Demons and the believer

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Ephesians 6:10-20 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (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. (13) 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. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (19) And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, (20) For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

We are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. This is accomplished by donning the whole armour of God, which is truth, righteousness, supporting the propagation of the Gospel, faith, our salvation, and the anointed Spirit-directed speaking of the Word. This is helped by (and largely takes place during) the praying and supplicating for all saints, said prayers being prayed "in the Spirit". And especially for Paul (and by extension all other preachers) that they might be empowered by God to boldly proclaim the Word at all times and every where.

The reason all this is needed is because "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. This is not talking about demons, but magistrates, religious leaders, religious ideas, secular persecuting governments and mass antichristian hysteria. The context of the verse you asked about is not about demons, but apostolic preaching and propagation of the Gospel in the midst of a hostile secular environment.

Powers and principalities are secular governments and magistrates:

Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

Paul is saying our warfare or contest is not a physical contest like a typical wrestling match, but an ideological, spiritual war against the powers that be, which are magisterial positions (government positions, whether secular or religious) which are occupied and dominated by wickedness. As he says also here:

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (4) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (6) And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

We do not war according to the flesh (in the power or might of mere flesh, as unregenerate men) but our weapons are Divine and are designed to: pull down strongholds ( a metaphor taken from siege warfare, a stronghold is a fortress or castle) which strongholds are "imaginations... every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God... every disobedient thought". Biblical spiritual warfare is not about demons or anything else star wars related, it is all about the conflict of worldviews between God's Word and Truth on the one hand, and the darkened imaginations of unregenerate, rebellious, sinful society on the other hand.

Since we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities, and since the weapons of our warfare are designed to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ while tearing down every imagination and disobedient thought, etc, it follows that our wrestling against powers and principalities has to do with ideological conflict between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of unregenerate man. See Daniel 2 for a bird's eye view of that conflict in prophecy.

Isaias, you are correct on the meaning of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 in that a part of spiritual warfare is to tear down antichrist philosophies, teachings, and religions. However, where I take issue is on two points.

First, I do not see where the NT mandates that Christians subvert government authorities through the preaching of the Gospel, nor do I see any bent towards a politicized authority that gives men power over the masses. Satan is slick. He will get our focus on attaining natural authority over the nations, knowing that it's an exercise in futility until Christ returns. We are to tear down antichrist philosophies, teachings, and religious notions within the lives of individuals who are seeking truth, and in the body of Christ to keep her doctrinally pure. We are the Kingdom of God. A spiritual kingdom. A spiritual people. I believe that we will always be a minority and strangers in a strange land in this world. That is, until Christ returns.

Second, I take issue with the following statement:

Biblical spiritual warfare is not about demons or anything else star wars related, it is all about the conflict of worldviews between God's Word and Truth on the one hand, and the darkened imaginations of unregenerate, rebellious, sinful society on the other hand.

You had a good thing going in your approach, until you made the above statement. You see, while you were right about 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, you jumped to an extreme and created a false dichotomy. An "either/or" false hood. The reality is... both aspects of spiritual warfare are in play. We cannot ignore the philosophical war or the spiritual war. These are two very real fronts in our warfare.

Jesus said:

Mark 16:16-18 King James Version (KJV)
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Here we see signs that follow the true believers. The very first thing mentioned is, the casting out of devils. For 3 1/2 years Jesus trained the disciples. Let's take a look at an instance of spiritual warfare under Christ's own direction.

Matthew 10:7-8 King James Version (KJV)
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Jesus gave His disciples POWER and AUTHORITY over specific things. In Matthew 10:7-8 those things are:

- the healing of the sick
- cleansing of the lepers
- the raising of the dead
- the casting out of demons

These disciples went forth KNOWING that it was the Lord's will that they exercise power and authority in these areas. They didn't go forth pleading and begging Jesus to answer their prayers in these areas. Nor did they go forth passively assuming that God would just do it for them. Nor did they dismiss the casting out of demons as being merely "Charismatic showmanship". They went forth knowing that they were indeed empowered, equipped, and commissioned to heal and deliver the spiritually possessed and oppressed. They were not thinking too highly of themselves. Nor were they thinking that in some way they were twisting God's arm to move on their behalf. They were COMISSIONED to do these things. They were ordered to use the power of God in these areas. They were deputized to use both authority and power in these areas.

In Luke 10:19 Jesus focuses in on the seventy and gives them supernatural power and authority to wage spiritual warfare against evil spirits. We read:

Luke 10:19
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Here, we see Jesus granting power in specific areas. These are:

- Power to tread on serpents and scorpions (evil spirits)
- Power to break curses, hexes, generational curses, evil constructs, deceptions, etc. and all power of the enemy
- Powerful protection from all spiritual attack and opposition.

Remember, the seventy were amazed that they were granted such authority and power:

Luke 10:17
17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

While the greatest thing is to rejoice over being saved, their amazement illustrates that they did indeed have the power to do the things Jesus specifically asked them to do. They didn't go out begging for Him to heal or remove a demon, they spoke healing and cast out the devil themselves.

This is power granted to the believer to use and employ. We don't have to beg that God banish demons that are behind sickness, oppression, curses, deceptions, demonic plots, or possession. We have been given this authority to release the power to uproot, bind, and cast out all evil spirits and over all the power of the enemy.

When a soldier is issued a weapon and deployed for war, that soldier has the orders to use that weapon within the parameters given to accomplish the mission. We are like soldiers. We have been issued authority and power through the Holy Spirit to release the power of God within the parameters of the mission. As long as we release the power of God to accomplish what is within the parameters of the mission, we can be assured that the power will yield the results our Lord said it would. In Mark 16 Jesus clearly explains what is to be expected in the wake of believers:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Here we see that the signs following true believers are:

- Casting out devils.
- Speaking in new tongues.
- Uprooting spiritual strongholds (taking up serpents, treading on scorpions).
- Divine protection from harm.
- The healing of the sick.

We shouldn't question if we have the power and authority to do that which is commanded of us by God.

When it comes to spiritual warfare, we have the power and the authority imparted to us by Jesus Himself. And in this, we are more than conquerors.

TO BE CONTINUED...