The Demons Of Ephesians 6:12

It is written:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities (archē), against powers (exousia), against the rulers of the darkness of this age (kosmokratōr), against spiritual hosts of wickedness (pneumatikos ponēria) in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Every one of these phrases that Paul uses in this verse had been used by Jewish believers for centuries to describe different types of evil spirits.

For example:

1 Enoch 61:10-And he [God] will summon all the forces [dynameis] of the heavens, and all the holy ones above, and the forces of the Lord-the cherubim, seraphim, ophanim, all the angels of governance [archai], the Elect One, and the other forces [exousiai] on earth and over the water.

2 Enoch 20:1-And I saw there [in the seventh heaven] an exceptionally great light, and all the fiery armies of the great archangels, and the incorporeal forces [dynameis] and the dominions [kyriotetesJ and the origins [archai) and the authorities [exousiai), the cherubim and the seraphim and the many-eyed thrones [thronoi].

Testament Of Levi 3:8-There with him [God] are the thrones [thronoi]) and authorities [exousiai]; there praises to God are offered eternally.

Testament Of Solomon-“I therefore, having heard this, glorified the Lord God, and again I questioned the demon, saying: “Tell me how you can ascend into heaven, being demons, and amidst the stars and holy angels intermingle.” And he answered: “Just as things are fulfilled in heaven, so also on Earth (are fulfilled) the types of all of them. For there are principalities, authorities, world-rulers, and we demons fly about in the air; and we hear the voices of the heavenly beings, and survey all the powers.”

The last quotation is interesting in another regard.

The exact same group of words used here is found in Ephesians 6:12 (Principalities, authorities (powers), and world-rulers).

However, instead of using the phrase “spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places,” the Testament Of Solomon uses the word “demons” in its’ place.

Christians are at war with the powers of darkness in this world. Our battle is not against “flesh and blood.”

Do you have the victory that is found only in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-29)?