Ephesians 3:8-10 Rulers and Authorities

To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

 Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

When Paul references "the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places", he is referring to spiritual authorities.

We see the world as a system of governments and nations. We recognize the governmental authorities in these nations. The United States has a president and congress. Great Britain has a prime minister and parliament. Some governments are voted in. Others take power by military coup. Some are handed down through a royal line.

What we see is only a the surface of a much deeper ocean of politics. Behind every world leader, there is a spiritual power at work. If that leader is godly and committed to doing God's will, then that power will be the Holy Spirit.

If the leader is secular, and denies God, then he gives way to the enemy, and the power will be demonic. As the leader goes, so goes the nation.

We see it over and over again in the book of Kings. A godly king gains the throne, God blesses the nation, and it prospers. An ungodly king gains the throne, God removes His blessing and protection. the the nation falls apart.

Of course, it's never quite that simple. Every nation will have godly people praying and interceding on behalf of their leaders and nations. At the same time, the decisions of the world leaders will invite spiritual powers to work freely. So there is a conflict. Exactly what that conflict looks like on a spiritual level is a subject of much speculation.

Books have been written speculating on the nature of spiritual warfare. Skirmishes between angels and demons are described in vivid detail. In reality, the Bible reveals very little about the nature spiritual warfare beyond our small part. We are to pray.

We are told, "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;" [Romans 13:1-3 NASB]

We are to show respect and honor to those who are in authority. We will not win spiritual victories by opposing the men and women in authority. That will not win them to Christ. At best, we will give an outlet for our own outrage at the ungodliness of the world. We are not to oppose them, we are to pray for them. 

Your enemy is not sitting in Congress. Your enemy is in the spiritual realms, manipulating the members of Congress. That is where the real conflict lies. To win the battle, let us pray for our leaders (whether we agree with them or not). "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." [Romans 12:14 NASB]. Pray that God will intervene and have His way. Remember the Lord's prayer, "your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."