Satan<\/a>.\u00a0 You wrote:<\/p>\nC.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Meanwhile, Satan continues to rule this world<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0All sinners are under his dominion –\u00a0Ephesians 2:1-2;\u00a0Colossians 1:13<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He manipulates and controls the world\u2019s kingdoms –\u00a0Luke 4:5-7<\/p>\n
The second point is what I want to ask about.\u00a0 In light of what Nebuchadnezzar learned in\u00a0Daniel 5:21, is it possible Satan was lying to Jesus in\u00a0Luke 4: 5 -7?\u00a0 In other words, that he couldn’t deliver what he promised Jesus?\u00a0 I would like to hear your thoughts on this.<\/p>\n\t
Answer:<\/h2>\n
Daniel 5:21\u00a0says: “Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.<\/em>“<\/p>\nLuke 4:5-7\u00a0says: “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.<\/em>“<\/p>\nIt is possible that Satan was lying. After all, lies are Satan’s native language. “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it<\/em>” (John 8:44). However, an outright blatant lie would be an unlikely tacit in attempting to deceive the Son of God. Instead, I believe that what we after here is a partial truth. What Satan said was basically correct, it is what he left unsaid that contains the lie.<\/p>\nThe Bible is clear that sinners are in the kingdom of Satan. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience<\/em>” (Ephesians 2:1-2). “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love<\/em>” (Colossians 1:13). Yet Satan’s rule in this world is not nearly as absolute as he implied it to be in his statement to Jesus. When Satan wanted to tempt Job, he had to get God’s permission and God limited what Satan was allowed to do (Job 1:6-12;\u00a02:1-6).<\/p>\nSatan can play stunts with those who have given Satan control over their lives. He holds great sway over most of the world’s population (Matthew 7:13-14). Yet, even Satan cannot stand in God’s way (Matthew 16:18). When God wants something done, the righteous and sinners alike bow to the Lord’s will whether they desire it or not. However, it doesn’t mean that Satan doesn’t struggle against God. There is an interesting comment made by an angel to Daniel. The angel was explaining why the answer to Daniel’s prayer was taking so long. “Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia<\/em>” (Daniel 10:12-13). In this passage and also in Daniel 12, “princes” appears to be a reference to angels. Michael, being a chief prince, is the archangel also mentioned in\u00a0Jude 9\u00a0and\u00a0Revelation 12:7. Satan and his followers battle, but ultimately they cannot succeed in stopping God’s plans.<\/p>\nSinners are in the hands of Satan and the kingdoms run by sinners are under Satan’s sway. Jesus came to end Satan’s domination of the world. Satan knew this and what he offered to Jesus was to give over his people and power without a fight, but on the condition that Jesus put himself under the authority of Satan. Satan tempted Jesus with the easy way out — no struggling to turn the hearts of men, no dying on a cross — but it included God surrendering to a being of His creation who had turned evil.<\/p>\n
Satan’s statement was basically correct: he had authority over men and their kingdoms. He even correctly stated that it was delegated authority, in that he said it was given to him (i.e. Satan didn’t possess it by his own power). It was also true that Satan could give it to another. But it was a lie that he truly sought to give up his authority. He was making a bid for greater authority — power over God. And he lost.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I was just reading from your web site.\u00a0 I do that from time to time.\u00a0 It’s a great site.\u00a0 Thanks for doing it. Anyway, I was reading your sermon on Satan.\u00a0 You wrote: C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Meanwhile, Satan continues to rule this world 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0All sinners are under his dominion –\u00a0Ephesians 2:1-2;\u00a0Colossians 1:13 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He manipulates and controls the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[90,235],"class_list":["post-3687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-god","tag-satan"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25411,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-was-satan-bound-before-jesus-came-to-this-world-or-later\/","url_meta":{"origin":3687,"position":0},"title":"When was Satan bound, before Jesus came to this world or later?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 5, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: \"No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house\" (Mark 3:27). From this verse, we learn that Satan is currently bound by Christ and that his power is limited. My\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3691,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/satan\/","url_meta":{"origin":3687,"position":1},"title":"Satan (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 1, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ezekiel 28:12-19 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For a being who has plagued mankind since the beginning, it is surprising how little people know about Satan \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some declare he really doesn\u2019t exist. To these people, he is just the personification of evil in mankind. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Others imagine a character with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52326,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-does-satan-tempt-people\/","url_meta":{"origin":3687,"position":2},"title":"How does Satan tempt people?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear sir, I believe\u00a0I read where possibly you and many others say that Satan can't get into our heads. OK, so while still under the Old Testament, he tempted Job. Then he, I'm assuming, physically tempted Christ. If he brought Jesus up to see the kingdoms of the world,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3897,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-did-the-devil-fall\/","url_meta":{"origin":3687,"position":3},"title":"When did the Devil fall?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 23, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please comment on the fall of the devil. Was it before the creation of the world (Earth) or after the creation of the world? Where was he thrown? Answer: The Bible contains only a little bit of material concerning the origins of Satan. See the lesson \"Satan\" in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17050,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-disagree-with-the-idea-that-satan-cant-put-thoughts-directly-into-someones-head\/","url_meta":{"origin":3687,"position":4},"title":"I disagree with the idea that Satan can’t put thoughts directly into someone’s head","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I disagree with\u00a0the idea that Satan can't put thoughts directly into someone's head. What about: John 13:2 \"And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him,\" John 13:26-27 \"Jesus answered, \"It is he to whom I shall\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63459,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/seven-facts-about-gods-providence\/","url_meta":{"origin":3687,"position":5},"title":"Seven Facts about God\u2019s Providence","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 6:10-20 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are questions we have regarding how God works in the world today for which we have no answers \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We cannot see the spiritual realm \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We cannot measure the influence the spiritual realm has on our thoughts \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God hasn\u2019t told us everything\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3687\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}