Why is so much in the book of Revelation about the antichrist, the beasts, the false prophet, the great harlot, and all the primary enemies of the Son of God? Because we see in this vision how these enemies of God are overcome by the revelation of Jesus Christ, and by the power and authority of those who follow Him.

The spiritual enemies of God are defined in Scripture as various levels of demons, assigned to buffet individuals. Above them are principalities, which are assigned to fight God and His Christ on regional levels. Next are world rulers, who are given power throughout the entire world. These are general evils such as racism and counterfeit spiritual authority, which the Bible calls witchcraft or sorcery.

Finally, we have the devil himself, who usually appears to be sophisticated and brilliant. The devil’s primary domains are religion and politics, through which he seeks to have people build on human alliances for what is earthly, rather than the will of God. For this, he uses all of the above, but especially the demonic Jezebel spirit and Leviathan, a demon known as the “twisting serpent.” Leviathan especially twists words, understanding, and the alliances men make.

As we will study in some depth, the religious spirit’s evil is like a personification of the good side of the Tree of Knowledge, which is just as deadly, and more deceptive, than the evil side. It seeks to have us base our relationships to God on our works rather than the cross of Jesus. It is contrary to the faith upon which a true relationship to God is based, and it seeks to become a substitute for this faith.

The above is not an exhaustive list of the evils we face, but they are primary in the devil’s war against mankind—and, through mankind, against God. These are also the main evils seen metaphorically in the book of Revelation. Of course, all of these are contrary to the Spirit of God that was fully manifest through Jesus and His work through this age. So, the primary way that we discern these evils is to know the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of Truth and is sent to lead us to Christ.

As we mature in Christ and gain victory over our personal demons, works of the flesh, and tendency to side with the religious spirit, we may be given insight and authority over the higher levels of evil such as principalities over our regions, beginning with neighborhoods, towns, and cities. As we gain victory over these, we may be led to know and confront principalities over our states, provinces, and even countries.

There are levels within each level of evil. With demons, lust can be the most powerful, and others—such as greed and fear—support and feed it. These are all directed by a principality that is working to keep people in bondage to them on a more regional, and now, even a worldwide level. This is why there has been such an explosion of virtually everything being sexualized and perverted. Satan is making his final move to spread his “deep darkness” over the earth (see Isaiah 60:2).

A great challenge is to see how evil the “good” side of the Tree of Knowledge is. Its “good” side is even more deceptive and effective at deceiving the nations—and even the elect—than its “evil” side. Understanding Revelation can give us much greater insight into this and strengthen our ability to resist it and its evil mark for mankind.

Lust, racism, and fear exist on multiple levels, from personal demons to world rulers. Every Christian can have authority over demons. However, authority over the higher levels of evil only comes when we have maturity in Christ, abide in Him, and are in unity with other believers in the body of Christ. Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against “the church,” singular, not “churches,” plural (see Matthew 16:18-19). Therefore, to take on principalities, we need unity in the church in the region targeted.

We only have true spiritual authority to the degree that we abide in the Lord and He abides in us. Spiritual authority does not come by learning tactics, strategies, or special incantations to use on different demons. That is a form of witchcraft, and Satan will not cast out Satan. Spiritual authority does not come by knowing our authority in Christ as much as it does by knowing His authority in us. Maturity in Him is not learning to get Him to move at our request as much as it is us learning to move with Him and His directions.

Maturity is also learning to be patient with the level of authority we have been given and not running ahead of the Lord. When we get beyond the authority He has given to us, we can get beyond His protection. When we are immature in the Lord, He may still protect us if we become presumptuous and try to take authority He has not given us yet. However, as we mature, we will learn to not get beyond what He has called us to do. To do this, He may allow us to experience some of the consequences of not submitting to Him and His timing, and that will not be pleasant.