Principalities and Powers

I grew up in a world where I was taught to take the Devil seriously.  I was taught to pray against the devil, I was taught how to cast out demons, and I was taught that the Devil and his minions are the "principalities and powers of the unseen world" that Paul referred to in his letter to the church in Ephesus.

The verse goes like this …

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

I've been hearing this verse a lot lately in the aftermath of the attack that took place in Washington DC on January 6, 2021. Whether you live in the US or not, I'm sure you've heard all about how a group of extreme USA “Patriots” stormed this historic piece of American government with their guns and Confederate flags and "Jesus Saves" banners to make a mockery of our government and take back some sort of ideal that they felt was stolen from them.

I have a lot of thoughts about what took place that day and maybe I'll share them sometime, but for now what I want to share is that in the aftermath of that day I've seen countless Christians use Paul's words to the church in Ephesus to sort of downplay or scapegoat the pure evil that happened that day.

"Remember, the powers we fight against aren't human - they are spiritual!  This is not the protestor’s fault, it's the Devil's fault."

"The Devil has sent his demons to divide us and take over our government!"

"The people there that day weren't in their right minds, this is the work of Satan and his demons.  They are responsible!"

To be honest, I used to buy into and support this narrative 1000%.  I was all about "using my authority in Christ" to "cast our demons" and to "break down strongholds" and "bind the Enemy in the Name of Jesus".  These were all common phrases in the prayers I'd offer every single day and although I think very differently about them these days, they still and always will hold somewhat of an important place in my heart.

They are part of my journey.

They helped mold me and shape me.

They were important tools in my spiritual tool belt for a long, long time.

I've moved beyond those tools, though, and so although I still place some value on them they aren't tools I go to very frequently anymore.  They're no longer in the toolbelt I wear around my waist and carry everywhere with me, but are in my toolbox that I keep out in the shed and go to every once and a while.

AND.

(At least part of) the reason for this shift in thinking is because when I look at January 6 and events like it and I see Paul's words to the church in Ephesus thrown into the mix, I see a subconscious attempt to make the Devil into a scapegoat that we can blame for …

The evil.

The wrongdoings.

The sin.

The Anti-Christ behavior.

… of the Church that took place that day and in the days, months, years, decades leading up to it instead of calling the Church to own up to its failure, to take responsibility for the role it played, and to repent.

Repent?

Of what?

Anti-Christ behavior?

Huh?

We live in an age where many pastors and church leaders are advocating for the political candidate that they think is the best and have led their congregations and their followers to advocate for the same.  I heard one pastor say that Jesus is like Rambo and he's going to come and blow all the Liberals away.  I've heard pastors threaten their congregations with hell if they vote for an opposing candidate.  I've seen pastors uphold every move, word, policy, and Tweet of the current administration all in the name of "draining the swamp" , "taking back our country" , and "fighting for our liberties".  

The result?

As people stormed the Capital Building earlier this month many did so holding signs in the air that said "JESUS SAVES!"  They touted the name of a Savior who laid down his life to the sword of the Roman Empire as they stormed a building where they lifted up their own swords and guns to defend and protect their own Empire.

We've lost the plot.

Right?

How can anyone say otherwise?

And now that many of these pastors and churches are starting to realize just how much we've lost the plot they're back peddling and using Paul's words to the church in Ephesus to scapegoat the Church's clear Anti-Christ behavior on an invisible force known as "the Devil".  Much like Adam blamed Eve who then blamed the serpent in the Garden of Eden for tempting them to eat the forbidden fruit, we've blamed the Serpent today for tempting us to eat the forbidden fruit of Empire worship.

Me?

I call BS on all this "Devil talk".

I was reading a book by a guy named Richard Smoley who wrote about various branches of early Christianity that have been lost or forgotten about and he says something very interesting about a group known as Esoteric Christians; it was their belief that …

"The earth was seen as the center; surrounding it were the spheres of the seven planets as they were then known: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.  Esoteric Philosophers believed that the spirit, as it took incarnation in a person, passed through the spheres of each of these planets in turn, each of which in turn imbued it with its own negative characteristics - Venus with lust, Mars with anger, Jupiter with gluttony, etc.  By the time the soul reached earth, it was fettered by the very qualities that determined its nature."

In other words, as a spirit came to earth to reside in or become a person it was believed that it first passed through the rings of these planets and brought with it the characteristics of that planet and birthed them in the human that it became.

Follow me.

Smoley goes on to say that …

"To be liberated was to vanquish the dominion of these planetary spheres not in the outside world, but in oneself.  The letter to the church in Ephesus alludes to this idea when it says that '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.”

I love this.

I’m no expert in all the stuff that Smoley is putting forth, but I can’t help but wonder - what if Paul wasn't encouraging us to cast out demons and take up a spiritual war against the Devil, but …

To look within ourselves?

To recognize the principalities and powers that reside in each of us?

And to seek the power of Christ to vanquish their dominion in our lives?

… What if this is what Paul meant?  

And what if that means that in regards to January 6 and the Church's clear affair with the American Government that has given birth to an illicit monster of hate, division, exclusion, what if the call is for the Church to …

STOP pointing to the Devil.

STOP pointing to his demons.

AND.

To START looking within itself and calling upon the power of the Christ to vanquish the clear dominion and stronghold that greed, lust, gluttony, etc. has upon it?

What if the "principalities and powers" that Paul spoke of aren't demons or the Devil, but are our all too human tendencies to have a …

Greed for power.

Lust for freedom.

Gluttony for being right.

Etc.

… What if these principalities and powers are unseen because we’re typically blind to them? Because we typically give in to their every demand and suggestion, letting them blow us here and there and everywhere in the winds of emotion that they typically bring with them?

AND, what if the Spiritual Armor that Paul goes on to instruct us to dress ourselves in is armor meant to protect us not from the Devil, but from ourselves and these tendencies that lie within us all? The ones that the Esoteric Christians and Philosophers thought our spirit picked up from the planets, but that we know are simply part of being human?   

AND.

What if Paul's constant instruction for us to follow the Christ isn't so that we can one day die and escape this world and get to some heavenly place where we'll no longer have any problems or struggles, but so that we can actually change this world, become more fully human in this life, become more heavenly natured in this life, and bring heaven to earth …

Right here.

Right now. 

In America.

… In the World. 

Something to think about. 

Peace.