Sunday, 3/18/18 - Ephesians, Chapter 6:11-12, The Angelic Conflict, Pt. 29.  The Enemy, Pt. 26.  Satan's Demonic Forces.  Lesson # 18-030

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qfQKHz5RGU

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12

Eph 6:11-12; Rom 8:38-39; Col 1:15-16; 2:15; Rev 17:12-13; Dan 7:12, 27; 11:5

Eph 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Now, getting back to our opponents in Eph 6:12; we are given four categories of adversaries that we need to pin to the mat. So, let us see how this four-fold evil cosmic system is defined, so that we know our enemy and with knowledge overcome them.

You see Christianity, unlike all the other cults, is not about teaching you things to persuade yourself to function in a thoughtless manner. It does not just tell you to say something and to go on saying it mechanically, whether it is true or not, or whether you felt it or not. That is not Christianity. Christianity always gives reasons for what we are to do or be doing. Therefore, Paul introduces this passage by explaining why we need to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” and why we need to, “put on the full armor of God.” He tells us why we need it all. In this case, it is because of the enemy we are facing every day while we are here on planet earth. It is because of the fallen angelic race that has aligned themselves with Satan in opposition and antagonism against God and His people. Therefore, we need to know our enemy well, and Paul tells us about it in the details of this passage.

Eph 6:12, “For our struggle is … against the rulers (1-ARCHE), against the powers (2-EXOUSIA), against the world forces of this darkness (3-KOSMOKRATOS SKOTOS), against the spiritual forces of wickedness (4-PNEUMATIKOS PONERIA).”

Paul previously referred to the first two of these hostile angelic creatures in the unseen realm in Eph 1:21,

Eph 1:21, “Far above all rule (1 - ARCHE) and authority (2- EXOUSIA) and power (DUNAMIS) and dominion (KURIOTES), and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

Likewise, in Eph 3:10 Paul lists the “rulers,” ARCHE, and “authorities,” EXOUSIA,” once again.

Eph 3:10, “In order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.”

Those verses tell us that God’s plan of redemption was made complete and ultimately revealed for man and the angelic realm, when God raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand. As a result, those cosmic rulers and authorities were disarmed and put to shame by the Cross of Jesus Christ, Col 2:15.

Col 2:15, “When He had disarmed the rulers (1 - ARCHE) and authorities (2- EXOUSIA), He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him, (Jesus Christ).”

Paul also lists these angelic authorities in Col 1:16, regarding our Lord’s creative act that shows Jesus’ ultimate authority over them all.

Col 1:16, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones (THRONOS) or dominions (KURIOTES) or rulers (1 - ARCHE) or authorities (2- EXOUSIA) -- all things have been created by Him and for Him.”

This passage includes all angelic creatures, fallen and elect, as well as human authorities. But in our verse, it is only speaking of the fallen angelic realm, i.e., “in the heavenlies.”

Therefore, combining these passages, we have a list of 7 titles for the fallen angelic realm that is part of Satan’s cosmic system:

1. Thrones, THRONOS.

2. Powers, DUNAMIS, (inherent power).

3. Dominions or Lordship, KURIOTES.

4. Rulers or Principalities, ARCHE.

5. Powers or Authorities, EXOUSIA, (power exercised).

6. World forces of this darkness, KOSMOKRATOS SKOTOS.

7. Spiritual forces of wickedness, PNEUMATIKOS PONERIA.

The first three speak to the realms of the kingdoms controlled by the fallen angelic forces, and the last four speak to the ones ruling in the various realms of the kingdoms.

Col 1:15-16, asserts that Jesus Christ was instrumental in the creation of “thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers;” along with “all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible,” they were created, “in, through, and for Him.” The powers were originally a divine creation and were to find their goal in Christ. 

Col 1:15-16, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

Yet, due to the evil that was found in their heart, they rebelled against Him, and have now been defeated by Him.

Col 2:15, “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”

Rom 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities (ARCHE), nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers (DUNAMIS). ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So now, let us explore the titles given to the four-fold forces of demonic evil found in Satan’s cosmic system.

1. “The Rulers,” sometimes translated “Principalities.” Here, we have the Accusative Plural Noun ARCHE, ἀρχή that means, “beginning, origin, authority, rule, domain, or sphere of influence.” It is used similarly in Eph 1:21; 3:10. It is also used in Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Col 1:16; 2:10, 15.

In Classical Greek, the term ARCHE functions both in an ordinary sense and in a philosophical sense as “First Cause.” Because this word always signifies primacy, if it were in the singular, we would think this to be Satan as the first to rebel against God in eternity past. In fact, in John 12:31; 16:11, Satan is called HO ARCHON HO KOSMOS, “the ruler of this world.” But, because it is in the plural in our verse, it is more than one individual, and Satan has already been noted in vs. 11.

Given the imagery of this title, we see these as other angels who were and are a part of the rebellion of Satan, “from the beginning.” As “primacy,” we also see this word as leaders “in rank, power, dominion, or office,” cf. Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Col 1:16; 2:15. Therefore, these are the leading and ruling fallen angels, as it were, of Satan’s fallen angelic army that have been with him since the beginning of his rebellion. They seem to be first both in rebellion and authority inside of Satan’s fallen angelic hierarchy.

So, these are the highest ranking fallen angels. They are Satan’s top rulers, the top officers, the highest and most powerful angels under his command. They are the equivalent of the “archangels” in God’s elect angel organization, so they are the counterfeit “archangels” of Satan’s system. They assist Satan in his rulership of the entire world, but are not assigned to any one country or territory; rather they lead the rest of the angelic forces.

2. “The Powers.” Here we have the Noun EXOUSIA, ἐξουσία that means, “authority, right, power.”  This term is most frequently used in the NT for the right or authorization to use power bestowed by an office. It is a derivative of EXESTIN which means, “it is possible” or “it is lawful,” that is, the right to act according to legal or moral standards. The root Verb EXOUSIAZO means, “to have power over someone or exercise authority.” It is closely related to DUNAMIS, which is not used in this listing of four enemies, but differs, by its intent of the delegation of authority rather than the capability of the inherent power of DUNAMIS.

EXOUSIA is used in 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; Col 1:6; 2:10, 15; 1 Peter 3:22, and is especially used with ARCHAI to signify supernatural powers in, Eph 1:21; 2:2; Col 1:16. EXOUSIA’s derived meanings are: “authoritative position, office of state, office-bearers, or rulers,” and is “often used in an official sense to describe the authority of a king or other ruler,” (Plato Definitiones 415b, c; cf. Bauer). Cf. Rev 17:12-13.

Rev 17:12-13, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority (EXOUSIA) as kings with the beast for one hour. ¹³These have one purpose, and they give their power (DUNAMIS) and authority (EXOUSIA) to the beast.”

As in Rev 17, they are seen as the other “beasts” of Dan 7:12, speaking of other kings or rulers during the reign of the Antichrist.

Dan 7:12, “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.”

The sense of “authority to rule” is found in the Septuagint (LXX), where EXOUSIA occurs about 50 times. EXOUSIA usually replaces the Hebrew word MEMSHALAH, meaning, “the territory of one’s dominion” as in Psa 114:2, (LXX 113:2) and Jer 51:28 (LXX 28:28), and SHALETAN meaning, “power or dominion,” There we find the word “dominion” is many times translated by the Greek EXOUSIA, as also in Dan 7:12, 14, 27; 11:5 and other places, to speak of the rulers or heads of nations, i.e., “the powers or authorities” over nations.

Dan 11:5, “Then the king of the South will grow strong, along with one of his princes (SAR) who will gain ascendancy over him and obtain dominion; his domain will be a great dominion indeed.”

Dan 7:27, “Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.”

Therefore, EXOUSIA is an authority to rule over a nation, one bearing such authority, and the sphere controlled by this authority. As such, these are Satan’s ruling angels over the nations; fallen angels who have the right to rule nations from the spiritual realm. They are the “authorities” in the demonic realm of Satan in the lower atmosphere who constitute his kingdom in the air as Kings, Presidents, heads of state, etc., who have been given authority to exercise rulership over a nation. In this case, the authority has been delegated by Satan and his leading ARCHE.

3. “The world forces of this darkness.”

The third “against,” PROS, in this passage speaks of, “world forces of this darkness,” HO KOSMOKRATOR HO SKOTOS.

SKOTOS meaning, “dark, darkness, or gloom,” reminds us that we are talking about evil forces, demonic forces.

“World forces,” is one compound word in the Greek, KOSMOKRATOR, κοσμοκράτωρ. It is made up of the words KOSMOS that means, “world,” and KRATEO that means, “to take hold of (forcefully), get possession of, obtain, to take into one’s possession, etc.” KRATEO is used of persons, or in this case, of fallen angels as those who, “have power over, rule over, or are master / lords of others.” It always implies a certain degree of force with which one brings a person or thing wholly under his power, even when resistance is encountered. It also means, “to take hold of by the hand.” Therefore, this is a ruler who has direct contact with the people, unlike the king who is aloof to them. Combined with KOSMOS, its simplest definition is, “lords of the world,” who have interaction with the people.

Louw Nida states, “The expression 'world ruler' should not be understood in terms of merely ruling over the earth as a physical object but of 'ruling over those who are on the earth. It is a supernatural power having some particular role in controlling the destiny and activities of human beings - 'power, authority, lordship, ruler, wicked force.” They translate it here as, “cosmic powers of this dark age.” (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament).

KOSMOKRATOR is only used here in the NT, it is a hapaxlegomena and it is not used in the LXX. Here, it is in the Accusative Plural, meaning, “cosmic lords of this darkness.”

This word is “rare” and “late,” thus difficult to trace. The association of KOSMOKRATOR was originally in regard to astrology, and only later was it used in reference to gods and political rulers. (See Kittel, 3:913; cf. Bauer, and Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary.) In fact, KOSMOKRATOR is used of the god Serapis or Sarapis in the magical texts, (See PGM XIII.618-40). An Egyptian god created to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in the realm of Ptolemy I. The god was depicted as Greek in appearance, but with Egyptian trappings, and combined iconography from a great many cults, signifying both abundance and resurrection. This false god was a syncretistic deity derived from the worship of the Egyptian Osiris and Apis, and also gained attributes from other deities, such as chthonic powers linked to the Greek Hades and Demeter, and benevolence linked to Dionysus.

“These forces are called rulers of the world in order to bring out the terrifying power of their influence and comprehensiveness of their plans, and thus to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament).

The context in our passage confirms that Paul is not speaking about physical / human world rulers or powers, but of supernatural, spiritual forces which are opposed to the Church and to the redemptive work of God on earth. Therefore, we see this group as those below the EXOUSIA, below the demonic spiritual kings over nations and are more like governors of states or cities, lords of territories, or lower ranking military officers that personally lead troops into battle.

Some manuscripts include, “of this age or of this world,” HO AION in the Genitive Singular, but it is not found in the most reliable ancient texts.

4. “The spiritual forces of wickedness.”

Our fourth, “against,” PROS, (i.e., enemy), is, “the spiritual forces of wickedness / evil,” HO PNEUMATIKOS HO PONERIA.

PNEUMATIKOS, πνευματικός is a Greek Accusative Pronominal Adjective in the Plural that means, “pertaining to the spirits or spirituals.” It comes from the root, PNEUMA that means, “breath, wind, or spirit.” Christian literature uses PNEUMATIKOS especially in the sense of “spiritual” having to do with the (divine) spirit, and in this case, “evil spirits.” It does not occur in either the apocryphal or the Septuagint.

Therefore, it pertains to “the nature of spirits” or “spiritual beings,” in this case the divine beings known as fallen angels. The first time PNEUMATIKOS is used in Scripture is in regard to the believer having a spiritual gift, Rom 1:11, which emphasizes the spiritual life the believer has received from God. We also saw this word in Eph 1:3; 5:19, in regard to the spiritual life of the believer. Matthew uses a cognate of this word, PNEUMATA, in regard to the DAIMON or DAIMONION; i.e., “demons,” Mat 8:16; cf. Mark 1:34. So, this word can be used for both the elect of God and fallen. In our passage, it is emphasizing the spiritual nature and life of the fallen angels.

It is contrasted in the NT with PSUCHE, which means, “soul or soulish” and speaks to the natural or soulish body of unregenerated man. In contrast, even though these angelic creatures are fallen, they are still “spiritual beings,” as only is the believer of the human race. Once again, we see that our enemy is not “blood and flesh,” it is not people or mankind, but it is the spiritual forces of evil who are in the world, that is Satan and his fallen angels.

Given the general nature of this phrase in regard to the demonic spirits, versus the rulership connotations noted in the first three titles, this word implies a collective of the evil powers viewed as a body. We could say, this is Satan’s counterfeit body to the body of Jesus Christ, which is the Church.

“Wickedness or evil,” is the Greek Noun in the Genitive of quality PONERIA, πονηρία that means, “wickedness, depravity, sinfulness, evil nature, malice, etc.” It is a characterizing Genitive. Its original Greek meaning was, “defectiveness or physical sickness.” But later took on the nuances of “wickedness, evil, and sinfulness.”

So, once again we see the “illness” of the spiritual realm, the fallen angels that we personally wrestle with, versus wrestling against the symptoms of this illness, which is “blood and flesh,” that is, antagonistic members of the human race.

In most instances, PONERIA is used for wickedness or willful ungodly action. It is the “intentionally practiced evil will.” The NT uses it exclusively in its ethical meaning of opposition to God. This describes the mode of operation for the fallen angels who are in rebellion of God. It means maliciousness and it is to be distinguished from KAKIA, which is simply the evil habit of mind or depravity, where PONERIA means evil being expressed and affecting others. Hence, Satan is called ὁ πονηρός, “the wicked one,” the one who is in absolute antithesis to God, i.e., the devil in 1 John 2:13-14; 3:12; 5:18-19; cf. Luke 3:19; 7:21.

Therefore, PNEUMATIKOS PONERIA is used as a “catch all” phrase to identify the rest of Satan’s demonic forces, the “rank and file” as it were, that he uses to deceive the world.

Finally, we have, “in the heavenly places,” which is the Dative of Sphere EN HO EPOURANIOS, ἐπουράνιος in the plural that means, “heavenlies or celestial.” It is made up of EPI, “at” and OURANTOS, “heavenly.” The emphasis of the term and Dative case is on the location, the sphere or realm that these fallen angelic creature reside. It identifies the dwelling place of the divine spirits. This is the abode or dwelling place of all the angels, and specifically in our verse, the fallen angels or “evil spirits.” Ephesians has the repeated formula EN TOIS EPOURANIOIS, ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοια, “in the heavenly (places),” Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12. In our verse, it is the cosmic level in which the battle is both fought and won in the believer’s life.

The use of “heavenlies” in Ephesians includes:

1) The sphere and source of Divine blessing, Eph 1:3.

2) The sphere of Christ’s power and His strategic victory in the Angelic Conflict, Eph 1:20.

3) The sphere of the Christian life and positional victory for the believer, Eph 2:6.

4) The sphere of angelic activity and judgment, Eph 3:10.

5) The sphere of spiritual conflict, the Angelic Conflict, Eph 6:12.

It is first used of God the Father, Mat 18:35, to describe His place of residence, “in the heavens.” God Himself and Christ belong to this heavenly world, the right hand of God, the throne, the government, is represented. Here the term, like οὐρανός, has a local nuance.

There are three heavens noted by Paul, the first is our atmosphere, the second is the stellar universe, the third is outside of our universe that is God’s throne room, cf. 2 Cor 12:2.

2 Cor 12:2, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.”

Currently, the fallen angels reside in all three. During the Tribulation, they will be subjected to the first two only, Rev 12:8.

Nevertheless, as Paul stated, there is nothing in this world material, spiritual, or supernatural that we cannot defeat when we have the power of God resident within our souls.

Rom 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor (fallen) angels, nor principalities, (ARCHE), nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers (DUMAMIS). ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”