In our daily meditations, we are examining how our enemy has arranged his evil forces against the Church. Fighting an unseen enemy is challenging, especially if we don’t understand them, so over the next two or three days, we will aim to understand the categories of evil that Paul the Apostle described. Paul used four phrases to classify the evil spiritual entities in the world system that the Church fights against. Yesterday, we examined the first category, the Rulers; today, we will look at the second, the Authorities. Here's what Paul wrote:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12; emphasis added).
2) The Authorities. The Greek word used by Paul is Exousia, which means authority. It refers to delegated authority from a higher level of command. When Matthew described the centurion appealing to Jesus for his servant, the centurion used the same Greek word to describe the application of authority above him: “For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matthew 8:9; emphasis added). Our passage in Ephesians 6 talks about an evil spirit given permission, capability, right, and authority to act. In yesterday's meditation, we used the example of Adolf Hitler's men in World War II. Perhaps authority is similar to Hitler’s generals directing the battlefield, men who received orders from above and had to exercise that authority on the battlefield. These evil spirits follow orders from higher levels in Satan's hierarchy and carry out their work through fear and domination.
It is speculation on my part, but perhaps an "authority" refers to a spirit controlling a city where the people have collectively allowed a specific sin through an evil spirit "authority." It could be an evil spirit like Moroni, who spoke to Joseph Smith and initiated Mormonism. This spirit uses religious deception and dominates Salt Lake City, Utah. Such a powerful spirit could also be a "principality." It’s not easy to know for sure. It would be wise for churches to research the history and origins of their city so they can focus their intercessory prayers on addressing the spirit over that area. They should seek God's wisdom and guidance to break down the stronghold of spiritual fortification that the city is known for.
An example that could help us understand is a city like Chicago, known for violence and racketeering for many years. In my view, for effective spiritual warfare to bring change, it is not enough just to pray against an evil spirit's authority (though that is a significant first step). Spiritual warfare is waged by doing acts opposite to how the evil spirit's control is manifested, thereby weakening its power. Our good deeds and actions are themselves helpful in spiritual warfare. We are fighting the good fight when we live in simple obedience to Jesus, going against the flow of the evil one. How do we remove demonic evil authorities over cities like Chicago, which is known for violence? In my view, the solution would be for the churches in Chicago to go into the dark areas where violence and fear dominate and share the love of Jesus with the lost. For Salt Lake City, perhaps it would be to send influential godly teachers to teach the Word of God. It's just my opinion—I could be wrong.
Tomorrow, we will look at the Greek words translated into English as The Powers of this Dark World. Keith Thomas
This meditation is a shortened version of the study: Know Your Enemy, found in The War Against Satan and Demons series.