March 7

If the saints' battle only pitted flesh against flesh, some might be able to win it by their own efforts. But Paul dashes any silly notion of an independent victory when he describes the character of our greatest enemies. They are not "flesh and blood," but a host of evil spirits directed by the devil himself, and sent out to war against the saints.

Having been forever denied preeminence above the stars, Satan has determined to have it beneath them. Since the day he was thrown out of heaven, he and his followers have worked tirelessly to establish their dominion on earth. The epistle to the Ephesians reveals the scope of their influence: first, their system of government; second, the magnitude of their power; third, their territory; fourth, their inherent nature; and fifth, the subject of their dispute with God.

Their system of government is beyond our natural understanding. The word principalities is used to designate the territory which that usurper Satan has claimed belongs to him. To deny the devil's exalted position in the present wicked world is to contradict God Himself. Christ referred to him as "the prince of this world" (John 14:30). And as princes have a people and a province which they rule, so Satan has his.

An earthly dictator is fortunate if he has a handful of subjects he can trust. The rest he must control by force, or he may shortly lose his throne as well as his head. But Satan has no reason to fear an assassin's bullet. He can trust all his subjects and never has to worry about rebellion-- except when the Holy Spirit intervenes. As a matter of fact, the wicked go beyond mere obedience to the devil; they willingly bend their knees and bow their heads to worship him (Revelation 13:4). It is, nonetheless, no more than he demands.

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