Ephesians says the struggle is not against “flesh and blood,” but against “the rulers,” “the authorities,” “the cosmic powers over this present darkness,” and “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The verse identifies these as the opponents in view. See Ephesians 6:12.
In Ephesians 6:10–13 the writer closes with a call to draw strength from the Lord rather than from oneself. Believers are told to “put on” God’s full armor so they can keep their ground against the devil’s schemes. These verses begin the concluding charge of the letter, moving from the earlier instructions about daily conduct and relationships into a final, summarizing call for readiness.
These verses frame the Christian life as requiring strength that comes from God, not from personal toughness. The repeated focus is on being “strong in the Lord” and on receiving what God supplies (“the whole armor of God”). That makes dependence and provision explicit textual themes, not just implied ideas.
A common mistake is to treat this as trivia. Names, places, numbers, and sequence details often carry memory, covenant identity, or narrative movement in the biblical story.
Start with Ephesians 6:12, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
12For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world`s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.