You
may be a born fighter, coming by that
characteristic by family dynamics, life lessons, military service, or cultural
heritage. Some people are born for a fight, while others can’t imagine what
good comes of that personality trait.
While the passive types avoid confrontation at all costs, the fighter
engages because a battle must be won, not compromised or forfeited. If you’ve
gone to a church that does not teach its congregants about the spiritual fight,
this may seem silly, and you may recollect being taught various passive ideas
as to the avoidance of a battle. But
biblically there is much written to the contrary. We are to war against the devil and his
brigade until we die. Some people might then argue that we are not to war
against people, yet the imprecatory psalms clearly show David praying and
supplicating against his enemies who were human beings, not spiritual beings. There are people who willingly “sign on” with
the devil, to do his will in exchange for something on this earth. These misguided people are very willing to
plan evil against the sons and daughters of God in exchange for some reward
here on earth, and it is in our authority to stop them.
Jesus
did not leave us powerless, as the Holy Spirit now resides inside of the
believer. Therefore, our power and
strength is greater than any human, and any spiritual being including the
devil. If we try to engage in spiritual
battles we have to have our lives cleaned up so that there is no opening for
enemy attack. We do that by repentance and replacement, repenting for wrong
actions, and replacing old ways with Godly ways. Once we are mature in the Lord,
it is time to push back the enemy. But
the enemy comes in many forms. Our enemy
is the devil and evil spirit beings, such as principalities, powers, rulers,
wickedness, as well as humans who have sold out to the devil. Honestly, we may never know if humans who
sell out to the devil will ever renounce their ways and turn to Jesus; but in
the meantime, they are waging war against us and we must fight back. Some of us may be like the star picture of
Perseus, who cut off the head of Medusa, and freed Andromeda, the captives of
earth. Some of us might be like the star
picture of Hercules or Ophichus, battling two evil beings at once, both evil
spiritual forces in the world today. And
still some of us may be like Orion hunting for the saved on earth, being the
protector. We may be a combination of
all of those things, fighting for the unsaved, the saved, protecting people, or
pushing back the spiritual enemies; but whatever our call, God will lead
us. If we were all passive regarding
warfare, we will be overrun. Squarely, I
put the condition of humanity onto the shoulders of those who do not teach how
to engage in a spiritual battle. It is
time for the called out to rise up and fight our enemy. Andromeda’s mouth is not shut.
Isaiah
tells us about people who intentionally make a covenant with death and hell.
They made a blood covenant between hades and sheol according to the Hebrew word
for covenant, and believed their lies would give them safety. Adonai Jehovah
said he would give them a stone to stumble over, namely Jesus; and their
covenant with death and hell won’t stand; and they will endure judgment and be
trampled. It would seem that these
people were tricked into believing the devil could do something for them in
eternity, but the Lord God says it won’t happen. Jesus came and exposed the future
of death and hell, which both end up in the lake of fire forever.
Isa
28:14-18 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this
people which is in Jerusalem. 15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant
with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge
shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our
refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: 16 Therefore thus saith the
Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make
haste. 17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the
plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall
overflow the hiding place. 18 And your covenant with death shall be
disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. KJV
Who
are these people that make agreements with the devil’s domain? First and
foremost in the context, they are the leaders in Jerusalem. They are probably the leaders of many
different countries today. The Bible has a title for them; we mistakenly think
they are offspring of someone named Belial.
However we see that this is a title for a group of people who are
worthless and wicked. It is also a title
for satan. This title includes men and women; therefore the understanding is
that there are people who are worthless, wicked, and unprofitable; people of
satan. If we were to do a word study on sons/children/men of Belial we find 27
usages of Strong’s #1100, sometimes translated wicked, ungodly, evil, and
naughty.
Belial OT:1100 beliya`al
(bel-e-yah'-al); from OT:1097 and OT:3276; without profit, worthlessness; by
extension, destruction, wickedness (often in connection with OT:376, OT:802,
OT:1121, etc.):KJV - Belial, evil, naughty, ungodly (men), wicked.(Biblesoft's
New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
These
evil people started idolatry, which Moses instructed should be killed by the
sword in Deuteronomy 13:13-15. But evil was not dealt with properly, and
therefore increased. The story of men of
Belial in Judges 19 &20 is sickening.
I will give a brief summation but I encourage a careful read of that
section. Incidentally, when we read the word “folly”, Strong’s #5039, it is immoral,
profane actions, not silliness as we think of today.
A
Levite and his concubine had a disagreement and she left him. He went to her father’s house to get her and
eventually started traveling home. When
they got to Gibeath (Ramah), a territory of the tribe of Benjamin, an old man
took them in for the night. Some men of
Belial or satan, men of perversion, came to the old man’s house and demanded
the Levite be brought out so that they could rape him (Yes, like the Sodomites
did as we studied from Jasher, the men of the city of Sodom took newcomers and
passersby’s to a public bed to be raped). The old man offered his virgin daughter, and the
Levite offered his Concubine. The
perverted men took the Concubine and they raped her and abused her all night
through to morning. Finally the
perverted men of Belial let her go at dawn; she went to the house where the
Levite was staying and died on the doorstep.
The Levite took her body home, cut her into twelve pieces and mailed her
body parts to the twelve tribes. Instead of turning over the evil men of
Belial, all the Benjamites went to war, essentially protecting the evil satanists
from death.
Because
these people were not killed as Moses instructed, evil men became bolder. The
sons of Eli were called sons of Belial/satan, which is amusing as Eli should
have been a spiritual leader who would fight against such evil. So the answer to the question “should we be fighting
against people” is yes, spiritually. As we learn from the imprecatory Psalms,
there is an occasion and a procedure for praying against evil people. I will
list the imprecatory Psalms for your further study.
5,6,7,11,12,35,37,40,52,54,55,56,58,59,69,79,83,109,137,139,143. Keep in
mind, many people love to sing and worship to the words of David, yet they
condemn the imprecations of David. Maybe
those people are not made for warfare; therefore they should keep their
opinions in perspective as God has called many people to war against evil. This is also what some of the star pictures
tell us, that some people are called into warfare, and some may not be. We
humans have to stop making blanket rules for everyone, and recognize that God
should be telling us what to do, not man.
When
we come to the New Testament, we are all very aware of the armor of God from
Ephesians. If our armor is spiritual,
our battle is also spiritual. Paul tells
us what we are fighting in Ephesians 6:12.
Eph
6:12 For we wrestle [3823] not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities [746], against powers [1849], against the rulers [2888] of the
darkness [4655] of this world, against spiritual [4152]wickedness [4189]in high
places [2032].KJV
Wrestle NT:3823pale
(pal'-ay); from pallo (to vibrate; another form for NT:906); wrestling: KJV
- wrestle.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
NT:906
ballo (bal'-lo); a primary verb; to throw (in various applications, more or
less violent or intense):KJV - arise, cast (out), dung, lay, lie, pour, put (up), send, strike,
throw (down), thrust. Compare NT:4496.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's
Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright ©
1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Principalities NT:746 arche
(ar-khay'); from NT:756; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely)
chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank):KJV - beginning,
corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality,
principle, rule.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance
with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft,
Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Powers NT:1849 exousia
(ex-oo-see'-ah); from NT:1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e.
(subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery
(concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:
KJV - authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
Rulers NT:2888 kosmokrator
(kos-mok-fat'-ore); from NT:2889 and NT:2902; a world-ruler, an epithet of
Satan: KJV - ruler.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance
with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft,
Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Darkness NT:4655 skotos
(skot'-os); from the base of NT:4639; shadiness, i.e. obscurity (literally or
figuratively):KJV - darkness.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Spiritual NT:4152 pneumatikos
(pnyoo-mat-ik-os'); from NT:4151; non-carnal, i.e. (humanly) ethereal (as
opposed to gross), or (daemoniacally) a spirit (concretely), or (divinely)
supernatural, regenerate, religious:KJV - spiritual. Compare
NT:5591.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Wickedness NT:4189 poneria
(pon-ay-ree'-ah); from NT:4190; depravity, i.e. (specifically) malice; plural
(concretely) plots, sins: KJV - iniquity, wickedness.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
High places NT:2032 epouranios
(ep-oo-ran'-ee-os); from NT:1909 and NT:3772; above the sky: KJV - celestial,
(in) heaven (-ly), high.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Eph
6:12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with
physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against
[the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against
the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. AMP
The
first word we come to for what we are wrestling against is principalities, or
as the Amplified Bible says, despotisms. Despotisms are those who are tyrants,
they are abusers of power, and use their power in cruel ways. If we are looking to fight a battle, we have
to understand this group first. People
may be tyrants, but if they are, they are inspired by evil principalities. Principalities
is the Greek word arche, it is an
unusual word. The majority of times it
is translated beginning. With such an unusual definition, we have to
search out the word to make sense of what exactly a principality is. Let’s look
at the definitions from Strong’s and Thayer’s.
NT:746
arche (ar-khay'); from NT:756; (properly abstract) a commencement, or
(concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank):
KJV - beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power,
principality, principle, rule.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:746
archee, archees, hee1. beginning,
origin a.used absolutely, of the
beginning of all things: John 1:1 f b. in a relative sense, of the
beginning of the thing spoken of: John 6:64
2. the person or thing that
commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader: Col 1:18 3. that
by which anything begins to be, the origin, active cause Rev 3:14 4.the extremity of a thing: of the corners
of a sail, Acts 10:11 5.the first place,
principality, rule, magistracy Luke 12:11
(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000,
2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Looking
at some of the ways this word is used is helpful in studying it. John 1 uses it
in reference to Jesus.
John
1:1-2 In the beginning [746] was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.2 The same was in the beginning [746] with God.KJV
Paul
uses it with the idea of rule, as in Jesus putting down all rule, authority and
power.
1
Cor 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to
God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule [746] and all
authority and power.KJV
Paul
is the only writer who uses this word arche
for principalities in the New Testament.
Jeremiah is the only Old Testament writer who uses the word, only once, and it
means headship or dominion. Paul being a scholar in Hebrew, understood
the usage Jeremiah wrote, and seems to have used the same word with the same
intent; for both spiritual dominion and earthly dominion.
Rom
8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities [746], nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,39 Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.KJV
Paul
makes a list for us of the things that cannot separate us from the love of God.
He starts with angels in this line up, giving the direction of spiritual beings
with the following words, principalities
and powers. Paul talks about the dispensation of the mystery and again
spiritualizes the word principalities meaning spiritual dominators.
Eph
3:9-11 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which
from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by
Jesus Christ:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities [746] and powers
in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,11
According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:KJV
To
gain further understanding of this word, I searched several Aramaic texts. I
noted some of them, such as Ephesians 3:9-11, as we just read in the KJV. I like the way Victor Alexander noted verse
10, “the full diversity with respect to the thrones and powers of heaven”. From
Paul’s writings we see a diversity of beings; angels, principalities, powers,
rulers, and so on.
Eph
3:9-11 And that I may enlighten all people as to who is the administrator of
that sermon, He who was hidden from the universe by the Allaha of all creation,
10. So that the church would come to know the wisdom of Allaha , full of
diversity with respect to the thrones and powers of heaven , 11. That which was
destined from the foundation of the universe and it’s fulfillment through
Eashoa the Messiah, our Lord (Aramaic New Testament, translated by Victor
Alexander, copyright 2012, printed Lexington , KY, 23 November 2012)
We
need to look at Ephesians 6:12 more closely with respect to principalities, who
they are, and who they are not. I like Darby’s translation as it is colorful.
Eph
6:12 because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against
principalities, against authorities, against the universal lords of this
darkness, against spiritual [power] of wickedness in the heavenlies. Darby
George
M Lamsa translates the word principalities in Eph 6:12 as “angels”. This is not
the normal word for angels and gives the impression that this class of beings
are angels, but that is not what is in the text. The word is arche, so one would have to ask, if
arche is translated angels here,
shouldn’t it be translated angels
everywhere? Instead, Paul uses angels
and principalities in the same sentence, Romans 8:38, both different Greek
words, so therefore arche is not the same as angelos. Arche is never translated
as angels. It may have been Lamsa’s
intent to call all spiritual beings angels, but according to Paul that would be
incorrect. Victor Alexander uses the
word thrones again, and compared to
Jeremiah’s, usage this is properly supplied.
Eph
6:12 Because you wrestle not with flesh and blood, except with the thrones and
powers and the subjugation of this world of darkness, and with evil spirits
under the sky. (Aramaic New Testament, translated by Victor Alexander, copyright
2012, printed Lexington , KY, 23 November 2012)
I like
the usage of subjugation, bringing
people under control by military conquest.
It certainly makes “rulers” less passive and more aggressive, militarily
forcing control over others.
Etheridge’s
Aramaic translation is as follows.
Eph
6:10-ff HENCEFORTH, my brethren, be strong in our Lord,
and in the power of his strength. And clothe you in all the armour of Aloha,
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the accuser. For your
wrestling is not with flesh and blood (only), but with princes, and with
powers, and with the possessors of this dark world, and with the evil spirits
who are under heaven. Wherefore clothe you with all the armour of Aloha. http://www.aramaicpeshitta.com/AramaicNTtools/Etheridge/etheridge_eph.htm
Etheridge’s
intimation is that we will fight flesh and blood; but not only flesh and blood,
it is a spiritual fight also. This also alludes
to Moses’ direction to kill by sword the children of Belial/satan. Today our laws protect the Satanists as well
as the sons of God, therefore we fight the sons of the devil spiritually, even
though they are flesh and blood. Etheridge calls principalities princes, which again is more so
connected to Jeremiah’s usage of principalities.
Incidentally the Greeks had a word for prince
which is similar to arche; it is archon. That
word is specifically used of first in
rank or power, Strong’s #758, which we will look at shortly. It could be a
more accurate rendering of principalities, # 758 rather than #746.
In
Colossians, Paul makes the case that whether earthly or heavenly, all things
were created by Jesus.
Col
1:16-17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities [746], or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:17
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.KJV
Once
again Paul attributes principalities to spiritual beings.
Col
2:15 And having spoiled principalities [746] and powers, he made a shew of them
openly, triumphing over them in it.KJV
Janet
Magiera attributes principalities to rulers, however Paul’s word for rulers
is different than this Greek word arche. Paul uses kosmokrator, Stong’s #2888 as we saw previously. I like the obvious cosmos, of this Greek
word. Yet again her idea of ruler here may more closely relate to principality
as in Jeremiah.
Col
2:15 And by putting off of his body, he exposed rulers and authorities and
shamed them openly in his person. (Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation,
Janet Magiera, Light of the Word Ministry, LWM Publications, Copyright 2005,
2006, 2nd edition)
Again
we have the confusion of the same word for principality used in regards to
Jesus, before, or from the beginning.
Rev
22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (the Before [746]
all and the End of all). [Isa 44:6; 48:12.] AMP
Jesus
again is the beginning.
Col
1:18 He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning
[746], the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in
every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. AMP
As
we wind down this word principalities,
we have the usage in a slightly different way, in relation to a first place of
being.
Jude
6 And the angels which kept not their
first estate [746], but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.KJV
Jude
6 And angels that kept not their own principality, but left their proper
habitation, he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment
of the great day.ASV
I
think what we can see from this word arche,
is that it clearly has a double meaning.
However, the allusion to beginning may indicate that these rulers were
the first created beings. They may have
been the heads of the spiritual order of the sons of God. Nevertheless, the word does not mean angels,
as part of an all encompassing group of spiritual beings; it obviously means a
lead ruler or head officer in rank.
Another similar word, archon,
is translated ruler (not as in
Ephesians 6:12) and also prince. We can think of princes as human or as
spiritual beings, and this word is used for Jesus, the devil, and
Beelzebub.
NT:758
archon (ar'-khone); present participle of NT:757; a first (in rank or
power):KJV - chief (ruler), magistrate, prince, ruler.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
John
12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince [758] of this
world be cast out.KJV
Matt
12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out
devils, but by Beelzebub the prince [758] of the devils.KJV
1
Cor 2:5-8 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God.6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the
wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:7
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God
ordained before the world unto our glory:8 Which none of the princes [758] of
this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord
of glory.KJV
Eph
2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince [758] of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience: KJV
From
the word archon we understand that
there are headships in the spiritual realm.
Jesus is one headship (Rev 1:5), the devil is another, Beelzebub is a
leader over demons. If we read the 10th
chapter of Daniel, we would understand again there is a hierarchy in the spirit
realm. The typical understanding is that
there is a spiritual battle going on that holds up the angel from coming to
Daniel. Michael is the key to
understanding the chapter, as Michael is the guardian over Israel. An aspect we seem to overlook is that Babylon
was taken over by Persia, and Cyrus lets the Jews go back to their homeland and
rebuild, but later Alexander conquers the area.
When we see the prince of Persia and the prince of Greece being spoken
of, we are given an insight to the future. In Daniel 10, Cyrus was in his 3rd
year; and about this time he took over Palestine and let the Jews go back to
their homeland (around 536 BC). These are not battles narrowly won by the
angels of Elohim, as it is prophesied by Isaiah that Cyrus would be the one to
rebuild the temple. Part of the battle
of Daniel 10 was in relation to Cyrus conquering more land to fulfill what the
Lord called him to do. Odd that the Lord chose a Persian King, a Gentile, to
fulfill His will. There would seem to be
a pushing and pulling of the sons of God with the demonic leaders of satan. As
soon as Daniel started to fast, the angel tried to get to him, but satan’s
leaders kept him away. Prayer and
fasting break the strength of satan’s leaders.
What did Daniel want to know? The future, what did the devil not want
Daniel to know? The future; the devil did not want anyone to know the Jews
would rebuild Jerusalem. This example, in light of history, is not the dire
spiritual battle some proclaim it to be.
Instead, in light of history, this is an example of principalities
attempting to keep revelation from Daniel.
Today the Holy Spirit resides within us, and principalities cannot keep
revelation from us, rather they use trickery and deception to lead us astray.
There
are Angels that fell, not just those who came to earth to take wives from among
the earth women but others also defected.
We gain this insight from the future battle of Revelation 12. If satan is going to war against Michael and
his angels, he must have an army to fight with. Revelation 12 says he is cast
out of the heavens with one third of the stars.
That means that at the time of that battle, satan will have one third of
the spirit beings of heaven, while Michael will have two thirds. This then
tells us that even now, at best, satan has only one third of the fallen angels
to help him. Paul tells us this is our
warfare. These principalities, evil
spirit rulers are not demons, they are fallen angels. Prayer and fasting are our weapons against
these beings. And just like in Daniel, the
reigning principalities may attempt to control the unsaved, they cannot control
the saved. However if the saved become
deceived, the saved will willingly do the will of the principalities. Assuming we are not deceived, we can take a
look at cities and states, and countries to observe the predominant culture of
the people. It is popular to fight
against Christianity today; in the public square the efforts are being made to
eliminate Godliness from culture. The
spiritual beings orchestrating that are principalities, and in a ranking order
they have the help of lesser spiritual beings to bring to pass the devil’s
will. But like the spiritual battle in
Daniel, principalities may be attempting to stop the sons of God from
intervening on earth. This is what we
have to pray against along with stopping the sons of the devil in their wickedness.
