The Spirits Known As “The Powers of this Dark World System”

Over the past few days, our daily meditations have focused on the unseen spiritual evil entities that the Church of the Lord Jesus fights against in prayer. The apostle Paul identified four specific dark spirits operating within the world system. We've already examined the first two, the rulers and the authorities, so now let's turn to the third category. Here again is the verse written by Paul:

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).

3) The Powers of this Dark World. This phrase includes the Greek word Kosmokratōr. The first part of the word is kosmos, which translates to "world" in English. The second part is krateō, meaning "to hold." It reads as "holders of this dark world." The image is of evil spirits that hold the physical world in darkness by attacking the mind. I believe Satan has assigned these spirits control over belief systems that trap men’s minds in religious rituals, false gods, and ways of thinking that oppose worshiping the Creator God, the Lord. These evil spirits don't mainly target territory; their influence is primarily through belief systems that enslave people's minds to demonic control. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Invisible bonds we weren’t aware of are broken when we invite the Lord to come and free us from Satan’s grip.

These spirits promote belief systems such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Communism, and Secular Humanism, to name a few. The evil spiritual powers also influence people in educational fields, like in Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. They also work within the cultures of nations, such as the gaming industry, which draws young people into deeper darkness. Do not underestimate the addictive power at work in such things. These spirits also operate in Hollywood's movie industry, encouraging more fear, violence, and sex in films. The music industry is another area. You don't need to search extensively on Google or YouTube to find examples of musicians who have sold their souls to the devil for success and fame.

Then there are religious spirits that manipulate minds to try to earn salvation in Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism instead of accepting the gift of life from Christ. Religious spirits are very powerful and deceptive, holding many people worldwide in bondage as they attempt to please God through religious works. Paul further described the influence of these spirits, the dark world powers, in his second letter to the church at Corinth:

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Satan (the god of this age) is accused of blinding people's minds, for he is responsible for directing the powers of this dark world that influence people's minds. Let’s talk about the fourth category tomorrow. Keith Thomas

This meditation is a shortened version of the study: Know Your Enemy, found in the series Spiritual Warfare: Overcoming Evil