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. Ephesians 6:12
When a new headquarters building for the Central Intelligence Agency was being built just outside Washington, DC, in 1959, then CIA director Allen Dulles insisted that the words of John 8:32 – And Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free – be engraved in stone in the lobby. And they are there to this day. Knowledge, knowing the truth, is extremely important, especially when it comes to warfare. Julius Caesar of ancient Rome declared ‘To know is to conquer’. And a common maxim in all human conflicts is ‘Know your enemy’. Spy agencies for every major country spend vast amounts of money and invest extensive resources to learn all they can about other countries with whom there is even the remotest possibility of a conflict, armed or otherwise. During wartime, reconnaissance, the scouting of the enemy’s strength and position, is an absolute necessity for any hope of victory. That is why the apostle Paul informs us in our text that we have powerful enemies that most of us know little or nothing about. And we need to be informed so we can be on our guard against them.
In the previous verse, Paul speaks of the wiles of the devil. And he begins today’s text by pointing out that our worst enemies are not even human beings. That may come as a surprise, because we see many human enemies of Christ all around us. We know about the damnable heresies of the cults and false religions, about the attacks by the rabid homosexuality movement, of the efforts to silence all those who stand for the Word of God. But all these are just pawns of the real enemy. The human opponents of Christ derive their direction and power from the devil. Paul is not the only apostle to warn us of our great satanic foe: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour’ (1 Peter 5:8). Because we can’t see him, and because we can’t directly hear him, we tend to forget about this cruel and hateful enemy and his ranks of minions. We do so at great spiritual peril.
There is little we are told of the demonic world. We know of Satan’s rebellion and ejection from Heaven, along with large numbers of angels who aligned with him. But we know little of their powers, their work, and their purposes, other than being dedicated to robbing God of the glory that is His. Some Bible scholars tell us that the different groups identified in our text refer to the different ranks of demons, with different levels of responsibility and different targets to seek to destroy. This could be an interesting study. And it would help us to know our enemy. But the bottom line for the believer is that the demonic world is out there and it is against everything we stand for and do for our Lord. It is impossible for us to stand against such power and wickedness. That is why we need the whole armour of God. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/P1DS8ZuupN4