When on earth, He reclaimed territory for God's kingdom by binding Satan and plundering his house by casting out demons and unclean spirits. They obeyed Him and submitted to His authority.
Jesus gave seventy of His disciples authority to cast out demons to take back territory which was ruled by Satan.
Later, the apostle Paul instructed the church to "take up the whole armor of God" so that they would be able to stand against the strategies of the devil, because "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Though the armor of God can be applied to our own personal battles with the devil, I think Paul's intention for writing this was for the corporate church as they carried out their purpose of building God's kingdom. The church would experience intense spiritual warfare as they proclaimed the good news of Jesus in cultures that were hostile to Christians and in cultures where Jesus had never been heard of before, because Satan ruled these territories and he would not just hand them over without a fight. Paul wrote the content of Ephesians 6 to inform the church of how to corporately engage in this war.
Even though Satan may have control over large amounts of people and physical territory, Christ has all authority and the earth belongs to Him. He has given the church the weapons to fight in this war. The war is a war for the lives and souls of man.
We know that Jesus won the war, but until He returns to take possession of the earth, there are many souls that are lost to Satan, largely due to the church not engaging in the war. We must engage in the war, remembering that Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth, and when we win back territory for God's kingdom, we must symbolically plant a banner and raise it high, indicating that this place and everyone in it belongs to King Jesus.
Jesus also gave all those who believe in Him authority by allowing them to act as His ambassadors on the earth. He instructed His disciples to ask in His name, and promised that if they do so, then He will do it. This is not a magical formula that we say, but as His representatives, He has authorized Christians to act and to ask God on His behalf, just as if He were here doing it Himself. It does not mean that we have to say the words, "in Jesus's name" at the end of our prayers, but what it does mean is that when we pray, we pray as if He is praying for it Himself. When we do something, we do it as if He were here doing it Himself. We pray and do it in Jesus's name, not our own, so that God will get the glory. We are His ambassadors, asking God for the things that He would be asking God for and doing the things that He would be doing.
God has also given His people His Holy Spirit to reside within them, and in doing so, He and His authority works through them. Christians are His children, and they are highly privileged to have God living within them and allowing them to be His representatives on earth.
The church needs to have a mindshift. Satan is on the defensive because Christ has already won the war, yet the church behaves as if it is losing. We need to remember that Jesus has all authority and that He has given us authority as well. The church must engage in the war. Not the war for our earthly, political kingdoms, using weapons made by man, but the war to save man by bringing him into God's kingdom, using the weapons that God gave us.
"Raise the banner high
March with Adonai
Lift your voices up loud and high
Strength and unity
Faith and victory
Let the battle rage on we cry"
- 20:17 ( Raise the Banner) by Audio Adrenaline
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Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
John 18:33-37
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
Matthew 28:18
who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
I Peter 3:22
which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:20-23
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Colossians 2:15
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11
And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Mark 1:22
Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
Mark 1:23-27
When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
Mark 5:6-13
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Luke 10:17-20
From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.” Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.
Mark 7:24-30
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
Matthew 8:16
Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.
Mark 1:34
And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
Mark 3:11-12
When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
Mark 9:25-27
As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”
Matthew 9:32-33
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Ephesians 6:10-20
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
John 14:12-14
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