The Spiritual "Dark Net"

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” Eph. 6:12

In the book “The Art of War” written by Sun Tzu a Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher some 500 years before Christ, he famously stated "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting". That philosophy however goes back much farther than 500 BC. Satan can be credited with this approach to battle from the very beginning of time where he began disguising himself as an “angel of light”. He did this to lure the souls of men into the passive mentality that he is not the enemy and they are not at war. Whether through the heretical position of atheism, or through the present denominational prejudices governed by the limits of the natural mind, Satan has labored to downplay the battle between the forces of darkness in this world and the forces of lite in the Kingdom of God.

            Writing to the Ephesian church, Paul emphasized the reality of this battle, describing the existence of a dark spiritual realm that is at odds with the Christian life. In fact, he goes so far as to say that the struggles and tribulations of this natural life are NOT the consequences of the influences of the corporeal world we live, but are instigated and exercised by very real and dark spiritual forces in this world. He calls those forces “the powers of this dark world”.

            Computers and the internet have become the norm for communication, information, commerce, and much more today.  They are an important part of the natural world we live in, affecting most all areas of life.  Yet within this maze of technology exists an entity that also has its hands in almost every area of human activity today. That entity if called “the darknet”. Wikipedia describes the darknet saying “the darknet is an overlay within the  Internet that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations, or authorization, and often uses a unique customized communication protocol”. Even Paul the apostle, living in the technologically undeveloped world of his day, would have been able to see the parallels between this description of the darknet and what he called “the powers of this dark world”.   Like the darknet, the forces of this demonic “dark world” are also recognized by ”specific software”, the software of spiritual discernment. Satan too has his own “configurations & authorization”, or spiritual “principalities” as the NASB words it. He also can be described as operating according to his own demonic practice or “protocol”.

            The existence of a realm of spiritual activity working around and within the daily activities of this natural life is something scripture regularly addressed.  When Peter attempted to dissuade Jesus from going to Jerusalem, Jesus responded saying “get behind me Satan”. Jesus was not calling Peter Satan, but He was recognizing the dark spiritual forces that were affecting Peter’s thinking. Peter clearly learned from this as we can see in his own warning that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pe. 5:8). Paul taught the Ephesians that it was the “powers of this dark world” that they were encountering in their lives (Eph. 6:12). Jesus dealt with those who today would be considered mentally handicapped by recognizing the dark forces affecting them and casting out their demons. These and many more biblical examples confirm that there is a force of darkness at work in this temporal world.

            If Satan can convince you that your troubles and trials are just part of the natural course of this life, then he has succeeded in doing what author Sun Tzu wrote of in “The Art of War”. He would “win the war by subduing the enemy without fighting”.  The Word of God declares we are in a spiritual battle. The Devil says there is no battle and that demons and spiritual darkness are not real.  Whom will you believe?

            When Paul told the Ephesians that they “did not struggle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”, he did not leave them without hope in that struggle. The verses that follow that proclamation reveal the spiritual armor, which are the tools that God provides to stand against what Paul then describes as “the fiery darts of the enemy”.  The Lord not only provides the defensive armor of shields and helmets, but also the offensive tools of the sword of His Word and His Spirit to engage the dark forces of this world in battle.

Don’t succumb to the Devil’s lies, telling you that he is not there and your troubles in this world are simply of natural origin. The Lord created us to prevail over the powers of darkness in this world saying “I give you authority to “trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy” (Lk. 10:19).  Those who do not take up the authority of the sword of His Word and His Spirit and engage the enemy, recognizing the existence of the works of darkness in this world, will be those who are defeated and eventually overcome by the Devil’s schemes (2 Co. 2:11).