The Unseen Battle: Spiritual Warfare, the Three Rebellions, and Christ’s Victory Over Dark Powers (by Joel Muddamalle)
In his book, The Unseen Battle, Joel Muddamalle develops the concept of spiritual warfare through the Bible’s supernatural worldview. The book explains why the world looks spiritually fractured, politically chaotic, and morally contested. The book is a biblical-theological work, solidly grounded in Scripture and the Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) context. Muddamalle organizes the story of spiritual warfare around a supernatural framework of God’s supernatural and human families. He further explores how the relationship between these two households informs the narrative of conflict, rebellion, and redemption in the biblical text. The goal of The Unseen Battle is to bring understanding of the powers at work in the world and to highlight the order brought through Christ’s victory over all things.
Publication Information
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication date: January 27, 2026 (Order now on Amazon or on Logos)
Language: English
Print length: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 0310177626
ISBN-13: 978-0310177623
Overview of The Unseen Battle by Joel Muddamalle
The Unseen Battle argues that the biblical story is best understood through the lens of a cosmic conflict unfolding across heaven and earth. Joel Muddamalle “weaves together” the Old and New Testament narratives to present Scripture as the account of God’s two-family household. Muddamalle observes God’s human family and his supernatural family along with the damage caused by rebellion in both realms. The book traces how God’s original dwelling place in Eden functioned as a household where heaven and earth meet. Further, God’s order was disrupted through a series of rebellions (Genesis 3, Genesis 6, and the Tower of Babel). These events set up the biblical theme of warfare between Yahweh and the rebellious members of his household.
We live in a world at war, not just geopolitically, but cosmically. Most Christians misunderstand the nature of spiritual war and the identity of God’s enemies. Muddamalle explains the disinherited nations of Deuteronomy 32:8-9 and the place of their spiritual rulers. Yet, Israel was claimed as Yahweh’s own inheritance. This ‘Divine Council Worldview’ clarifies the role of the sons of God as well as demons and angels without drifting into conspiracy theories or sensationalism. The book minimises fanaticism regarding the spirit world, offering a biblical and balanced account of cosmic and geopolitical conflict and the deeper spiritual realities operating behind visible history.
The Unseen Battle ultimately points to Jesus Christ. His advent is the decisive turning point of the unseen battle. In Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and exaltation, the rebellious powers are judged, stripped of authority, and ultimately will be defeated. The reclamation of the nations began in Christ, as all things return to fidelity to Yahweh. Muddamalle presents the church as the renewed household of God, the regathered family through whom Yahweh’s rule spreads to the ends of the earth. The Unseen Battle, therefore, equips readers to understand what God is accomplishing today and what it means to live faithfully in light of Christ’s victory.
Heiser’s Influence on Muddamalle
Joel Muddamalle has publicly acknowledged Michael Heiser’s influence on his theological development. Heiser served as one of Muddamalle’s doctoral advisors, and Muddamalle has noted that Heiser’s work on the divine-council worldview helped shape the categories he uses when explaining spiritual beings, the nations, and the structure of the unseen realm. While The Unseen Battle is more pastoral than Heiser’s academic work, Muddamalle’s framework clearly reflects Heiser’s emphasis on Scripture’s supernatural worldview, the significance of Deuteronomy 32:8-9, and the cosmic scope of Christ’s victory.
Additionally, the late Dr. Heiser’s wife, Drenna Heiser-Hollander, contributed to the book's foreword. Some have noted the similarity of the title of this book and Heiser’s The Unseen Realm (a few posts I saw misunderstood the connection, assuming Muddamalle was trying to capitalize on the popularity of Dr. Heiser’s work). But this is neither underhanded nor accidental. The title reflects Muddamalle’s effort to continue Dr. Heiser’s work with the support of the Michael Heiser Foundation and Drenna Heiser, not as an attempt to capitalize on Heiser’s legacy.
Use of the Old and New Testaments
Muddamalle’s Unseen Battle is a biblical-theological work that traces the narrative of Scripture from the Old Testament to the New. Biblical Theology, as I understand it, assumes a consistent narrative from Genesis through Revelation and is thoroughly redemptive, rooted in the work of Christ. This is precisely what Muddamalle recovers in the book. He demonstrates the plan and purpose of God in Eden, the damage caused by human and spiritual rebellion, and then clearly reflects the reversal of damage in Christ’s work, resulting in a new Eden.
I appreciated the way he avoids esotericism, staying close to the biblical text and historical orthodoxy while engaging with many of the darker and more confusing parts of the biblical narrative. Indeed, we should not fear these passages but deal with them carefully within their biblical context. And in so doing, Muddamalle gives us a beautiful picture of the Gospel in Christ’s victory over the cosmic powers.
Engagement with Ancient Near Eastern Context
Many in Reformed spaces (my spaces) reject the use of the Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) Context in the study of Scripture. They have valid concerns. The study of the Pagan cultures should not be used as a lens to understand biblical Christianity, as indeed the Pagan gods have rebelled against Yahweh. Their mythologies and legal codices cannot be considered trustworthy testimonies of cosmic realities.
Yet, the biblical texts often operate as polemics engaging these ANE sources. For example, a biblical divine council can be seen in Psalm 82, Job 1-2, and other places, yet, unlike in the border ANE world, Yahweh is supreme over the beings of the council. Neglecting the ANE context ignores the problems the authors of Scripture addressed. Muddamalle is content to engage the ANE context to demonstrate Yahweh’s victory over the gods of the nations through Christ, and this is precisely the way we should engage these texts, rather than dismissing them as is often done.
Abraham’s Polytheistic Background
I’d like to provide an example of how Muddamalle engages the ANE context of Scripture. In Chapter 5, he writes:
There are several reasons why it is significant that Abraham and his family resided in Ur. In Genesis 15:7 Yahweh says to Abraham that he brought him out of “Ur of the Chaldeans.” This designation clearly presents the city as Babylonian. This geographic reference places the family origins with Babel and the Babel event, the location of “the archetype of rebellion against God.” After the events of Babel, the disinherited nations allotted to the sons of God worshiped these cosmic beings, and as an act of cosmic rebellion, the sons of God accepted their worship and established themselves as the patron deities of various nations. This is the context and situation we find from historical study of Ur as well. The people there worshiped Nanna, the moon goddess, and within the center of the city was a fortress housing the temple of the moon goddess. The ziggurat at Ur was world famous. As previously noted, ziggurats were temple structures or staircases that served as entry points and a type of dwelling place for the deity. Ur’s city center housed a deity, a picture of a rival household to Yahweh, one in rebellion against him.
Here, Muddamalle highlights how Yahweh’s instruction for Abraham to vacate “Ur of the Chaldeans” was not primarily about some abstract kind of obedience, but about exercising fidelity to Yahweh by separating himself (and his household) from the disinherited gods of the nations. Without an understanding of the ziggurats or the significance of Ur, the narrative of Abraham is flattened into abstract obedience. But with the ANE context, we understand God’s rescue of Abraham and the preservation of God’s family in Abraham’s seed.
Strengths of the Book
Muddamalle is a fantastic writer. He makes coherent and biblical arguments throughout the book. His claims are extensively footnoted as they engage with scholarly sources. He regularly engages with biblical texts, Second Temple literature, and modern scholarship to construct a cohesive, historical narrative of spiritual victory.
I also praise this work for its accessibility. Muddamalle is a top-notch scholar, but he doesn’t write so pretentiously as to alienate less educated readers. I think this book will be helpful for a general Christian audience interested in biblical theology and Christology, as well as an introductory text for more advanced readers seeking to expand their understanding of Christ’s work in light of the supernatural background of Scripture.
I’m not sure about Muddamalle’s personal convictions. Still, in the book, he appears to distance his argument from conspiracy-driven or fear-based approaches to spiritual warfare, staying close to the biblical context. I’m sure that many are hesitant to engage the supernatural context of Scripture due to abuses by groups (or individuals) who take the narrative out of context. Indeed, when Scripture is interpreted according to the ANE context or contemporary deliverance theology is read into the biblical narrative, many choose to distance themselves rather than try to correct such abuses. Muddamalle doesn’t seem fearful on this point and engages the Scriptures on their own terms, yet faithfully and within the context of historical Christian orthodoxy.
Finally, Muddamalle did not write this book because it’s fun to talk about weird stuff. No, he writes Christocentrically. This book is clearly rooted in a sound theology of God’s sovereignty, with a focus on Christ’s work to overcome human and spiritual rebellion. The book emphasizes God’s sovereignty, Christ’s victory, and the church’s role in God’s redemptive purpose.
Weaknesses/Limitations
Not much can be said here. Any book engaging the biblical narrative in reflection on the Gospel will likely get five stars from me. But I will point out that the material in this book is hardly novel. Most of the conclusions presented by Muddamalle in this work were previously addressed, in some form, by Dr. Heiser and others who have written in similar spaces. I don’t mean that Muddamalle has merely recapitulated Heiser’s arguments, but merely make note that others have done similar work with similar conclusions.
I include much of the same content in chapters 3 and 4 of my own book, The Gospel is Bigger than You Think, which is also influenced by Heiser and others. Still, The Unseen Battle is more comprehensive on this point than I was, as I survey broadly much of the works of Christ, not singling in on a particular redemptive narrative.
This is not a significant criticism, however. There is ample space for authors to continue writing on these themes. I believe we need more works like this one that make much of Christ’s work to overcome evil and overturn the human and spiritual rebellion. Furthermore, much more work remains to be done to articulate the practical implications of the unseen battle. So, I look forward to many more works being published in this space.
Conclusion and Recommendation
All this said, I highly recommend The Unseen Battle by Joel Muddamalle. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Any serious student of Scripture will be blessed by considering Christ’s work through the narrative of spiritual warfare, within the biblical theology and ANE context.
Bible Verses About Spiritual Warfare and the Unseen Battle
Ephesians 6:10–12, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Colossians 2:13–15, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
Deuteronomy 32:8–9, “When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”
Daniel 10:12–14, “Then he said to me, ‘Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me… and when I depart, behold, the prince of Greece will come.’”
Psalm 82:1–2, “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: ‘How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?’”
1 Peter 5:8–9, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
Revelation 12:7–9, “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
Luke 10:17–20, “The seventy-two 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 have given you authority… Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’”
1 Corinthians 15:24–25, “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”
Romans 16:20, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
