Satan is spoken of in Scripture as being “the god of this world” by the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 4:4) and “the ruler of this world” by Jesus (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Based on these titles for Satan, many have assumed that Satan has total control over the earth. Although we have already considered enough scriptures to expose the error of this particular myth, it will do us well to study even further so that we can have a full understanding of just how limited Satan’s power really is. We must be cautious that our entire understanding of Satan is not built upon only four scriptures that refer to him as god, or ruler, of the world.

As we examine more of the Bible, we discover that not only did Jesus refer to Satan as “ruler of this world,” but He also referred to His heavenly Father as “Lord of heaven and earth” (Matt. 11:25; Luke 10:21, emphasis added). Additionally, not only did the apostle Paul refer to Satan as “the god of this world,” but he, like Jesus, referred to God as “Lord of heaven and earth” (Acts 17:24, emphasis added). This proves to us that neither Jesus nor Paul would want us to think that Satan has complete control over the earth. Satan’s authority must be limited.

A very important distinction between these contrasting scriptures is to be found in the words world and earth. Although we often use these two words synonymously, in the original Greek the two are usually not the same. Once we understand how they differ, our understanding of God and Satan’s authority on the earth increases dramatically.

Jesus referred to God the Father as Lord of the earth. The word translated earth is the Greek word ge. It refers to the physical planet upon which we live, and from it the English word geography is derived.

Contrariwise, Jesus said that Satan is the ruler of this world. The Greek word for world here is kosmos, and it refers primarily to order or arrangement. It speaks of people rather than of the physical planet itself. That is why Christians often speak of Satan as the “god of this world’s system.”

Presently, God does not have complete control over the world, because He does not have complete control over all the people of the world. The reason for this is that He has given all people a choice regarding who will be their master, and many have chosen to give their allegiance to Satan. Humanity’s free will, of course, is a part of God’s plan.

Paul used a different word for world, the Greek word aion, when he wrote of the god of this world. Aion can and often is translated as age, that is, a marked period of time. Satan is the god of this present age.

What does all this mean? The earth is the physical planet upon which we live. The world speaks of the people who presently live upon the earth, and more specifically, those who are not serving Jesus. They are serving Satan, and are caught up in his perverted, sinful system. We, as Christians, are said to be “in the world” but not “of the world” (John 17:11,14). We live among the citizens of the kingdom of darkness, but we are actually in the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God.

So now we have our answer. To put it simply: God sovereignly controls the entire earth. Satan, by God’s permission, only has control of the “world’s system,” which is control over those who are citizens of his dark kingdom. For this reason, the apostle John wrote that the “whole world (not the whole earth) lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

This is not to say that God has no authority over the world, or the world’s system, or the people of the world. He is, as Daniel stated, “ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes” (Dan. 4:25). He still can exalt or humble any person He desires. However, as supreme “ruler over the realm of mankind,” He has sovereignly permitted Satan to rule over the portion of mankind that is in rebellion against Him.

The New Testament provides additional evidence that refutes the Satan-Gained theory.

For example, we read in Luke 9:1 that Jesus gave His twelve disciples “authority over all the demons.” Additionally, in Luke 10:19, Jesus told them, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you” (emphasis added).

If Jesus gave them authority over all the power of Satan, He first must have had that authority Himself. Satan is under God’s authority.

Later in Luke’s gospel we read of Jesus saying to Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). The text indicates that Satan could not sift Peter without first obtaining permission from God. Again, Satan is under God’s control.^[1]

^[1] See also 1 Corinthians 10:13, which indicates that God limits our temptation, which indicates that He limits the tempter.

What exactly did happen to Satan at the fall of humanity? Some think that Satan gained a big promotion when Adam fell. They say Adam was originally “the god of this world,” but at Adam’s fall Satan gained that position, thus giving him the right to do whatever he wanted to do on the earth. Even God was supposedly powerless to stop him from then on, because Adam had the “legal right” to give his position to Satan, and God had to honor His agreement with Adam which now belonged to Satan. Satan supposedly now possesses “Adam’s lease,” and God can’t stop Satan until “Adam’s lease runs out.”

Is this theory true? Did Satan gain “Adam’s lease” at the fall of humanity?

Absolutely not. Satan gained nothing at the fall of humanity except a curse from God and a divine promise of his total demise.

The fact is that the Bible never says that Adam was the original “god of this world.” Second, the Bible never says that Adam had a legal right to give anyone else his supposed authority over the world. Third, the Bible never says that Adam had a lease that would one day expire. All of these ideas are unscriptural.

What authority did Adam originally possess? We read in Genesis that God told Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28, emphasis added).

God said nothing to Adam about being a “god” over the earth, or that he could control everything, such as the weather, and all the future people who would be born, and so on. He simply gave both Adam and Eve, as the first humans, dominion over the fish, birds and animals and commanded them to fill the earth and subdue it.

When God pronounced judgment upon the man, He said nothing about Adam losing his supposed position as “god of this world.” Moreover, He said nothing to Adam or Eve about losing their dominion over fish, birds and cattle. In fact, I think it is obvious that humanity is still ruling over the fish and birds and “every creeping thing.” The human race is still filling the earth and subduing it. Adam lost none of his original, God-given authority at the fall.

This particular myth contradicts one of the most well-established, fundamental truths about God that is revealed in Scripture—that He is all-powerful, or omnipotent.t

Jesus told us that all things are possible with God (see Matt. 19:26). Jeremiah affirmed that there is nothing too difficult for Him (see Jer. 32:17). No person or force can stop Him from fulfilling His plans (see 2 Chron. 20:6; Job 41:10; 42:2). Through Jeremiah God asks, “For who is like Me….And who then…can stand against Me?” (Jer. 50:44). The answer is no one, not even Satan.

If God is truly all-powerful as the above-mentioned scriptures affirm, then to say that God and Satan were or are in a battle is to imply that He is not all-powerful. If God lost even a single round, was slightly overcome by Satan even to a small degree or had to struggle against him for even a short time, then He is not all-powerful as He declares Himself to be.

We’ve already learned from the book of Revelation that there will one day be a war in heaven between Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels. Other than that, there is only one other angelic battle that Scripture mentions, found in the tenth chapter of Daniel.^[1]

Daniel tells us that he had been mourning for three weeks during the third year of the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia, when an angel appeared to him by the Tigris River. The purpose of the angel’s visit was to impart understanding to him concerning Israel’s future, and we’ve already briefly studied what Daniel was told in a previous chapter about the Rapture and End Times. During their conversation, the unnamed angel said to Daniel:

Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia (Dan. 10:12-13, emphasis added).

Daniel learned that his prayer had been heard three weeks prior to his encounter with this angel, but that it had taken the angel three weeks to get to him. The reason for the angel’s delay was because “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” had withstood him. He was able to break through, however, when Michael, “one of the chief princes,” came to help him.

When the angel was about to depart from Daniel, he said to him,

I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince (Dan. 10:20-21).

Several interesting facts can be learned from this passage of Scripture. Again we see that God’s angels are not all-powerful, and that they can actually be involved in fighting wicked angels.

Second, we learn that some angels (such as Michael) are more powerful than others (such as the one who spoke with Daniel).

^[1] Two possible objections answered: (1) Jude mentions a dispute between Michael and Satan about the body of Moses, but there is no mention of an actual battle. In fact, Jude tells us that Michael would “not dare pronounce against him [Satan] a railing judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you'” (Jude 1:9). (2) When Elisha and his servant were surrounded by a Syrian army in the city of Dothan, Elisha prayed for God to open his servant’s eyes (2 Kings 6:15-17). Consequently, his servant saw “horses and chariots of fire” which we assume were mounted and occupied by an army of angels in the spiritual realm. This is not, however, a definite indication that these angels had been or were about to be involved in a battle with demonic angels. Angels are used at times by God to execute His wrath against wicked human beings, an example being the slaughter of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers by one angel, recorded in 2 Kings 19:35.

But what should our message be to those picking up the pieces of their lives after a hurricane or earthquake? How shall we answer if they ask for a theological answer to their predicament? Let’s be honest with what the Bible teaches, and tell people that God is holy and that their sin does have consequences. Let’s tell them that the ferocious roar of the hurricane is but a small sampling of the power that the almighty God possesses, and the fear they felt as their house shook is nothing in comparison to the terror that will grip them as they are thrown into hell. And let’s tell them that even though we all deserve to be cast into hell, God is mercifully giving us time to repent and believe in Jesus, through whom we can be saved from God’s wrath.

“But we shouldn’t scare people about God, should we?”some ask. The answer is found in Scripture: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). Until people fear God, they really don’t know anything.

The subject of spiritual warfare has become increasingly popular in the church in recent years. Unfortunately, much of what is being taught contradicts Scripture. Consequently, many ministers around the world are teaching and practicing a kind of spiritual warfare that the Bible never prescribes. Certainly there is such a thing as scriptural spiritual warfare, and that is what disciple-making ministers should be practicing and teaching.

In this chapter and the next I’ll address some of the most common misconceptions regarding Satan and spiritual warfare. This is a condensation of an entire book I wrote on this subject titled, Modern Myths About Satan and Spiritual Warfare. Read Modern Myth About Satan an Spiritual Warfare in its entirety in English on our website.

When we look at God and our world from a biblical perspective, then and only then are we thinking rightly. The biblical perspective is that everyone deserves God’s wrath, but that God is merciful. When suffering people say they deserve better treatment from God, surely He must groan. Everyone is receiving much more mercy than he or she deserves.

In keeping with this theme, Jesus once commented on two contemporary calamities. We read in Luke’s gospel:

Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him [Jesus] about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).

The Galileans who died at Pilate’s hand could not say, “God has treated us unfairly by not saving us from Pilate!” No, they were sinners who deserved to die. And, according to Jesus, those Galileans who survived would be wrong to jump to the conclusion that they were less sinful than their murdered neighbors. They had not earned greater favor from God—they had been granted greater mercy.

Christ’s message was clear: “You are all sinners. Sin has consequences. For now, you live because of God’s mercy. So repent before it is too late for you as well.”

Jesus concluded His comments on those tragedies with a parable about God’s mercy:

And He began telling this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down'” (Luke 13:6-9).

Here are the justice and mercy of God illustrated. God’s justice cries out, “Cut down the worthless tree!” But His mercy pleads, “No, give it more time to bring forth fruit.” Every person who is without Christ is like that tree.

But didn’t Paul refer to Satan as the “god of this world,” and Jesus refer to him as “ruler of this world”? Yes they did, but neither made any intimation that Adam was formerly “the god of this world” or that Satan gained the title from Adam when he fell.

Additionally, Satan’s title as “god of this world” does not prove that Satan can do anything he wants on the earth or that God is powerless to stop him. Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18, emphasis added). If Jesus has all authority on the earth, then Satan can operate only with His permission.

Who gave Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth? It must have been God the Father, who possessed it Himself in order to give it to Jesus. That is why Jesus spoke of His Father as “Lord of heaven and earth” (Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21, emphasis added).

God has had all authority over the earth since He created it. He gave a little authority to humans at the beginning, and humanity has never lost what God originally gave.

When the Bible speaks of Satan being the god or ruler of this world, it simply means that the people of the world (who are not born again) are following Satan. He is the one they are serving, whether they realize it or not. He is their god.

Finally, let us read what God Himself once said through the prophet Jeremiah in regard to His sovereignty over earthly, human kingdoms.

“Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it” (Jer. 18:6-10).

Can you see that there is no way that Satan, when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, could have been legitimately offering Jesus rule over earthly, human, political kingdoms? If he was telling the truth (as he sometimes does), then all he could have been offering Jesus was control over his kingdom of darkness.

But does Satan have influence in human governments? Yes, but only because he is the spiritual lord of unsaved people, and unsaved people are involved in human governments. Yet he only has as much influence as God permits him to have, and God can foil any of Satan’s schemes any time He desires. The apostle John wrote of Jesus as being “the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Rev. 1:5).