Efesliler 6:12

The conflicts of God's people are according to the nature of their calling. When Jehovah owned a people in the flesh, they fought in His name against fleshly adversaries... It is because our calling is a heavenly one, that the scene of our conflict is laid there. "Wicked spirits in heavenly places" are appreciable as antagonists to those only who by faith have present access into heaven. Our heritage is there; and there, consequently, the adversary as yet disputes our right.

According to our birth and lineage, so is our conflict. We are born, as believers, not of flesh and blood, but of God. His enemies are, therefore, ours... As it respects personal enmities, dead men can have none. And we are dead with Christ. It is because we are also risen with Him that we find ourselves exposed to the enmity of that which crucified Him, and still disallows His name.

The contrast here is between the conflict with men that Joshua led the children of Israel against (flesh and blood as man, not sinful flesh, is meant here). Now we are not fighting with men, but we are Christians fighting with all these mighty beings, whose subtlety we are apt not to detect because they are so elevated — "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickednesses in the heavenlies."

Principalities refers to dignities, in this case demonic, whom we must never treat with contempt (Jude 8, 9), but firmly stand against them. Authorities are the authorities of darkness. They have no authority over believers, though that authority which they hold over unbelievers, is cruel tyranny... Rulers have to do with administration. Satan has his organization of evil forces that is not to be lightly regarded, and he uses people for his evil purposes, to contest every inch of the way in which a believer seeks to enter into and enjoy his proper possessions in heavenly places.

Satan has no rule there. He and his angels are not yet definitively banished from the heavens. They are permitted still to infest them, until the decisive moment comes for the open manifestation of the kingdom of God and the power of His Christ. But he, whose presence as the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:7-11) in heaven is endured yet a little while, is the ruling power in the world. As opposed to Christ, the true Light of the world, he is styled the ruler of its darkness.

Hence our conflict, as set forth in this epistle, is for the possession by faith of these heavenly places, and our enemies are those who would seek to drive us from them... This conflict is one we must sustain if we would practically enjoy the heavenly place and the heavenly blessings which are ours in Christ. "The old corn of the land" can only be eaten in the land. But it is clear that no strength of ours can cope with such enemies as those now arrayed against us. What, then, is our resource? God has made ample provision; He has stored up in His divine armoury a harness which can withstand even such assaults as those we have to resist.

although we wrestle not with flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12) nevertheless sometimes the enemy uses flesh and blood when he attacks us. Well, his wife said to Job "Curse God and die". That was a cruel thrust; but Job... met that thrust with the shield of faith "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:9-10) and the fiery dart fell to the ground.