The subject of this month’s letter is principalities and powers.
The Holy Spirit taught us that the seven deadly sins listed by the Catholics before the time of Luther are principalities.
The principalities and powers of darkness in Ephesians 6 have been used to explain the spiritual darkness you could see over a city as you approach it from a distance. From this, some teachers have assumed that in Daniel 10 the prince of Persia will fight against the spiritual force of Grecia. As I studied this I found that Cyrus was the King of Persia who Jesus told that the time had come to set free the children of Israel. This must happen because history is moving on and the king of Greece, Alexander the Great will fight against Persia. These physical events are part of history in the time of Daniel and are worth reading in this context. Heaven most definitely did fight with Persia against Babylon.
Even the people who preach it say that it has nothing to do with our salvation. Then why do you even say these things that have no purpose and cannot sanctify the heart of man, but cause confusion to the body of Christ? All scripture is for the edifying of man.
2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Heaven most definitely did fight with Persia against Babylon. It was the time when a hand appeared writing on the wall of the Babylonian palace. It is a beautiful story that brings glory to God and not the devil. The Lutheran church and also Billy Graham understood that principal spirits were the seven deadly sins.
The following is also one of those scriptures that I had to ask the Holy Spirit to explain.
Col 2:15: Then Jesus made a public spectacle of all the powers and principalities of darkness, stripping away from them every weapon and all their spiritual authority and power to accuse us. And by the power of the cross, Jesus led them around as prisoners in a procession of triumph. (He was not their prisoner; they were his!)
This scripture is difficult to understand because it most certainly sounds like spiritual forces in the air and some of the commentaries such as Barnes understand it as such. However, Adam Clark is certain that these principalities were the darkness in the hearts of the Sanhedrin. These people were the enemies of Christ, after all, they crucified him.
Tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. These are the people who held Israel in bondage to make up rules. These priests were full of their self-importance and Jesus called them white-washed tombs.
Col 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean” (Matthew 23:27).
These words are woes to the Pharisees.
If you read Colossians 2:15 you see Paul is talking about the spiritual forces that Christ overcame and then suddenly he is talking about being judged for what you eat or drink and even about the Sabbath in verse 16.
Col 2:16: “So why would you allow anyone to judge you because of what you eat or drink, or insist that you keep the feasts, observe new moon celebrations, or the Sabbath?”
This proves to me that the spiritual forces Jesus overcame were traditions and religions that held the Jews captive in the law. Jesus came to make everyone free from these laws but they were the power the priests and the Pharisees had over the people.
This is a lesson to me because I was also brought up with traditions that I know the Lord pointed out to me that were holding me captive. I am asking God to show me in which way these teachings have distorted my understanding of spiritual things so that my heart may be the dwelling of God only.
Jesus in his own words told the Pharisees in Mark 7:13 that their traditions make the Word of God to no effect. Traditions, religious laws, and ways are the principalities and powers in our minds that blind us so that we do not see the Truth. They are like veils that keep us from understanding and experiencing the full love of God.
Let us surrender to Jesus and allow him to set us free!