the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all

uses whatever coping mechanism at his disposal (alcohol, drugs (medical or street drugs), food, sex, whatever) to find some escape from this hell. But when we have received revelation of this Scripture:

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

When we see that it was for our deliverance from the realm of darkness that we had created for ourselves that Jesus humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross Philippians 2:8, we’ll begin to say with Paul:

1Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

For we will understand the necessity for the cross and will, with deep reverence, begin to partake of that joy which was purchased at so great a cost as we take our seat in Christ on that throne in heaven making this earth our footstool. In that realm we find that we are no longer subject to those false beliefs that have kept us captive lo, these many years; they are now subject to us—for we can now see them for the lies that they are. The light has come, and the darkness is no more.

Now THAT is cause for joy unspeakable and full of glory 1Peter 1:8.