17 May 2026

WHO ARE WE FIGHTING?

(Spiritual Warfare: SW 04)

strong>While our main enemy is Satan, we know that he has other fallen angels serving him. When Satan got thrown out of Heaven, one third of the “fallen” angels who followed him was thrown out with him (Rev.12:3-4; 9). These fallen angels are “categorized” in Eph.6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities (rulers), against powers (authorities), against the rulers (powers) of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness (spiritual forces of evil) in the heavenly places (realms)”. So, there are actually four categories of fallen angels working against us and the Church. We will deal with one category first.

Principalities are “princes”- powerful demons-who rule over territories. In Dan.10:13, an angelic messenger told Daniel that God sent him to fulfill his prayers but “the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days; and behold, Michael one of the chief princes, came to help me…” Even an ordinary angel could not counteract these powerful demons. Michael, the Warrior Archangel, was the only one that could defeat them.

Principalities are powerful evil angels that usually control nations and their rulers. For example, the evil spiritual “Prince of Persia” controls the earthly political king of Persia, and make him do things according to Satan’s wishes. That may be passing laws against God’s people and seeking to destroy the Church and Israel. So, we do not “wrestle against flesh and blood” – i.e. the earthly powers but the spiritual principalities controlling them.

A principality is “the strong man” that our Lord spoke about in Matthew 12:29: “How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up (binds) the strong man? Then he can rob his house”. The evangelization of a nation or territory cannot be effective unless we first bind the strong man over that nation. Satan controls the whole world of unbelievers: “We know that we are the children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). But Satan appoints his “princes” over the nations of the world. Princes are the controlling spirits over the nations. Sometimes they have peculiar names – i.e. a powerful “god” – that people worship and give allegiance to. In Acts 19:23-31, the “strong man” over Ephesus is Artemis or Diana. The Holy Spirit can show us who that “prince” is so that we can bind him and render him helpless and set the captives free.

Our Lord has given to the Church “the keys of the Kingdom to bind and to lose” – i.e. authority to restrict or destroy all the powers of darkness (Matt.16:19; 18:18). He said, “I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy; no harm will come near you” (Luke 10:19). The Name of Jesus is “above all other names” and they must bow to Him because He has been given “all authority in Heaven and on earth” (Phil.2:9-11; Matt.28:18). That is why intercession over the nations is so important. We can set nations free with the Gospel by faith in the Name of Jesus and declaring Him as Lord over the nations! Hallelujah!

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