Truth-tellers live in a world surrounded by religious people, but they are not religious. Thus, like Jesus, they are in the world but not of the world. 

The “we” in this scripture refers to New Covenant disciples who are in the world of religion but not of the world.

Jesus is the model for New Covenant disciples who engage in spiritual warfare against religious leaders. The best representation of this struggle is found in the story of his temptation in the wilderness. 

There are two valid ways of interpreting this story. One is that Jesus was face to face with a religious leader (symbolized as satan.) 

The other is that Jesus, who was recently anointed by God,  was struggling with the lingering influence in his heart of lies told by religious leaders. In both cases, he successfully confronted lies with truth.

The fact that the scripture says “we do not war according to the flesh,” strongly suggests that Jesus’ temptation to stay faithful to religion is the primary way to interpret the scripture. Jesus was able to gain victory in his struggle by reminding himself of the symbolic meanings of the scriptures satan used to tempt him. Basically the temptation was to interpret scripture literally, remain faithful to religion, and receive all the rewards that religion offers. Jesus rejected those rewards and choose the rewards of hearing God’s voice.

Only after Jesus waged war with lies in his heart was he ready to wage war with demons, devils and evil spirits in the form of religious leaders.

Thereafter, Jesus fought against the religious leaders of his day through words he spoke for God. He was God’s servant who spoke  God’s words of truth to people who did not have spiritual ears to hear God’s spoken voice.

Jesus confrontation with  the money changers in the temple symbolically represents conflict with religious leaders. It also symbolically represents spiritual warfare in which words (not whips) are the weapons.

Jesus understood that the religious leaders of his day (i.e., Pharisees and Scribes) were the human examples of demons, devils and satan. He waged war against those religious leaders by exposing their wrong religious practices.

Because Christian Nationalists are the modern-day equivalent of Pharisees and Scribes and demons, devils and satan, the way to confront them is to speak God’s words to religious people. The words spoken are truths that overcome the lies religious leaders teach to their followers.

Because of the power of spiritual pride, it is never easy to reach religious leaders or their followers with truth. We know this because many people who heard Jesus speak truth did not follow him. But that fact did not dissuade him from continuing to teach.

True spiritual warfare is a war of words between religious leaders and New Covenant disciples. Christian Nationalists use words as weapons to kill or disable their political enemies. New Covenant disciples speak truth to give spiritual life to Christian Nationalists. What make their words different is that New Covenant disciples are chosen by God to speak for him to speak to people who can’t hear God’s voice because they have hard hearts.

New Covenant disciples, like Jesus, speak God’s words (i.e. truth) to give life to Christian Nationalists.

God’s spoken words of truth are so powerful that they can demolish religious strongholds in the minds and hearts of even the most ardent Christian Nationalists. Truth spoken or written by New Covenant truth-tellers embody this divine, spiritual power. God’s words have power, like a two-edged sword that kills religious life while empowering spiritual life.

There are no human words adequate to describe what happens when people hear God’s voice. Biblical references to it are in verses that include lifted up, caught up and taken up. Rapture is not a word found in the bible, but the idea of rapture describes what happens when we hear truth in our hearts in a new, profound way.

The spiritual power to communicate this kind of truth to our hearts is THE weapon that truth-tellers use to confront Christian Nationalists. It is a spiritual weapon because it is perceived and understood in our hearts — not just with our natural senses. Not even truth-tellers will know when the truth they speak resonates in the heart of someone who hears or reads their words.

See the following links for examples of truth that truthtellers can share:

• Doable, Common Sense Strategies for Achieving Political and Social Unity
• God’s Commands About Doing Justice for Others
• God’s Commands About How to Relate to Him and to One Another.
• Dominionism Doctrines and Philosophy: Lies and Truth
• The Seven Mountain Prophecy
• Christian Nationalism Doctrines and Philosophy: Lies and Truth
• Early American Religious History.
• Understanding the US Constitution.

 Again, the “we” in this scripture refers to New Covenant disciples who do not employ religious tactics to conduct spiritual warfare.

Rather, the spiritual weapons of New Covenant disciples are God’s words — both spoken and written. Words of New Covenant disciples are divinely powerful because they are God’s words that come from the overflow of hearts in which God’s laws have been planted.

New Covenant disciples speak God’s words to destroy religious speculations and ideas devised by Christian Nationalists.

The arguments and pretentions set up against knowledge of God are religious doctrines and beliefs divined from the minds of religious leaders. These beliefs are religious strongholds based on literal interpretations of the bible.

Religious arguments taught by religious leaders, past and present, obstruct true, intimate knowledge of God that is gained only by listening to God’s spoken voice.

There are two kinds of knowledge in the bible. The kind of knowledge religious people have of God is limited to what they read in the literal words of the bible (i.e., ginosko.) They do not have intimate knowledge (i.e., epiginosko) that is available only to people who hear God’s spoken voice.

This verse is a command to individuals to first personally tear down man-made religious arguments in their own minds and then subordinate their minds and hearts to God’s words spoken through a christ-like messiah. Once that is accomplished, they are in position to tear down religious arguments in the minds and hearts of other religious people — especially Christian Nationalists.

Note: the word “christ” is not a proper name and is not Jesus’ last name. It one of several biblical characters (e.g., angels, true prophets, messiahs, high priests, and witnesses) who speak for God to people who cannot hear God’s spoken voice.

Taking captive every thought and making it obedient to Christ refers to replacing the wrong thoughts, wrong ideas, lies, wrong doctrines, and strongholds of wrong thinking in the minds of Christian Nationalists and replacing them with God’s laws written on their hearts.

Another way to say this is that God’s words miraculously change their hearts and minds. 

God’s words are truth and perfect. He writes them in the hearts of angels, true prophets, messiahs, high priests, witnesses and warriors. Then they speak for him out of the overflow of their hearts to people who cannot hear God’s spoken voice. 

It is necessary for God to send these messengers to speak to religious people who otherwise only listen to false prophets (i.e., Pastors, Priests, Rabbis, Apostles, Bishops, Elders, Deacons, Overseers, Popes, Missionaries and Evangelists) with religious titles.

These religious leaders are all Kings, Queens and Princes of religious Cities, Kingdoms and Nations that are enemies of God and his people. They speak religious visions out of the evil imaginations and deceptions of their minds inspired by literal interpretations of the bible. Their speech is smooth, flattering, and deceptive lies that promise peace.

Christian Nationalists are false prophets who falsely present themselves as God’s agents. What they say sounds good to religious people, but actually comes from evil imaginations and deceptions of their minds: Their leaders are false prophets who tickle the ears of religious people with prophecies that religious people want to hear. But they are false prophets whose teachings are lies. They are modern day incarnations of Judas.

Christian Nationalists are God’s enemies because they misrepresent God’s character and oppress his people. That is why he sends true prophets like Moses, Jesus and modern-day angels and warriors to speak his words to uproot, tear down, destroy and overthrow Christian Nationalism and build and plant his kingdom in their hearts.

God fights against his enemies (i.e., false prophets), with words of truth that are symbolized as arrows, swords and stones.

When God’s messengers speak words of truth, religious kingdoms/nations such as Christian Nationalism are destroyed as people stop supporting the movement after they understand that it is all lies and after they understand  that they have been exploited for their money and votes.

At the same time, however, God builds his own kingdom, and plants his words in the hearts of New Covenant disciples. This is another way of saying God’s words change hearts and minds.

God’s spoken word has the power to change hearts from evil and impure to clean and pure.

Being strong in the Lord includes obedience to the following:

• Doable, Common Sense Strategies for Achieving Political and Social Unity
• God’s Commands About Doing Justice for Others
• God’s Commands About How to Relate to Him and to One Another.

Armor is one of many words used to symbolize God’s spoken word. Putting on the full armor means to make a serious effort to listen to hear God’s spoken word while studying the literal words of the bible.

The full armor is in place in the hearts of New Covenant disciples when God’s laws are written on their hearts.

Because New Covenant disciples  have God’s word written on their hearts, they are able to discern between clean and unclean food (i.e., words that are the fruit of Trees of Knowledge of Good and Evil.) This discernment guards their hearts from trusting religion taught by men.

Having God’s laws written on their hearts protects New Covenant disciples from believing deceptive words/schemes spoken by religious leaders (i.e., Serpents, Devils, Satan, Adversaries, Demons, Evil Spirits and Anti-Christs.)

When they correctly identify unclean words (i.e., lies), New Covenant disciples are able to resist (i.e., stand against) believing religious deceptions spoken by religious leaders (i.e., false prophets.)

God is saying here that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood means that we are not doing battle against physical people with physical bodies.  

To fully understand this verse, it is necessary to study the meanings of the original Greek words: 

• principalities
• powers
• rulers of darkness of the world
• spiritual wickedness  

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These word are easier to interpret if we begin with the understanding that demons, devils, satan and evil spirits are symbolic representations of religious leaders. Then principalities are interpreted as leaders of religious organizations. 

Powers are also interpreted as religious people with judicial authority and privilege in religious organizations. Then rulers of darkness of the world are religious leaders in the world of religion. And fighting against spiritual wickedness is interpreted as fighting against the evil, impure hearts of religious leaders.

Since political leaders — especially Christian Nationalist — often function as religious leaders, it is fair and necessary to say that this scripture also applies to them.

Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Because New Covenant disciples understand bible symbolism, they understand that the full armor of God is his words written on their hearts. Knowing that, they do not need to be told to put on the full armor of God.

The full armor of God includes truths listed in these links: 

• Doable, Common Sense Strategies for Achieving Political and Social Unity
• God’s Commands About Doing Justice for Others
• God’s Commands About How to Relate to Him and to One Another.

Old/First Covenant religionists, however, do not understand these things because they can only understand the literal words of the bible. It is up to them, therefore, to study to understand the spiritual meanings of spiritual warfare scriptures.

When Old/First Covenant religionists listen to hear God’s voice while studying the bible, God will reveal the meanings of these verses to them. Then, the more they learn, the more God will write his laws on their hearts. This is the process by which they will put on the full armor of God and transition from Old/First Covenant religion to becoming a New Covenant disciple. This is everything they need to do. 

The day of evil is not a unique day or time in natural history.  Every day in which someone is exposed to the teaching of false prophets is the day of evil. 

Because we all live in the world of religion, we are always exposed to the teachings of false prophets. The only way to guard yourself (i.e., stand firm in the face of temptation to believe lies) is to have the full armor of God (i.e., God’s spoken word) written on your heart.

The belt of truth includes truths listed in these links:

• Doable, Common Sense Strategies for Achieving Political and Social Unity
• God’s Commands About Doing Justice for Others
• God’s Commands About How to Relate to Him and to One Another.

The gospel of peace includes truths listed in these links:

• Doable, Common Sense Strategies for Achieving Political and Social Unity
• God’s Commands About Doing Justice for Others
• God’s Commands About How to Relate to Him and to One Another.

True faith is associated with New Covenant disciples who, because they hear God’s spoken voice in their hearts, have God’s spiritual laws written on their hearts. This is the faith that protects them from lies (i.e. flaming arrows) told by religious leaders.

God’s spoken word is the only power that protects people from believing lies told by religious leaders. 

The evil ones are evil religious leaders who serve evil, soulish teachings (i.e., food) to religious people. This food is also symbolically represented as flaming arrows (i.e., lies.)

See this link for understanding of faith as God sees it.

See these three videos Faith Part 1, Faith Part 2 for discussion of faith.

See this link for the symbolic meaning of sword of the spirit.

Watch Heaven and Hell are not what you think (3 minute video) and Understanding Heaven and Hell (6 minute video for understanding of heaven and hell. 

Since salvation and sword of the spirit are God’s spoken words written on the heart, the helmet of salvation and sword of the spirit symbolically represent God’s spoken words.

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See this link for the correct, symbolic understanding of prayer.

See this link for the correct, symbolic understanding of praying in the spirit.

Weapons like swords and arrows are always words. Words are either truth or lies.

Words spoken by New Covenant disciples are always truth because they have God’s laws written on their hearts.

Words spoken by Old/First Covenant religionists are always lies because they do not have God’s laws written on their hearts. Christian Nationalists are Old/First Covenant religionists.

Tongues also refer to words that are either truth or lies. 

Weaponized words that are lies have no ill effect on people who have God’s laws written on their hearts because those laws enable them to discern between truth and lies.

The Hebrew word “nachalah” is translated as heritage and inheritance. The only inheritance worth having is something that comes from God. The only thing that God has that he can pass on to his people is his spoken word.